Thunderhoof (1948)

Preston Foster is Scotty Mason, a man dreaming of starting his own horse ranch, if only he can capture the prized and elusive stallion Thunderhoof.

He knows he’ll need help. So he fetches a young man known as The Kid (William Bishop) back from a nearby cantina where he’s been romancing the senoritas.

After all, Scotty pretty much raised The Kid after rescuing him from quicksand 10 years earlier.

Scotty has a habit of doing that, picking up stray youngsters as well as horses.

He found pretty young Margarita singing in a cantina, not yet spoiled. Now he calls her his wife.

Scotty figures he has better things to do than ride over the countryside chasing a black and white stallion — quick as lightning, mean as thunder — who doesn’t want to be caught.

But he agrees to tag along for a while, and for a reason Scotty wouldn’t approve of.

He’s smitten with Margarita, who’s grown into a lovely young woman and seems tempted by the stories he tells of the life she could have if not tied down to a much older man who seems more interested in Thunderhoof than her.

Well, Scotty and The Kid catch the stallion. But that just marks the beginning of their problems.

Preston Foster as Scotty Mason, scolding The Kid for referring to Margarita as a ‘skirt’ in Thunderhoof (1948)

William Bishop as The Kid, itching to get out from under Scott Mason’s thumb in Thunderhoof (1948)

Review:

A very well done and little known B Western that manages to hold a viewers’ interest thanks to standout performances from its only three characters.

Their relationships change over the course of the film. Scotty’s used to being the caretaker for the young man and woman.

But he breaks a leg catching Thunderhoff. If he’s going to survive the long trek back to Texas, he’s going to have to rely on them to do it.

The ending’s likely to strike viewers as improbable, but it’s also a satisfying conclusion to the story.

This marked one of the first credited roles for pretty Marty Stuart, who turned 22 just before the film was released.

To say she enjoyed a long career as an actress would be an understatement. She spent more than 35 years playing the role of Joanne Tourner on the soap opera “Search for Tomorrow” (1951-1986), then joined the cast of “Guiding Light,” another soap, for several years until her death in 2002 at age 75.

Her only other credited Western was a supporting role in “The Cariboo Trail” (1950), starring Randolph Scott.

Mary Stuart as Margarita, concerned after Scotty breaks a leg capturing a wild stallion in Thunderhoof (1948)

Preston Foster as Scotty Mason and William Bishop as The Kid, catching a glimpse of the wild stallion in Thunderhoof (1948)

Directed by:
Phil Karlson

Cast:
Preston Foster … Scotty Mason
Mary Stuart … Margarita
William Bishop … The Kid
Dice … Thunderhoof

Runtime: 77 min.

William Bishop as The Kid, entertaining his companions with a song in Thunderhoof (1948)

Mary Stuart as Margarita, trying on a pretty dress found in a cabin the former owners abandoned in Thunderhoof (1948)

Memorable lines:

Margarita: “What’s the matter with him?”
Scotty Mason: “He’s dead.”
Alarm flashes across Margarita’s face as Mason pulls a body from across his saddle.
Mason: “Yeah, dead drunk.”

Margarita: “You may know about horseflesh, Scotty, but you’re a fool about people.”

Scotty: “He’s right over there in those mountains, only a day or two away.”
The Kid: “He’s always a day or two away.”

Preston Foster as Scotty Mason, suspecting The Kid’s loyalty is waning and his interest in Margarita is rising in Thunderhoof (1948)

Mary Stuart as Margarita, frazzled by the difficult journey back to Texas in Thunderhoof (1948)

The Kid, of Margarita: “She’s a good looking skirt, alright.”
Scotty Mason: “Don’t call her a skirt, Kid. She’s my wife.”

The Kid: “You’re like that quicksand, Scotty. Dragging me down. Always thinkin’ what you want to think. Doin’ what you want to do. Goin’ where you want to go.”

The Kid: “Might as well try to rope a streak of lightning.”

The Kid: “That’s his mare. Horses follow their mates into trouble too.”

Margarita: “I’m not afraid of you, Kid.”
The Kid: “Yourself maybe?”

Preston Foster as Scotty Mason and Mary Stuart as Margarita, watching The Kid try to break a wild stallion in Thunderhoof (1948)

Mary Stuart as Margarita and Preston Foster as Scotty Mason, enjoying a tender moment in Thunderhoof (1948)