This is one Hoppy film, where it's the lead female rather than Hoppy who rides off into the sunset. She's Gwen Gaze, who plays super spoiled Lorna Drake, who is used to everyone doing what she commands, which rubs L-D ranch foremen Hopalong the wrong way. Hence they spend the majority of the film verbally fighting, when they aren't flirting. On the way from the stagecoach to the L-D ranch, in a buckboard driven by Hoppy's friend Baldy(Harvey Clark), she complains that the horses aren't going fast enough for her. When Baldy explains that they are going as fast as is safe, she grabs the reigns, and signals to the horses to go faster. Soon, the buckboard is a runaway, as she doesn't know to control the horses. Hoppy happens to see this, and gallops to reign in the horses. This is her introduction to the man that Baldy kept talking about. It was soon clear that they would lock horns frequently during her brief stay at the ranch. Lorna, her aunt Martha(Hilda Plowright), and her fiancé Ron Harwood(John Warburton) where making a brief stop on their way from England to San Francisco. ........Eventually, Hoppy had enough of Lorna telling him what to do, and badmouthing ranchers in general, and he announced that he was quitting, and would work for a neighboring rancher. After Hoppy left, she realized that she could charge him with being a horse thief, since he didn't have a bill of sale for Topper(his horse). She had the sheriff(Earle Hodkins) arrest him and thrown in jail. Later, she said she wanted him released to her custody, meaning he couldn't legally wander off from the L.D. ranch while she was there. He grasped that she was playing a game with him. He said he didn't want to leave jail, but eventually was forced to by the confused submissive sheriff. Her fiancé, Ron, talks tough to Hoppy, who flattens him with one punch to put him in his place. Now, between bickerings, Lorna began to show some romantic interest in Hoppy. As one of the boys was playing "Moonlight on the Sunset Trail" in the evening, she was with Hoppy, and began singing it. Ron got jealous and told her to stop flirting with Hoppy. So, she gave him back his engagement ring.......Ron thought of shooting Hoppy, and joined forces with Scar Lewis(Al Bridge), who also wanted Hoppy dead, for putting him in prison for 5 years. Scar comes up with the idea of luring Hoppy to a cabin just below a dam, then blowing up the dam with dynamite. Hoppy gets the impression that something is going on around the dam, so travels there with Lucky. They meet Ron, with another conspirator: Doc Galer(Al Hill), who have emplaced the dynamite. Hoppy gets the drop on Doc, who then gets the drop on Lucky, who knocks the gun out of his hand, allowing Hoppy to shoot him. Before he dies, he shoots his gun at the dynamite, and miraculously lights the fuse! Hoppy rushes over and defuses the explosive. Hoppy sees a buckboard containing Baldy and Lorna drive up to the cabin. Baldy escorts Lorna inside the cabin, then goes outside for some reason. Soon a brush fire explodes and makes it's way to the cabin. Scar and a few others begin shooting at Hoppy and Ron(The latter has switched sides). While Lucky goes back to the ranch to get some reinforcements, Hoppy makes his way down to the cabin and carries the fainted Lorna out to safety. The gun battle continues , and is intensified when Lucky returns with more men. Eventually, Scar and the others are killed. Hoppy tells Lorna to return to the ranch house, while he keeps an eye on the fire. She says "Yes, Hoppy", in a submissive tone.........As the Brits are about to leave, Lorna is very pleasant to Hoppy, thankful that he saved her life. She says she will be back in the fall for a longer stay. Ron decides to stay on at the ranch..........Harvey Clark, as Baldy, did an excellent job in trying to mimic the absent Windy(George Hayes), as the humorous old timer. Unfortunately, he would die later that year, only 52.......I think this is my favorite Hopalong Cassidy film, thus far. The main weakness I see is that the physical action is all concentrated at near the end and that portion of the screen play is a bit unbelievable........See it at YouTube.
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