News of an oil strike stirs trouble in a western town.
Flat broke, Richard Arlen (as Johnny Maverick) drives west, picking up, and partnering up, with prospecting hitch-hiker Elisha Cook Jr. (as "Chicopee"). Almost immediately, the two discover oil, on land owned by the country bumpkin "Smithers" family. Mr. Arlen writes John and Martha Smithers a check, to buy their oil-rich land, then schemes to cover its cost. But, old enemy Buster Crabbe (as Mike Rawlins) isn't about to let Arlen strike it rich without a fight. Additional arrivals provide further intrigue (William Frawley) and love interest (Arline Judge).
While "Wildcat" Arlen and many of the supporting cast are pleasant, this is an mostly dull story. An exciting scene occurs early on, which prematurely kills off the film's most endearing, up to that point, character. The tragedy is necessary for subsequent plot developments, which are anticlimactic.
Flat broke, Richard Arlen (as Johnny Maverick) drives west, picking up, and partnering up, with prospecting hitch-hiker Elisha Cook Jr. (as "Chicopee"). Almost immediately, the two discover oil, on land owned by the country bumpkin "Smithers" family. Mr. Arlen writes John and Martha Smithers a check, to buy their oil-rich land, then schemes to cover its cost. But, old enemy Buster Crabbe (as Mike Rawlins) isn't about to let Arlen strike it rich without a fight. Additional arrivals provide further intrigue (William Frawley) and love interest (Arline Judge).
While "Wildcat" Arlen and many of the supporting cast are pleasant, this is an mostly dull story. An exciting scene occurs early on, which prematurely kills off the film's most endearing, up to that point, character. The tragedy is necessary for subsequent plot developments, which are anticlimactic.