Mule Train (1950)

70 mins | Western | 22 February 1950

Director:

John English

Producer:

Armand Schaefer

Cinematographer:

Bill Bradford

Editor:

Dick Fantl

Production Designer:

Charles Clague

Production Company:

Gene Autry Productions
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HISTORY

The working title of this film was Beyond the Purple Hills. According to a 7 Nov 1949 HR news item, Gene Autry and producer Armand Schaefer paid $20,000 for the screen rights to the popular song "Mule Train" and changed the film's title accordingly. The film was shot on location at Lone Pine, CA, according to a Var news item. The intial release prints were Sepiatone. ...

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The working title of this film was Beyond the Purple Hills. According to a 7 Nov 1949 HR news item, Gene Autry and producer Armand Schaefer paid $20,000 for the screen rights to the popular song "Mule Train" and changed the film's title accordingly. The film was shot on location at Lone Pine, CA, according to a Var news item. The intial release prints were Sepiatone.

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GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS
SOURCE CITATIONS
SOURCE
DATE
PAGE
Box Office
4 Feb 1950
---
Daily Variety
21 Jul 1950
p. 3
Hollywood Reporter
7 Nov 1949
---
Hollywood Reporter
21 Jul 1950
p. 3
Motion Picture Herald Product Digest
2 Sep 1950
p. 457
Variety
9 Nov 1949
---
Variety
26 Jul 1950
p. 10
CAST
PRODUCTION CREDITS
NAME
PARENT COMPANY
PRODUCTION COMPANY
DISTRIBUTION COMPANY
NAME
CREDITED AS
CREDIT
DIRECTORS
Asst dir
PRODUCER
WRITERS
Story
PHOTOGRAPHY
William Bradford
Dir of photog
ART DIRECTOR
Art dir
FILM EDITOR
Richard Fantl
Film ed
SET DECORATOR
MUSIC
Mus supv
SOUND
SOURCES
SONGS
"Mule Train," words and music by Johnny Lange, Hy Heath and Fred Glickman; "Roomful of Roses," words and music by Tim Spencer; "The Old Chisholm Trail," traditional.
SONGWRITERS/COMPOSERS
+
SONGWRITERS/COMPOSERS
+
DETAILS
Release Date:
22 February 1950
Production Date:
8 Nov--22 Nov 1949
Copyright Info
Claimant
Date
Copyright Number
Gene Autry Productions
22 February 1950
LP2918
Physical Properties:
Sound
RCA Sound System
Black and White
Duration(in mins):
70
Length(in feet):
6,311
Country:
United States
SYNOPSIS

Prospector Smokey Argyle is crossing the desert with his mules when he hears gunshots and turns his mules in their direction. Riding fast, Marshal Gene Autry passes him, heading for the waterhole. There Gene discovers that "Keg" Rollins has killed a man who stopped for water. Rollins claims that he shot the stranger in self-defense after he refused to pay for the water. Gene then prohibits Rollins from charging travelers for water because the waterhole is on government land. Later, Smokey informs Gene that he and his partner, Judd Holbrook, have discovered a source of "natural cement" on Judd's land. Although he is skeptical of Smokey's claims, Gene uses the cement to build a basin for the waterhole and is impressed by its quality. Smokey then persuades Gene to accompany him to a nearby town where a dam is about to be built. The townspeople have already hired contractor Sam Brady to build their dam, even though one of his dams previously collapsed, killing three men. As Smokey leaves the meeting, he is almost run down by a wagon driven by one of Brady's men. Shortly after, Carol Bannister, the sheriff, breaks up a fight between Gene and the driver. She then gathers a posse to serve papers to Judd, who is being forced off his land by Brady. Gene and Smokey take a short cut, but when they arrive at Judd's cabin, they discover he has been wounded. Gene and Smokey hide Judd until Carol leaves. Before he dies, Judd bequeaths the land to Smokey. Until the ownership of the land is cleared up, ...

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Prospector Smokey Argyle is crossing the desert with his mules when he hears gunshots and turns his mules in their direction. Riding fast, Marshal Gene Autry passes him, heading for the waterhole. There Gene discovers that "Keg" Rollins has killed a man who stopped for water. Rollins claims that he shot the stranger in self-defense after he refused to pay for the water. Gene then prohibits Rollins from charging travelers for water because the waterhole is on government land. Later, Smokey informs Gene that he and his partner, Judd Holbrook, have discovered a source of "natural cement" on Judd's land. Although he is skeptical of Smokey's claims, Gene uses the cement to build a basin for the waterhole and is impressed by its quality. Smokey then persuades Gene to accompany him to a nearby town where a dam is about to be built. The townspeople have already hired contractor Sam Brady to build their dam, even though one of his dams previously collapsed, killing three men. As Smokey leaves the meeting, he is almost run down by a wagon driven by one of Brady's men. Shortly after, Carol Bannister, the sheriff, breaks up a fight between Gene and the driver. She then gathers a posse to serve papers to Judd, who is being forced off his land by Brady. Gene and Smokey take a short cut, but when they arrive at Judd's cabin, they discover he has been wounded. Gene and Smokey hide Judd until Carol leaves. Before he dies, Judd bequeaths the land to Smokey. Until the ownership of the land is cleared up, Gene decides to hide Judd's body so that everyone will think that he is still alive. Later, in town, Smokey sets up a demonstration of his cement, which convinces most of the dam's backers of its effectiveness. Construction is halted on the dam until the rest of the cement is checked for quality by a geologist and a mineralogist. Brady then brings in two gunmen to get rid of Gene and Smokey, but they recognize Gene as a federal marshal and refuse to shoot him. Instead, Brady decides to stop the wagons carrying the cement by causing a landslide. Smokey's wagons are destroyed and several men and horses are injured in the ensuing explosion. Gene sets a trap for Brady by sending banker Clayton Hodges a telegram signed with Judd's name and arranging a meeting outside town. The next morning, the telegraph operator shows the telegram to Carol, who sends Brady to the meeting to make sure that Judd is killed. Gene stops Brady from killing Hodges and turns him and his men over to Carol. Later, however, she releases the criminals, and Gene summons his deputies to recapture them. The men and Carol are arrested, and Gene returns home.

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Legend
Viewed by AFI
Partially Viewed
Offscreen Credit
Name Occurs Before Title
AFI Life Achievement Award

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The American Film Institute is grateful to Sir Paul Getty KBE and the Sir Paul Getty KBE Estate for their dedication to the art of the moving image and their support for the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and without whose support AFI would not have been able to achieve this historical landmark in this epic scholarly endeavor.