Fanning has his men rustle horses and then blame it on a wild horse named Wildfire. Happy and Alkali arrive and immediately get into trouble with Fanning and his men. When Alkali is shot, Happy catches the outlaws but the Judge not only releases them, he discharges the Sheriff and tries to arrest Happy for rustling. Happy escapes and he and the Sheriff then set out to prove who the real rustlers are.
Practical Effects
Actual horse stunts that put modern CGI to shame
Acting
Sterling Holloway's voice before Disney claimed it forever
Production
Shot in 11 days because 1945 didn't mess around
Director
Robert Emmett Tansey
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Bob Steele was a genuine cowboy before Hollywood, and his horse-riding skills were so respected he doubled for bigger stars in close-up galloping shots.
This was part of a brief 1940s cycle of 'intelligent animal' B-westerns designed to appeal to Depression-era audiences craving uncomplicated moral clarity.
US
