"Tonto Basin Outlaws" is an enjoyable entry in Monogram's Range Buster series starring Ray "Crash" Corrigan, John "Dusty" King, Max "Alibi" Terhune and "Elmer".
This one takes place in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. The boys enlist in Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders. They are no sooner in uniform when they are mustered out to deal with a situation in Wyoming where rustlers are stealing cattle meant for American troops.
It turns out that they are sent to Crash's boyhood town. Crash meets up with childhood friend Jeff Miller (Tristam Coffin) who gives him a job as a hotel manager to keep him out of the way after Miller's hench man Stark (Edmund Cobb) recognizes Crash as the one who jailed him earlier.
Meanwhile, reporter Jane Blanchard (Jan Wiley) is working undercover at Miller's lunch counter. Crash manages to make a date with her just as Dusty enters the scene. Jane suspects that Crash is involved with the rustlers and that Dusty is a lawman. Later she believes the reverse.
Stark and the boys stampede (courtesy of obvious stock footage) cattle intended for sale to the army. Alibi, after "talking" things over with his dummy Elmer learns that Miller is behind all the trouble. But he is unable to warn the others because he spends most of the rest of the movie locked in a back room of Miller's office.
All the while Crash and Dusty take turns at romancing Jane and Dusty even gets to croon her a song. Soon though, the boys get to the bottom of things and..................................
The Range Buster movies were set at different time periods. There were some WWII stories, this one set during the Spanish American war, and some in the old west. No explanation was ever given for this "time travel". Also, I don't remember the term "Tonto Basin" being used in the film even though it's in the title (not unusual for "B" westerns).
The scene at the beginning showing the boys in ill fitting uniforms is unintentionally funny and made me think of Laurel & Hardy in "Great Guns" (1941). Watch for 30s "B" veteran Rex Lease as Jane's editor, Stanley.
This one takes place in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. The boys enlist in Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders. They are no sooner in uniform when they are mustered out to deal with a situation in Wyoming where rustlers are stealing cattle meant for American troops.
It turns out that they are sent to Crash's boyhood town. Crash meets up with childhood friend Jeff Miller (Tristam Coffin) who gives him a job as a hotel manager to keep him out of the way after Miller's hench man Stark (Edmund Cobb) recognizes Crash as the one who jailed him earlier.
Meanwhile, reporter Jane Blanchard (Jan Wiley) is working undercover at Miller's lunch counter. Crash manages to make a date with her just as Dusty enters the scene. Jane suspects that Crash is involved with the rustlers and that Dusty is a lawman. Later she believes the reverse.
Stark and the boys stampede (courtesy of obvious stock footage) cattle intended for sale to the army. Alibi, after "talking" things over with his dummy Elmer learns that Miller is behind all the trouble. But he is unable to warn the others because he spends most of the rest of the movie locked in a back room of Miller's office.
All the while Crash and Dusty take turns at romancing Jane and Dusty even gets to croon her a song. Soon though, the boys get to the bottom of things and..................................
The Range Buster movies were set at different time periods. There were some WWII stories, this one set during the Spanish American war, and some in the old west. No explanation was ever given for this "time travel". Also, I don't remember the term "Tonto Basin" being used in the film even though it's in the title (not unusual for "B" westerns).
The scene at the beginning showing the boys in ill fitting uniforms is unintentionally funny and made me think of Laurel & Hardy in "Great Guns" (1941). Watch for 30s "B" veteran Rex Lease as Jane's editor, Stanley.
