Clearing the Range | |
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Directed by | Otto Brower |
Written by | Jack Cunningham |
Screenplay by | Jack Natteford |
Produced by | M.H. Hoffman Jr. |
Starring | Hoot Gibson |
Cinematography | Ernest Miller |
Edited by | Mildred Johnston |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 61 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Clearing the Range is a 1931 American pre-Code Western film starring Hoot Gibson and his then wife Sally Eilers. Directed by Otto Brower, it was the first film released by the Poverty Row studio Allied Pictures. Gibson remade the film in 1933 as The Dude Bandit .
Curt Fremont pretends to be a clueless "peaceful man" in front of his friends, but when trouble starts—in this case, his Banker brother has been murdered by his assistant—he resorts to clever trickery without being seen or suspected to undo the villain. By going underground, so to speak, his efforts are more effective in uncovering the murderer than a run-and-gun approach. Inevitably, the female lead, as in this film, looks down her nose at Gibson's public persona, but admires his "other" self's deeds of daring and courage, not realizing it's the same man. Eventually, he relies on fists and guns to finish the job he started with trickery. This unusually complex dual-identity plot device is a hallmark of many of Gibson's films, something that set him apart from many other Western film heroes of the era (and afterwards) who were quick to draw their six shooter to settle disputes.
It was filmed in Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks, California. [1]
Edmund Richard "Hoot" Gibson was an American rodeo champion, film actor, film director, and producer. While acting and stunt work began as a sideline to Gibson's focus on rodeo, he successfully transitioned from silent films to become a leading performer in Hollywood's growing cowboy film industry.
Dorothea Sally Eilers was an American actress.
Straight Shooting is a 1917 American silent Western film directed by John Ford and featuring Harry Carey. Prints of this film survive in the International Museum of Photography and Film at George Eastman House. Like many American films of the time, Straight Shooting was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. The Chicago Board of Censors refused to issue a permit for this film as submitted as it consists of detailed portrayal of murder and outlawry.
The Man with the Punch is a 1920 American short silent Western film directed by Edward Laemmle and featuring Hoot Gibson.
Ridin' Wild is a 1922 American silent Western film directed by Nat Ross and featuring Hoot Gibson. It is not known whether the film currently survives, suggesting that it is a lost film.
Hook and Ladder is a 1924 American silent Western film directed by Edward Sedgwick and featuring Hoot Gibson.
Ride for Your Life is a 1924 American silent Western film directed by Edward Sedgwick and featuring Hoot Gibson.
The Dude Bandit is a 1933 American Pre-Code Western film directed by George Melford. Starring Hoot Gibson, the film is a remake of Gibson's Clearing the Range (1931).
The Local Bad Man is a 1932 American pre-Code Western film directed by Otto Brower.
Sailor's Luck is a 1933 American pre-Code romantic comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh for Fox Film Corporation. It stars James Dunn, Sally Eilers, Victor Jory, and Frank Moran.
Marked Trails is a 1944 American Western film directed by John P. McCarthy.
A Holy Terror is a 1931 American pre-Code Western movie starring George O'Brien, Sally Eilers, Rita La Roy, and Humphrey Bogart. The film is an adaptation by Ralph Block, Alfred A. Cohn, and Myron C. Fagan of the novel Trailin'! by Max Brand. It was directed by Irving Cummings.
The Sawdust Trail is a 1924 American silent Western film produced and distributed by Universal Pictures and starring Hoot Gibson. Edward Sedgwick directed. It is based on the short story "Courtin' Calamity" by William Dudley Pelley, which was later filmed as a part-talkie in 1929 as Courtin' Wildcats.
Roaring Ranch is a 1930 American pre-Code Western film written and directed by B. Reeves Eason. The film stars Hoot Gibson. Tt was released on April 27, 1930, by Universal Pictures.
Trigger Tricks is a 1930 American pre-Code Western film written and directed by B. Reeves Eason, and starring Hoot Gibson, Sally Eilers, Robert Homans, Jack Richardson, Monte Montague and Neal Hart. It was released on June 8, 1930, by Universal Pictures.
Hit and Run is a 1924 silent American comedy drama film directed by Edward Sedgwick and starring western star Hoot Gibson as a member of a baseball team. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures.
The Ridin' Kid from Powder River is a 1924 American silent Western film directed by Edward Sedgwick and starring Hoot Gibson. It was based on a novel by Henry Herbert Knibbs and produced and distributed by Universal Pictures.
The Calgary Stampede is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by Herbert Blaché and starring Hoot Gibson. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures.
The Saddle Hawk is a lost 1925 American silent Western film directed by Edward Sedgwick and starring Hoot Gibson. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures.
The Long Long Trail is a 1929 American pre-Code Western film directed by Arthur Rosson and starring Hoot Gibson in his first sound film. It was produced and released by Universal Pictures. The film survives and has been issued on DVD. The novel was filmed earlier in the silent The Ramblin' Kid (1923) which also starred Gibson.