#1. The Lost Patrol (1934)

Storyline: A World War I British Army patrol is crossing the Mesopotomian desert when their commanding officer, the only one who knows their destination is killed by the bullet of unseen bandits. The patrol's sergeant keeps them heading north on the assumption that they will hit their brigade. They stop for the night at an oasis and awake the next morning to find their horses stolen, their sentry dead, the oasis surrounded and survival difficult.—Erik Gregersen <erik@astro.as.utexas.edu>

Plot Keywords: sergeant, commander, enemy, pilot, soldier, dark, intense ...

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#2. Call of the Canyon (1942)

Storyline: Cattle buyer McCoy has run up gambling debts. When Gene and the other ranchers are ready to sell their cattle, he undercuts his bosses price planning to pocket the profit. The ranchers then try to drive their cattle to another market but McCoy's men set off an explosion and a rancher is killed. Knowing McCoy listens to the horse race results, Gene sets up a phony radio broadcast hoping to trap him.—Maurice VanAuken <mvanauken@a1access.net>

Plot Keywords: gene autry, cowboy, cattle baron, cattle rancher, radio producer, singer, rousing ...

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#3. Blue Montana Skies (1939)

Storyline: Hendricks is smuggling furs across the border. Gene's partner sees them and is murdered. But before he died he wrote the initials HH. So Gene and Frog head to the HH dude ranch to investigate. They eventually get wise to Hendricks game but as soon as they find the furs they are made prisoners.—Maurice VanAuken <mvanauken@a1access.net>

Plot Keywords: gene autry, sidekick, rancher, smuggler, henchman, marshal, spirited ...

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#4. Down Dakota Way (1949)

Storyline: Rancher H. T. McKenzie is informed by veterinarian George Fredericks that his cattle are carriers of the hoof-and-mouth disease and must be destroyed. McKenzie hires Steve Paxton to kill the vet and steal his report. Roy Rogers and the Riders of the Purple Sage (Foy Willing, Darol Rice, George Bamby and Al Sloey) on their way to the Cheyenne Rodeo, detour through Sun Rock so that Roy can visit his old schoolteacher Dolly Paxton, Steve's stepmother. Roy becomes involved in the chase of Steve by Sheriff Holbrook. Ruth Shaw tells Roy that the school board has fired Dolly because of Steve, and that she has turned into a crushed and bitter woman still willing to defend her stepson. Roy discovers a McKenzie calf with symptoms of hoof-and-mouth which puts him on the trail of McKenzie.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>

Plot Keywords: roy rogers, grocer, teacher, rancher, murderer, veterinarian, melodramatic ...

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#5. Cow Country (1953)

Storyline: In 1875, the collapse of the world beef market creates hardships for Texas cattle growers. In Garnet Basin, many cattlemen are forced to sell their cattle for low prices. Processed in rendering plants, they're only used for their hides, fats and oils, tallow for soap and fertilizers. Without sufficient funds, many ranchers face foreclosures on their lands. Greedy local banker Marvin Parker refuses to extend the mortgage payments or make any new loans to ranchers. He hopes to force the ranchers to sell their lands for cheap to him. In cahoots with Parker are Caddo Sledge, the owner of a cattle rendering plant and womanizing rancher Harry Odell. Odell is engaged to Linda Garnet, daughter of rancher Walt Garnet, but is secretly romancing Melba Sykes, daughter of Tim Sykes. Against the scheming trio of Parker, Sledge and Odell is Ben Anthony, former cattleman, who is the owner of the local freight and stagecoach line. A war of sorts ensues between Ben Anthony and the crooked trio. When the army announces an upcoming purchase of beef from the area, the cattlemen sense that a solution to their problem is near and that ranches, cattle businesses and lands soon could be saved. These news prompt the criminal trio of Parker, Sledge and Odell to intensify their campaign of intimidation and destruction, culminating in raids against Ben Anthony's freight line and murder of all those witnesses who could identify them as the culprits. The climax sees Ben Anthony in a gunfight against Sledge and Parker while a fugitive Odell is tracked by local rancher Fritz Warner.—nufs68

Plot Keywords: cowboy, cattle rancher, cattleman, fugitive, daughter, confident, cool ...

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#6. Cattle Town (1952)

Storyline: Following the Civil War, the state of Texas, needing money, sells land to a syndicate of northerners headed by Judd Hastings (Ray Teal). When Hastings demands the land, and the squatters refuses to vacate, the governor sends Mike McGann (Dennis Morgan) to settle the issues. Eventually, McGann gets the ranchers to move on to other areas with their cattle, which Hastings also covets. McGann also falls in love with Hastings' daughter, Marian (Amanda Blake).—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>

Plot Keywords: governor, cattle rancher, cattleman, daughter, love interest, wealthy man, brooding ...

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#7. The Law vs. Billy the Kid (1954)

Storyline: Young William Bonney inspires the faith and friendship of Pat Garrett, despite Bonney's violent past. Garrett believes that Billy can make a better life for himself, a sentiment shared by rancher John Tunstall, who befriends Billy and gives him a job. Billy falls in love with Tunstall's niece, Nita, but this outrages Tunstall's foreman, Bob Ollinger, who exposes Billy's past as outlaw Billy the Kid. When Billy's new friend, John Tunstall, is murdered, he goes on a rampage of revenge, and Pat Garrett, now a lawman, is forced to go after his young friend.—Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>

Plot Keywords: ranch hand, sheriff, rancher, niece, foreman, pat garrett, brooding ...

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