HARLEM RIDES THE RANGE (1939) Herb Jeffries & Lucius Brooks | Drama, Western, Black Cinema | B&W

Harlem Rides the Range is a 1939 American Western race film directed by Richard C. Kahn. It followed the groundbreaking 1937 Western musical film Harlem on the Prairie.

SYNOPSIS
A cowboy and his sidekick try to help a homesteader from being cheated out of his property.

Bob Blake (Herb Jeffries) and his sidekick Dusty (Lucius Brooks) are two cowboys riding across the countryside in search of adventure. They come across a ranch where it appears a murder has taken place but they find the victim of the crime, Jim Dennison (Leonard Christmas), still alive. Dennison is hiding in fear of his life after what had taken place at the ranch. Bob sees a picture of the rancher's daughter Margaret (Artie Young) and falls in love at first sight; he cannot stop talking about how beautiful the girl in the picture is. Bob drops a glove when he leaves the ranch, which causes problems later.

The villain, Bradley (Clarence Brooks), wants to seize the ranch after terrorizing Dennison. Bob sets out to save Margaret and narrowly escapes a plot to frame him for the murder of one of the ranch foremen, Jim Connors (Tom Southern). Bradley uses Bob's dropped glove as part of the frameup. Bob is sent to jail, but is able to escape and tries to find Margaret. After a fight, Bob saves Margaret and they enjoy the romantic moment Bob had imagined when he first saw her picture. The ranch is saved; the story ends with Bob and Margaret together at last, and Bradley put in his place.

CAST & CREW
Herb Jeffries as Bob Blake
Lucius Brooks as Dusty
F.E. Miller as Slim Perkins the Cook
Clarence Brooks as Bradley
Spencer Williams as Mr. Watson
Tom Southern as Jim Connors (Watson's foreman)
Artie Young as Miss Margaret Dennison
Leonard Christmas as Jim Dennison
Wade Dumas as Dog City Sheriff
John Thomas as Cactus, Watson Cowboy
The Four Tones as Singing Group

Directed by Richard C. Kahn
Screenplay by F.E. Miller, Spencer Williams
Story by Spencer Williams
Produced by Richard C. Kahn, Alfred N. Sack
Cinematography Roland Price, Clark Ramsey
Music by Lew Porter
Distributed by Sack Amusement Enterprises
Release date February 1, 1939
Running time 56 minutes
Country United States
Language English

NOTES
Sets for all-black movies (especially Westerns) were difficult to come by; Harlem Rides the Range (and other Herb Jeffries films) were shot at the 40-acre Murray's Dude Ranch in Apple Valley, California. Originally established to give urban youth and their families the western experience, the ranch fell on hard times during the Great Depression and had become an interracial dude ranch which catered to film stars as well as ordinary families. The ranch's renewed popularity again enabled the Murrays to return to their original mission of helping inner city youth.