Ride Him, Cowboy

Ride Him, Cowboy
Original poster
Directed by	Fred Allen
Written by	Kenneth Perkins (novel) Scott Mason
Produced by	Leon Schlesinger
Starring	John Wayne Frank Hagney Ruth Hall
Cinematography	Ted D. McCord
Edited by	William Clemens
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	August 23, 1932 (1932-08-23) (USA)
Running time	55 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

This article is about the 1932 film. Not to be confused with other works titiled Ride 'Em Cowboy.

Ride Him, Cowboy is a 1932 pre-Code Western film directed by Fred Allen starring 25-year-old John Wayne. Based on the 1923 novel of the same name by Kenneth Taylor Perkins, the film is a remake of The Unknown Cavalier, a 1926 Western starring Ken Maynard, with lots of stock footage from the original. The film was titled The Hawk in the UK.

Plot

Lobby card

John Drury (John Wayne) is passing through when townsfolk are about to kill Duke, a horse they believe to be dangerous. He convinces them to reprieve the animal if he can ride it. He does, earning the gratitude of Ruth Gaunt (Ruth Hall).

He then volunteers to deal with an outlaw known as the Hawk who has been terrorizing the area. Solid citizen Henry Simms (Frank Hagney) volunteers to guide him to the Hawk's territory. But Simms is actually the Hawk and he ties Drury to a tree, leaving him to die. Simms then leads a raid on a ranch, kills a man and plants Drury's harmonica at the scene. With the help of his horse Duke, Drury manages to free himself.

However, a group of vigilantes, believing that he is the Hawk, accuse him of murder and take him to face a hanging judge. Fortunately, Ruth shows up, with the news that a wounded witness has regained consciousness and confirmed Drury's claim that Simms is the real bandit.

Simms' men burst in and hold everyone at gunpoint. Simms takes Ruth with him to his hideout, but Drury manages to escape and follow them. The posse overpowers Simms' henchmen and captures the rest of the gang. Simms and Drury fight; when Drury is distracted by the arrival of help, Simms knocks him out and tries to flee, only to run into the deadly hooves of an enraged Duke.

Cast (in credits order)

• John Wayne as John Drury
• Ruth Hall as Ruth Gaunt
• Henry B. Walthall as John Gaunt
• Otis Harlan as Judge E. Clarence "Necktie" Jones
• Harry Gribbon as Deputy Sheriff Clout
• Frank Hagney as Henry Simms / The Hawk

See also

• John Wayne filmography

External links

• Ride Him, Cowboy at IMDb
• Ride Him, Cowboy at AllMovie
• Ride Him, Cowboy at the TCM Movie Database
• Ride Him, Cowboy at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
• Ride Him, Cowboy is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive