"Tarzan the Fearless" director Robert F. Hill's "The Idaho Kid" is a typical western about concealed identities and a range war.
Itinerant cowhand Todd Hollister (Rex Bell of "Law and Lead") saves a wet-behind-the-ears kid (David Sharpe) from a life of crime. Todd spots the Kid holding up a stagecoach and knows from the Kid's behavior that he isn't a criminal. Todd locates the Kid's horse and loosens the cinch so he can get the drop on him. Meantime, The Kid relieves from Bibb Slagel (perennial villain Charles King) of $7.38 and encounters Todd not long afterward. As it turns out Todd masquerades as the 'Idaho Kid' to get a job on his father's ranch without divulging true identity. We're told Todd's mother died giving birth to him. Todd's father went berserk, and he threatened to strangle the infant if it weren't take from him. Clint Hollister (Earl Dwire of "The Dawn Rider") is also the owner of a ranch who maintains a feud with rival rancher John Endicott (Lafe McKee of "The Mysterious Avenger") and tries to fence him off from his source of water. Clint bears a grudge against John because the latter's wife (Dorothy Wood of "Romance and Rustlers") took Todd and raised him as their own son. When he returns, Todd's secret is safe from everybody except a garrulous old prospector Tumblebug Jones (Phil Dunham) who agrees to keep that secret.
Everything appears to be working out for Idaho. He manages to keep his father from gunning down Endicott in town on the boardwalk in front of the General Merchandise store. Later, as the Kid and he are digging post holes for the barbed wire fence that Clint plans to use to keep Endicott's cattle from water, our hero hears that Endicott's square-shooting foreman, Jess Peters (Lane Chandler of "Samson and Delilah"), has ridden out to parley with them. Todd suspects foul play afoot, but he doesn't reach Peters in time to warn him. Bibb's gunman shoots Peters, but Todd intervenes. When Clint sees what Todd has done, the old man fires him. Todd and the Kid take the wounded Peters back to the Endicott ranch, and Mrs. Endicott nurses him. Secretly, Idaho hopes that Clint will see the error of his ways.
Todd rides into town and guns down Bibb and Mott in the saloon. A furious Clint warns Idaho to clear out of town by six o'clock or suffer death. "The old buzzard must have been eating raw beef," a bystander comments. Later, the Kid summarizes Idaho's predicament: "You can't shoot your own father and you can't let him kill you. What are you going to do?" A baffled Idaho admits that he doesn't know what course of action to take. "Sometimes it takes a lot more courage to run than stay a fight." Todd refuses to let the Kid help him. "I know you want to help me Kid, but there's nothing you can do. It's one of those things a fellow's got to settle for himself." Meantime, Endicott refuses to let Todd resolve his problems for him. A pistol-packing Endicott challenges Clint. "You're aiming to strike at me from the best man I know, but I'm the man you're stepping up against not Idaho." Endicott orders Clint to leave town an hour before sunset. Happily, Clint accepts Endicott's challenge. Todd learns about the duel set to start a half-hour earlier and gallops into town to stop it. He throws himself into the trajectory of Clint's bullet and saves Endicott's life. The Kid reveals Todd's secret to Clint, and Clint has a change of heart. "I'd glad to see you dad," Todd admits. Not long after, Tumblebug strikes gold. Endicott offers half of it to Clint, but Clint is content to have his son back after a 25 year absence.
"The Idaho Kid" is a tolerable, standard-issue, black & white horse opera. Handsome Rex Bell makes a sturdy hero in his dark attire and white sombrero. For the record, Bell went on to marry Clara Bow and serve as Lieutenant Governor for Nevada for two terms before he died from a heart attack.
Itinerant cowhand Todd Hollister (Rex Bell of "Law and Lead") saves a wet-behind-the-ears kid (David Sharpe) from a life of crime. Todd spots the Kid holding up a stagecoach and knows from the Kid's behavior that he isn't a criminal. Todd locates the Kid's horse and loosens the cinch so he can get the drop on him. Meantime, The Kid relieves from Bibb Slagel (perennial villain Charles King) of $7.38 and encounters Todd not long afterward. As it turns out Todd masquerades as the 'Idaho Kid' to get a job on his father's ranch without divulging true identity. We're told Todd's mother died giving birth to him. Todd's father went berserk, and he threatened to strangle the infant if it weren't take from him. Clint Hollister (Earl Dwire of "The Dawn Rider") is also the owner of a ranch who maintains a feud with rival rancher John Endicott (Lafe McKee of "The Mysterious Avenger") and tries to fence him off from his source of water. Clint bears a grudge against John because the latter's wife (Dorothy Wood of "Romance and Rustlers") took Todd and raised him as their own son. When he returns, Todd's secret is safe from everybody except a garrulous old prospector Tumblebug Jones (Phil Dunham) who agrees to keep that secret.
Everything appears to be working out for Idaho. He manages to keep his father from gunning down Endicott in town on the boardwalk in front of the General Merchandise store. Later, as the Kid and he are digging post holes for the barbed wire fence that Clint plans to use to keep Endicott's cattle from water, our hero hears that Endicott's square-shooting foreman, Jess Peters (Lane Chandler of "Samson and Delilah"), has ridden out to parley with them. Todd suspects foul play afoot, but he doesn't reach Peters in time to warn him. Bibb's gunman shoots Peters, but Todd intervenes. When Clint sees what Todd has done, the old man fires him. Todd and the Kid take the wounded Peters back to the Endicott ranch, and Mrs. Endicott nurses him. Secretly, Idaho hopes that Clint will see the error of his ways.
Todd rides into town and guns down Bibb and Mott in the saloon. A furious Clint warns Idaho to clear out of town by six o'clock or suffer death. "The old buzzard must have been eating raw beef," a bystander comments. Later, the Kid summarizes Idaho's predicament: "You can't shoot your own father and you can't let him kill you. What are you going to do?" A baffled Idaho admits that he doesn't know what course of action to take. "Sometimes it takes a lot more courage to run than stay a fight." Todd refuses to let the Kid help him. "I know you want to help me Kid, but there's nothing you can do. It's one of those things a fellow's got to settle for himself." Meantime, Endicott refuses to let Todd resolve his problems for him. A pistol-packing Endicott challenges Clint. "You're aiming to strike at me from the best man I know, but I'm the man you're stepping up against not Idaho." Endicott orders Clint to leave town an hour before sunset. Happily, Clint accepts Endicott's challenge. Todd learns about the duel set to start a half-hour earlier and gallops into town to stop it. He throws himself into the trajectory of Clint's bullet and saves Endicott's life. The Kid reveals Todd's secret to Clint, and Clint has a change of heart. "I'd glad to see you dad," Todd admits. Not long after, Tumblebug strikes gold. Endicott offers half of it to Clint, but Clint is content to have his son back after a 25 year absence.
"The Idaho Kid" is a tolerable, standard-issue, black & white horse opera. Handsome Rex Bell makes a sturdy hero in his dark attire and white sombrero. For the record, Bell went on to marry Clara Bow and serve as Lieutenant Governor for Nevada for two terms before he died from a heart attack.