Wealthy ranch owner Cheyenne Harry decides he needs a housekeeper, but his cowboys decide he needs a wife and advertise in an eastern newspaper. The ad is answered by Aileen Judson-Brown, as dictated by her fortune-hunting mother. Harry marries Aileen and a baby is born a year later. Deciding to gain more money and social standing, Mrs. Judson-Brown then tries to break up the marriage so that Aileen can marry Ferdie Van Duzen. Mrs. Judson-Brown steals the baby and tells Harry the baby has died and Aileen no longer loves him. Harry goes out West in sorrow, but when Mrs. Judson-Brown's butler wires Harry the truth, Harry locates the baby and discovers Aileen still loves him. The reunited family goes West together, leaving Mrs. Judson-Brown behind.
Direction
Early Ford experimenting with Western romance before his legend.
Acting
Harry Carey's stoic cowboy vs. Molly McConnell's delicious villainy.
Director
John Ford
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was John Ford's seventh credited feature at age 25, still finding his voice before becoming the definitive Western director.
The 'Eastern debutante meets Western cowboy' trope peaked in this era, reflecting urban anxieties about authentic American masculinity.
US
