The Cowboy Millionaire

Dude ranch cowboy Bob Walker is knocked off his saddle by beautiful Pamela Barclay, a wealthy British tourist he's been hired to assist. Her arrival delays Bob's plans to quit his job and work full-time at a mining site he owns with his partner, "Persimmon" Bates. While Bob spends his time with Pamela, her ne'er-do-well suitor, Hadley Thornton, attempts to swindle Persimmon out of their claim. Bob learns too late that the mine is worth millions. Persimmon has sailed to England with Pamela and Hadley to sell off the claim for a fraction of its value. Hoping to corral his woman and save his fortune, Bob heads overseas.

With a clever script, deft direction and charismatic performances, The Cowboy Millionaire is a Western with a English twist. Rugged star George O'Brien was working as a stuntman when he was "discovered" by John Ford and cast as the lead in The Iron Horse (1924). O'Brien remained a popular Western hero of both silent and sound features for the next 40 years. Director Edward Cline, best known in Hollywood for his work in comedy, got his start doing silent one-reelers for Keystone and went on to work with comic legend W. C. Fields in You Can't Cheat An Honest Man (1939), My Little Chickadee (1940), The Bank Dick (1940) and Never Give A Sucker An Even Break (1941).

• western