''The Range Busters'' is a 1940 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

S. Roy Luby Solomon Roy Luby (8 August 1904, New York City - 19 August 1976 in Los Angeles) was an American animator, editor, and film director. He used the pseudonyms of Roy Claire, Roy S. Luby, J. Roy Luby, Roy Luby, Sol Luby, and Russell Roy. Biograph ...

and written by John Rathmell. The film is the first in

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

' "

Range Busters ''The Range Busters'' was a 1940–1943 American Western film series of 24 films. They were about the adventures of a trio of cowboys, many filmed at the Corriganville Movie Ranch, produced by George W. Weeks and distributed by Monogram Picture ...

" series, and it stars

Ray "Crash" Corrigan Ray "Crash" Corrigan (born Raymond Benitz; February 14, 1902 – August 10, 1976) was an American actor most famous for appearing in many B-Western movies (among these the Three Mesquiteers and Range Busters film series). He also was a ...

as Crash,

John "Dusty" King John 'Dusty' King (born Miller McLeod Everson, July 11, 1909 – November 11, 1987) was a singer and film actor renowned for his Westerns particularly the Range Busters series. Biography Everson was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. A graduate o ...

as Dusty and Max "Alibi" Terhune as Alibi, with

Luana Walters Luana Walters (July 22, 1912 – May 19, 1963) was an American motion picture actress from Los Angeles, California. Biography Walters was an expert horsewoman, which led to her discovery as an actress at a rodeo in Palm Springs, California. ...

LeRoy Mason LeRoy Franklin Mason (July 2, 1903 – October 13, 1947) was an American film actor who worked primarily in Westerns in both the silent and sound film eras. Mason was born in Larimore, North Dakota on July 2, 1903. Career 1920s Mason's fir ...

and

Earle Hodgins Earle Hodgins (October 6, 1893 – April 14, 1964) was an American actor. Career Early in his career, Hodgins was active in stock theater, including working in the Ralph Cloninger troupe of Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Siegel Stock compan ...

. It was released on August 22, 1940. The "Range Busters" series ran from 1940 to 1943 and encompassed 24 films, with the first 16 starring Corrigan, King and Terhune.

Plot

The Circle T Ranch is terrorized by a series of murders, culminating in the death of the ranch owner, Homer Thorp. His daughter, Carol, is being pressured into selling the ranch by the villainous Torrence. The three Range Busters—Crash, Dusty and Alibi—ride into town and save Carol from the bully. She offers them a job on the ranch, and they learn from Carol's friend Doc Stengle that the ranch is cursed, haunted by a Phantom. Torrence's gang of gunrunners are hiding in an abandoned mine on the property, and the Range Busters are kept busy rounding up the gang and discovering the true identity of the mysterious Phantom.

Cast

as "Crash" Corrigan *

as "Dusty" King * Max "Alibi" Terhune as "Alibi" Terhune *

as Carol Thorp *

as Torrence *

as Uncle Rolf * Frank LaRue as Doc Stengle *

Kermit Maynard Kermit Maynard (September 20, 1897 – January 16, 1971) was an American actor and stuntman. Early years Born in Vevay, Indiana, he was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Maynard and a lookalike younger brother of actor Ken Maynard; they were ...

as Wyoming * Bruce King as Wall *

Carl Mathews Carl Mathews (February 19, 1903 – May 3, 1959), also sometimes credited as Carl Matthews, was an American character actor and stuntman of the 1930s through 1950s. Born on February 19, 1903 in Oklahoma, his first film role would be in ''Rough R ...

as Henchman Rocky *

Horace Murphy Horace Murphy (June 3, 1880 – January 20, 1975) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1931 and 1953. Early years Born in Osceola, Arkansas, Murphy was playing cornet by age 11, and six years later led the ...

as Homer Thorp

Reception

Hal Erickson wrote on Allmovie.com, "The initial entry was as much a whodunit as a western, with the heroic triumvirate trying to ascertain the identity of The Phantom, a mysterious murderer. The revelation of the culprit will be a surprise to anyone who hasn't caught on to the clues planted in Reel One. Boasting good performances and well-chosen, unfamiliar outdoor locations, ''The Range Busters'' was an auspicious start to one of Monogram's most lucrative series."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Range Busters 1940 films 1940s English-language films American Western (genre) films 1940 Western (genre) films Monogram Pictures films Films directed by S. Roy Luby Range Busters 1940s American films

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links