CYCLONE OF THE SADDLE (1935) Rex Lease, Janet Chandler & Bobby Nelson | Drama, Western | B&W

Cyclone of the Saddle is a 1935 American Western film directed by Elmer Clifton, starring Rex Lease, Janet Chandler, Bobby Nelson, and Yakima Canutt.

SYNOPSIS
The Army sends Andy Thomas posing as a renegade to find out who has been harassing the wagon trains. He joins a wagon train and soon learns Cherokee and Snake are the ones he is after. But Cherokee and Snake then kill two Indians and blame the settlers from the wagon train and Andy finds the Indians about to attack.

Settlers crossing the plains are being terrorized by a group of marauders, some posing as Indians. Andy Thomas, a cavalry soldier, is tasked by his fort's commander to go undercover and in order to stop the outlaws. He meets a wagon train, which includes the Cutters, Ma, Pa, Sue and Dick, who are making their way to their homestead. They are attacked by the marauders, but fend them off, although Pa Cutter is killed during the battle. Two of the outlaws join the wagon train and one of them, Cherokee, harasses Sue, but Andy puts a stop to that. When Cherokee dares him to break a wild pony, Andy does, and afterwards is nicknamed the "Cyclone of the Saddle".

The remaining Cutters make it to their homestead, but Cherokee continues his harassment of Sue. When she is defended by her brother, who wounds Cherokee in the hand, the outlaw kills two braves from the local tribe and frames Dick for their murders. The Indians abduct Dick and his horse, Black Fox, but Black Fox manages to escape and make his way to Andy.

CAST & CREW
Rex Lease as Andy Thomas
Janet Chandler as Sue
Bobby Nelson as Dick
Yakima Canutt as Snake
Helen Gibson as Ma
Milburn Morante as Pa
Charles Davis as High Hawk
Chief Standing Bear as Porcupine
Chief Thunder Cloud as Yellow Wolf
George Chesebro as Cherokee Carter
Art Mix as Pioneer
William Desmond as Wagon master

Directed by Elmer Clifton
Written by Elmer Clifton, George M. Merrick
Produced by George M. Merrick
Cinematography Eddie Linden
Production company Weiss Productions
Distributed by State Rights, Superior Talking Pictures
Release date December 1935 (US)
Running time 55 minutes
Country United States
Language English

NOTES
The Ouachita Citizen gave the film a positive review, calling it "A thrilling story of the old west...", and "...a great picture and one of the most exciting we've ever seen". They felt that the film was full of excitement and action, and paid praise to the stunt work of Yakima Canutt and his "bull-whipping" skills.[2] The Shreveport Journal also gave the film a positive review, calling Rex Lease a "dynamo of action."