Last of the Wild Horses (1948)

James Ellison is Duke Barnum, who’s sitting on his horse on a hill outside Jacksonville, Oregon, wearing a bandana as a mask and about to rob a stagecoach.

Then he spots three riders chasing a fourth, doesn’t like the odds and steps right into the middle of a looming range war.

Seems riders for Charlie Cooper, the biggest horse rancher around, have been rounding up the mares from a wild horse herd on a regular basis.

The wild horse herd is dwindling, and that concerns smaller ranchers who have been relying on it as a source of fresh stock.

They’ve proposed a one-year hiatus on taking horses from the herd. Cooper doesn’t like the idea, but is finally convinced to agree at the urging of daughter Jane (Jane Frazee).

Problem is, Riley Morgan (Reed Hadley), Cooper’s foreman, is determined to stir up trouble. He figures pitting all the small ranchers against his boss is his best chance of winding up owning a large part of the range.

His plans eventually ensnare Barnum, who’s arrested and convicted on murder charges. Now he’ll have to rely on new friend Remedy Williams and hsi pretty niece Terry (Mary Beth Hughes) to avoid a hangman’s noose.

James Ellison as Duke Barnum, the newcomer in these here parts, meeting Jane Cooper in Last of the Wild Horses (1948)

Reed Hadley as Riley Morgan, working for Charlie Cooper but looking out for himself in Last of the Wild Horses (1948)

Review:

A brutal climatic fight in a stable and the presence of two pretty ladies vying for Barnum’s attention are the highlights of this B Western.

Ellison’s easy-going style doesn’t quite fit in a film that’s surprisingly violent at times. And the “glowing sepiatone” the movie post brags about make the film look old, even for 1948.

Olin Howard plays Remedy Williams, who’s forever taking mail-order classes in one trade of another. That habit contributes to a cute ending.

This marked the only film directed by producer Robert L. Lippert. According to IMDb, he fired himself when the project fell behind schedule and hired Paul Landres to complete the film.

Mary Beth Hughes as Terry Williams, alarmed by a turn of events at Duke Barnum’s trial in Last of the Wild Horses (1948)

Jane Frazee as Jane Cooper, who finds herself falling for newcomer Duke Barnum in Last of the Wild Horses (1948)

Directed by:
Robert L. Lippert

Cast:
James Ellison … Duke Barnum
Mary Beth Hughes … Terry Williams
Jane Frazee … Jane Cooper
Douglas Dumbrille … Charlie Cooper
James Millican … Sheriff Steve Harrison
Reed Hadley … Riley Morgan
Olin Howland … Remedy Williams
William Haade … Rocky Rockford
Grady Sutton … Curly, the cook
Stanley Andrews … Pete Ferguson
Rory Mallinson … Hank Davis

Runtime: 83 min.

Olin Howland as Remedy Williams, eager to receive his latest learning tool via the mail in Last of the Wild Horses (1948)

James Millican as Sheriff Steve Harrison, put in office by Charlie Cooper, but committed to law and order in Last of the Wild Horses (1948)

Memorable lines:

Duke Barnum to three Double C Ranch riders: “Take off your boots. Take them off or I’ll burn them off.”

Riley Morgan: “You stick with me, you’ll be wearing gold bullets.”
Rocky Rockford: “Where? In my belt or my back?”

Terry Williams of Duke Barnum, as Remedy checks him out: “Has he got a fever?”
Remedy Williams, glancing up with a wry smile: “No, but I think you have.”

Duke Barnum: “What happened?”
Jane Cooper, stranded afoot: “My horse decided to jump fences. She took the last jump without the saddle. And I happened to be in it.”

Jane Cooper: “I knew you were a gentleman.”
Duke Barnum: “Now I’ve been accused of everything since I hit this part of the country.”

Mary Beth Hughes as Terry Williams and Olin Howland as Remedy, making sure a fight stays fair in Last of the Wild Horses (1948)

William Haade as Rocky Rockford, Riley Morgan’s lead henchman, temporarily deputized in Last of the Wild Horses (1948)

Douglas Dumbrille as Charlie Cooper, crippled owner of the largest horse ranch in Jacksonville, Oregon in Last of the Wild Horses (1948)

Grady Sutton as Curly, about to have a tooth pulled by Remedy, who learned dentistry via a mail-order course in Last of the Wild Horses (1948)

Reed Hadley as Riley Morgan and Roby Mallinson as Hank Davis, their plotting discovered in Last of the Wild Horses (1948)

Mary Beth Hughes as Terry Williams, tending a wounded Duke Barnum (James Ellison) in Last of the Wild Horses (1948)