''Rio Grande Patrol'' is a 1950

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

Lesley Selander Lesley Selander (May 26, 1900 – December 5, 1979) was an American film director of Western (genre), Westerns and adventure film, adventure movies. His career as director, spanning 127 feature films and dozens of TV episodes, lasted from 1936 to ...

and starring

Tim Holt Charles John "Tim" Holt III (February 5, 1919 – February 15, 1973) was an American actor. He was a popular Western star during the 1940s and early 1950s, appearing in forty-six B westerns released by RKO Pictures. In a career spanning mo ...

and

Tom Tyler Tom Tyler (born Vincent Markowski; August 9, 1903 – May 1, 1954) was an American actor known for his leading roles in low-budget Western films in the silent and sound eras, and for his portrayal of superhero Captain Marvel in the 1941 s ...

.Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, ''The RKO Story.'' New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. p253

Plot

In the

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

, Laredo saloon owner, Fowler, is smuggling guns across the U.S. - Mexican border with the assistance of outlaw, Bragg Orcutt, by hiding them inside the costume trunks of his dance-hall girls. Border agents Kansas Jones, and his pal, Chito Rafferty, accompany Captain Trevino to the train station to investigate. Bragg shoots Captain Trevino as the girls arrive at the station. Kansas and Chito chase Bragg who is intercepted by his gang and gets away. Fowler breaks the news of Trevino's death to Sherry Bliss, one of his dance hall girls who is engaged to Trevino. Kansas and Chito discover, however, that Trevino survived the shooting and is recuperating at the doctor's office. Kansas and Chito head to Fowler's saloon to search the place. Sherry tells Kansas that Trevino believed Fowler and Bragg were in cahoots. Kansas tells Sherry that Trevino is alive. Fowler arrives and tells Kansas and Chito to leave as they have no search warrant. Chito and a dance hall girl named Peppie are attracted to each other. Fowler heads to Bragg's hideout and tells him Trevino is not dead and he can't move the guns because he is under suspicion. He urges Bragg to take care of Kansas and Chito, but Bragg is reluctant to go back into town because he can be identified. The pair hire Bragg's henchman, Chet Yance, to kill the border agents and instruct him to be at Fowler's saloon that evening. A gunfight ensues at the saloon. Kansas wounds Yance who rides away. Kansas and Chito now put the saloon under constant surveillance. Fowler closes the saloon and tells the girls he is moving his business, and them, to Monterrey, Mexico. Sherry tells Fowler she intends to marry Trevino and is leaving his employment as soon as they arrive in Monterrey. Kansas and Chito confront Fowler on his way to the border. Kansas escorts him while Chito watches the saloon. At the border, and outside his jurisdiction, Kansas withdraws. Bragg and Yance capture Kansas and take him to Bragg's hideout. Kansas' horse, Lightning, escapes and heads back to town putting Chito and a recovered Trevino on notice. Against medical advice, Trevino, accompanied by Chito, with Lightning in tow, heads for Bragg's. As the pair near the hideout, Chito baits Yance to come out, knocks him down, and rescues Kansas, who then shoots and kills Yance as he rides off. In town, Kansas and Chito see Bragg and his gang loading a wagon with crates at Fowler's saloon. A gunfight ensues. Kansas and Chito overcome the gang and subdue Bragg just as Trevino arrives to make the arrest. Sherry and Trevino are married. Peppie catches the bridal bouquet causing Chito to hurriedly ride away. Kansas bids farewell to join Chito and escort Bragg to trial.

Cast

as Kansas Jones * Richard Martin as Chito Rafferty *

Jane Nigh Bonnie Lenora "Jane" Nigh (February 25, 1925 – October 5, 1993) was an American actress. Early years Her sister Nancy was also an actress, and her mother worked in research at a film studio. Career She was discovered in 1944 by Arthu ...

as Sherry Bliss *

as Chet Yance *

Douglas Fowley Douglas Fowley (born Daniel Vincent Fowley, May 30, 1911 – May 21, 1998) was an American movie and television actor in more than 240 films and dozens of television programs, He is probably best remembered for his role as the frustrated m ...

as Bragg Orcutt *

Rick Vallin Rick Vallin (born Eric Efron; September 24, 1919 – August 31, 1977) was an actor who appeared in more than 150 films between 1938 and 1966. Early years Born in Feodosia, in the Crimea, Russia, Vallin came to the United States at age there ...

as Captain Alberto Trevino * John Holland as Fowler *

Cleo Moore Cleouna Moore (October 31, 1924Moore, Cleo 1924-1973
.

as Peppie * Larry Johns as Dr. A.M. Reynolds *

Harry Harvey Sr. Harry William Harvey Sr. (January 10, 1901 – November 27, 1985) was an American actor of theatre, film, and television. He was the father of actor, script supervisor, and director Harry William Harvey Jr. He is best known for his perfor ...

as Station Master

Production

Cleo Moore did 16 hours of dancing during filming, causing her to come down with bruises on her feet. Doctors ordered her to rest for five days.

Error

The town setting,

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Laredo has the distinction of flying seven flags (the flag of t ...

, is erroneously identified as "Laredo, Arizona" in an

establishing shot An establishing shot in filmmaking and television production sets up, or establishes, the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects. It is generally a long or extreme-long shot at the beginning of ...

near the beginning of the film.

References

External links

* 1950 films 1950 Western (genre) films RKO Pictures films American Western (genre) films American black-and-white films 1950s English-language films Films directed by Lesley Selander 1950s American films {{1950s-Western-film-stub