Born to the West

(1937)

59 minutes

(aka Hell Town )

Directed by Charles Barton

Action / Romance / Western

Cast:

John Wayne as Dare Rudd

Marsha Hunt as Judy Worstall

Johnny Mack Brown as Tom Fillmore 

John Patterson as Lynn Hardy

Monte Blue as Bart Hammond

Lucien Littlefield as John, Cattle Buyer

Syd Saylor as Dinkey Dooley

Nick Lukats as Jim Fallon, Henchman-Rustler

James Craig as Brady, Card Sharp

Johnny Boyle as Sam

Jack Kennedy as Pete Starr

Lee Prather as Lightning Rod Salesman

Alan Ladd as Brand Inspector (credit only)

Jack Daley as Card Player

Vester Pegg as Bartender #2

Dare Rudd considers himself to be not only a lady’s man, but the best gambler this side of the Mississippi. He is on his way to his cousin Tom Fillmore’s ranch to help with a cattle drive along with his sidekick and lightning rod salesman, Dinkey Dooley. Once he get there, Fillmore’s girlfriend Judy Worstall catches his eye. Worse yet, she catches his heart. After he starts work on the ranch as a cook, Judy asks Tom to give him a more important job on the drive. Just to prove to Judy that Dare isn’t the capable man she thinks he is, Tom puts him in charge of the whole cattle drive. Along the way, Dare must deal with Bart Hammond and his outlaws as they try to steal the cattle. After being thwarted a number of times, Hammond decides to take advantage of Dare’s reputation as a gambler, and sets up a crooked card game to bilk Dare out of all the money made from the cattle drive.  When Tom hears about this latest scheme he helps Dare expose the cheaters, forcing a final showdown with the bandits once and for all.

Notes: Critics consider this movie a major turning point in John Wayne’s career. In this movie we see John Wayne begin to develop from the B Western contract actor he was, into “The Duke” that became a superstar.

Although Alan Ladd is listed in the credits, he doesn’t seem to appear in the film. On the other hand, football player Jim Thorpe is not listed in the credits, but he does have a bit part.