In his first starring Western for RKO, young Tim Holt must not only carry on his father's freight business but also hunt down his murderer. A certain Matt Gardner wants to corner the freight business to Pecos and persuades young Zack Sibley's wagon master to switch sides. Zack also earns the enmity of Gardner's son Coe, who takes umbrage to the youngster's flirtation with pretty Helen Lee. It all comes to a head during a food shortage in Pecos, a near-disaster that persuades the wagon master to switch sides once again. When the dust settles, Zack learns that old man Gardner is actually Carl Anderson, the man who murdered his father.
Acting
Tim Holt's debut lead—earnest, green, and weirdly committed to freight logistics.
Production
RKO's efficient B-movie machine: complete story, zero fat, one food shortage.
Director
Edward Killy
Tim Holt
Zack Sibley
Martha O'Driscoll
Helen Lee
Ray Whitley
Ned
Emmett Lynn
Whopper
Glenn Strange
Stagecoach driver
Malcolm 'Bud' McTaggart
Coe Gardner
Cliff Clark
Matt Gardner
Wade Crosby
O'Follard
Ethan Laidlaw
Henchman Pat Hays
Monte Montague
Henchman Kurt
Carl Stockdale
Luke Wilkes
Chuck Baldra
Wagon Train Cook and Musician
Ed Brady
Sam - Storekeeper
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Glenn Strange, the stagecoach driver here, would later play Frankenstein's Monster for Universal—cowboy to creature feature in one career.
This launched Tim Holt's 15-year run as RKO's reliable B-Western star, making him the workingman's alternative to bigger names like Wayne or Autry.
US
