''Yellow Dust'' is a 1936 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

Wallace Fox Wallace Fox (March 9, 1895 – June 30, 1958) was an American film director. He directed more than 80 films between 1927 and 1953. He was born in Purcell, Oklahoma, and died in Hollywood, California. Selected filmography * '' Trail of Co ...

from a screenplay by

Cyril Hume Cyril Hume (March 16, 1900 – March 26, 1966) was an American novelist and screenwriter. Hume was a graduate of Yale University, where he edited campus humor magazine ''The Yale Record''. He was an editor of the collection ''The Yale Record ...

John Twist John Twist (July 14, 1898 – February 11, 1976) was an American screenwriter whose career spanned four decades. Born in Albany, Missouri, Twist began his career in the silent film era, providing the story for such films as ''Breed of Cour ...

, and John Francis Larkin. The film stars

Richard Dix Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

and

Leila Hyams Leila Hyams (May 1, 1905 – December 4, 1977) was an American film and stage actress, model, and vaudevillian, who came from a show business family. Her relatively short film career began in 1924 during the era of silent films and ended in 19 ...

, with a supporting cast including

Moroni Olsen Moroni Olsen (June 27, 1889November 22, 1954) was an American actor. Life and career Olsen was born in Ogden, Utah to Latter-day Saint parents Edward Arenholt Olsen and Martha ( Hoverholst) Olsen, who named him after the Moroni found in the ...

Jessie Ralph Jessie Ralph Patton ( Chambers; November 5, 1864 – May 30, 1944), known as Jessie Ralph, was an American stage and screen actress, best known for her matronly roles in many classic films. Early life Jessie Ralph Chambers was the 13th child ...

, Andy Clyde, and

Onslow Stevens Onslow Stevens (born Onslow Ford Stevenson; March 29, 1902 – January 5, 1977) was an American stage, television and film actor. Early years Born in Los Angeles, California, Stevens was the son of British-born character actor Houseley St ...

. RKO Radio Pictures premiered the film in New York City on February 22, 1936, with a nationwide release on March 13.

Plot

The film opens in the hills of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Bob Culpepper is a college-educated man from

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, who has chosen the life of a

gold prospector Gold prospecting is the act of searching for new gold deposits. Methods used vary with the type of deposit sought and the resources of the prospector. Although traditionally a commercial activity, in some developed countries placer gold prospe ...

. Culpepper witnesses veteran prospector Silas "Solitaire" Carter getting attacked by an intruder and comes to his defense. The fight results in the intruder's death and the two new allies decide to bury him. While digging for the grave, they discover a gold-bearing vein. They use the vein to calculate that there is a mother lode of gold in a nearby mountain. Eager to profit from their discovery, Carter and Culpepper head to the nearest town to make a

land claim A land claim is defined as "the pursuit of recognized territorial ownership by a group or individual". The phrase is usually only used with respect to disputed or unresolved land claims. Some types of land claims include aboriginal land claims, A ...

for this area. Before reaching the town, the two partners witness a gang of outlaws who are in the process of robbing a stagecoach. They decide to help the victims and manage to scare off the gang. Among the passengers is a lovely saloon singer, Nellie Brian, and Culpepper is instantly smitten with her. Brian is also attracted to him, but her mother urges her to focus on her next singing gig. At the town, Brian entertains her new boss, Jack Hanway. He is the prosperous owner of a local saloon. Neither Brian, nor her mother realize that Hanway is secretly the leader of the gang of outlaws. Brian eventually confesses her love to Culpepper, and also talks to him about a valuable necklace which the outlaws had stolen from her. Culpepper locates the necklace, at the hands of an outlaw known only by the nickname "Missouri". He forces the outlaw to hand over the necklace to him. Trying to impress Brian and outrage Culpepper, Hanway stages a robbery at his own saloon. His gang is supposed to act as robbers, and Hanway acts as the hero who bravely thwarts their plan. Culpepper figures out the plan and tries to expose Hanway as a criminal. Instead, "Missouri" accuses him of being involved with the stagecoach robbery and being in possession of the loot. With the necklace found in his possession, Culpepper is arrested as a thief and imprisoned. Brian is convinced that Culpepper is a villain. With his rival out of the way, Hanway romances Brian. He gets careless and she overhears his plans to lay claim to the mother lode. Brian tries to alert Carter that he is in danger of losing his gold, but he is too drunk to listen to her. Brian gets another idea of how to ruin Hanway's plans. She tricks him into delaying making his land claim, then makes the claim herself. Brian is now the only one with a legal claim to the gold. Carter is shocked to find out about this development and informs Culpepper. Culpepper figures that his love interest has conspired against him and wants to retaliate. He convinces "Missouri" to help him escape from prison. After escaping, Culpepper abducts Brian and restrains her with a straitjacket. He rides with his captive to the area with the gold. Their time together allows them to clear the misunderstandings between them and declare their own innocence. Realizing that neither of them is a villain, they reconcile and express their love for each other. When arriving at the area of the claim, they are captured by Hanway and his gang. Hanway wants Brian for himself and proposes marriage to her. She accepts, hoping that she may use her new position to help Culpepper. Meanwhile, Carter and "Missouri" arrange a fake execution for Culpepper. They use the opportunity to escape with him back to town. They stop the wedding of Hanway and Brian in time and expose Hanway as a gang leader.

Cast

The cast of this film according to the American Film Institute, includes: *

as Bob Culpepper *

as Nellie Brian *

as "Missouri" *

as Mrs. Brian * Andy Clyde as Silas "Solitaire" Carter *

as Jack Hanway *

Victor Potel Victor Potel (October 12, 1889 – March 8, 1947) was an American film character actor who began in the silent era and appeared in more than 430 films in his 38-year career. Career Victor Potel was born in Lafayette, Indiana in 1889, and hi ...

as Jugger *

Ethan Laidlaw Ethan Allen Laidlaw (November 25, 1899 – May 25, 1963) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 350 films and made more than 500 appearances on television, mainly uncredited in Westerns, between 1923 and 1962. Laidlaw was bor ...

as Bogan * Ted Oliver as McLearney

Production

According to the American Film Institute, the film is based on the theatrical play ''Mother Lode'' (1934). The play was written by George O'Neil and Dan Totheroh. The working title for the film was ''Mother Lode''. According to 1936 articles of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

'', the role of the female lead in this film was intended for

Helen Gahagan Douglas Helen Gahagan Douglas (born Helen Mary Gahagan; November 25, 1900 – June 28, 1980) was an American actress and politician. Her career included success on Broadway, as a touring opera singer, and in Hollywood films. Her portrayal of the villain ...

. Production charts for this film dating to the 1930s seem to contradict other sources. The charts mention acting roles for

Dorothy Coburn Dorothy Montana Coburn (June 8, 1905 – May 15, 1978) was an American film actress who appeared in a number of early Laurel and Hardy Silent film, silents. She was a niece of author Walt Coburn and granddaughter of Robert Coburn Sr., founder of ...

, George Lollier, and

Art Mix Art Mix (born George Washington Kesterson; June 18, 1896 – December 7, 1972), was an American character actor from the 1920s until the mid-1940s. Biography Prior to becoming an actor, Mix worked as a circus performer and a boxer. He initially ...

. Their possible involvement in the film is not mentioned by other sources. The charts do not credit

and

as screenwriters, but they credit John Francis Larkin. Larkin's involvement is not always mentioned by other sources, and it is unclear if he contributed to the final script. The charts credit John Tribby for the sound recording of the film, while other sources credit Earl A. Wolcott. Some scenes for this film were reportedly filmed in the vicinity of

Sonora, California Sonora is the county seat of Tuolumne County, California. Founded during the California Gold Rush by Mexican miners from Sonora (after which the city is named), the city population was 5,226 during the 2020 Census, an increase of 221 from the ...

References

External links

* * * * {{Wallace Fox 1936 films 1936 Western (genre) films Films about kidnapping Films about singers American films based on plays Films directed by Wallace Fox Films set in California Films shot in California Films about mining RKO Pictures films Films with screenplays by Cyril Hume Films produced by Cliff Reid American Western (genre) films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films