The Untamed Breed (1948)

Sonny Tufts plays Thomas Kilpatrick, a young wrangler who brings a Brahma bull to the Pecos Valley to help the ranchers improve their stock.

But for all his strength, Gray Shanigan — yes, the bull has a name — is quite wild.

And when “Windy” Lucas (Gabby Hayes) tries out his bull-taming device on the Brahma, he winds up accidentally setting the critter free.

The bull goes on a rampage, killing other animals and injuring ranchers who try to recapture him.

The Kilpatrick winds up taking the blame for the escape of the bull, a bull all the area ranchers chipped in a fair amount of money to buy.

Larch Keegan is responsible for that, making up a story about how he saw Kilpatrick riding toward the corral the night the Brahma escaped.

In truth, it’s a lie designed to get Windy out of trouble, since he’s the dad of Cherry Lucas (Barbara Britton), the gal Larch plans to marry.

It’s also a lie designed to remove any obstacle to those plans. Larch senses that Cherry and Tom Kilpatrick might be growing a bit too close.

As for Kilpatrick, he’s determined to recapture the bull to clear his name.

But to do that, he figures he’s going to need a special sort of horse. So he sets out to catch Widowmaker, a wild horse no man has ever succeeded in lassoing.

Review:

There’s an awful lot going on in the 79-minute runtime, and much of it stretches the bounds of plausibility.

Our hero catches Widowmaker, of course. Tames him too. Then he sets out after the Brahma bull, relying on his Texas know-how, his new horse and a specially designed lariat to get the job done.

By that time he’s hitched to Cherry, who marries him to prevent anyone from getting hurt in the brewing feud. Apparenly she forgot to consider on trouble from her jealous ex.

And Kilpatrick’s still hiding a secret: He’s the estranged son of John Rambeau, the leading rancher in the area and one of the men who sold the others on financing the Brahma venture.

Britton steals the show as the curvy and fiesty Cherry. As for Tufts, this was one of four Westerns in which he appeared and his only lead role in a Western.

A year after this film was released, he was found drunk on a Hollywood sidewalk. Within two years, he’d been sued by two women who claimed he bit them on the thigh and his wife had had him arrested for drunkeness. He died of pneumonia in 1970 at age 58.

Directed by:
Charles Lamont

Cast:
Sonny Tufts … Thomas Kilpatrick
Barbara Britton … Cherry Lucas
Gabby Hayes … Windy Lucas
Edgar Buchanan … John Rambeau
William Bishop … Larch Keegan
George Stone … Pablo
Joe Sawyer … Hoy Keegan
Gordon Jones .. Happy Keegan

Memorable lines:

Pecos Valley rancher upon seeing the Brahma bull: “Windy, there’s more bull than even you can throw.”

Thomas Kilpatrick: “I figured if I was extra nice you might ride over and put up some curtains for me. You know, it wouldn’t do to have people ride by and see me pass my windows with no clothes on.”
Cherry Lucas: “You don’t need curtains. You need nightshirts.”
Thomas: “I never thought of that. But wouldn’t they look awful funny hangin’ in my windows.”

Cherry Lucas to her dad Windy, as Tom sets out to catch the Widowmaker: “Catching a bull with a wild horse? I think you’re both out of your mind.”

Windy, upon learning that Kilpatrick has caught and tamed Widowmaker: “Well, shoot me for a Texas hot toad. I didn’t think the man lived that could catch that Widowmaker.”