Main Cast: John Wayne, Ruth Hall, Henry B. Walthall, Harry Gribbon, Otis Harlan
Release Year: 1932
Country: US
Run Time: 55 minutes
Plot
Ride Him, Cowboy was the first entry in John Wayne's "B"-western series for Warner Bros. Wayne plays John Drury, a handsome stranger who is blamed for a recent wave of barn-burnings. On the verge of being lynched, John is exonerated by the previously unconscious victim of the villains. At this point, our hero sets out to round up the genuine miscreants, headed by a skull-faced rapscallion known as The Hawk (Frank S. Hagney). Of interest is the fact that Wayne's faithful horse is named "Duke." Like the rest of Wayne's Warners series, Ride Him, Cowboy relies heavily upon stock footage from First National's silent Ken Maynard oaters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Ride Him, Cowboy is a 1932remake of The Unknown Cavalier, a 1926 western film starring Ken Maynard, with lots of stock footage from the original. It was directed by Fred Allen and starred 25-year-old John Wayne. The film was titled The Hawk in the UK.
John Drury (John Wayne) is passing through when townsfolk are about to kill Duke, a horse they believe to be dangerous. He convinces them to reprieve the animal if he can ride it. He does, earning the gratitude of Ruth Gaunt (Ruth Hall).
He then volunteers to deal with an outlaw known as the Hawk who has been terrorizing the area. Solid citizen Henry Simms (Frank Hagney) volunteers to guide him to the Hawk's territory. But Simms is actually the Hawk and he ties Drury to a tree, leaving him to die. Simms then leads a raid on a ranch, kills a man and plants Drury's harmonica at the scene. With the help of his horse Duke, Drury manages to free himself.
However, a group of vigilantes, believing that he is the Hawk, accuse him of murder and take him to face a hanging judge. Fortunately, Ruth shows up, with the news that a wounded witness has regained consciousness and confirmed Drury's claim that Simms is the real bandit. Simms' men burst in and hold everyone at gunpoint. Simms takes Ruth with him to his hideout, but Drury manages to escape and follow them. The posse overpowers Simms' henchmen and captures the rest of the gang. Simms and Drury fight; when Drury is distracted by the arrival of help, Simms knocks him out and tries to flee, only to run into the deadly hooves of an enraged Duke.
Cast
Ruth Gaunt, John Drury and John Gaunt in a screenshot.
