MAN OF THE FOREST
aka Challenge of the Frontier
DIRECTED BY HENRY HATHAWAY
PARAMOUNT PICTURES
INFORMATION FROM IMDb
Plot Summary
Beasley, who is after Gayner's land, plans to kidnap his daughter. But Dale overhears their plan and kidnaps her himself. When Gayner arrives to retrieve his daughter,
Beasley kills him and makes the Sheriff arrest Dale for the murder.
Cast
Randolph Scott ... Brett Dale
Verna Hillie ... Alice Gayner
Harry Carey ... Jim Gayner
Noah Beery ... Clint Beasley
Barton MacLane ... Henchman Mulvey
Buster Crabbe ... Yegg
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams ... Big Boy (as Guinn Williams)
Vince Barnett ... Little
Blanche Friderici ... Mrs. Peg Forney
Tempe Pigott ... Peg's Friend
Tom Kennedy ... Sheriff Blake
Frank McGlynn Jr. ... Pegg, a henchman
Duke R. Lee Duke R. Lee ...
and many more...
Directed
Henry Hathaway
Writing Credits
Jack Cunningham ... (screenplay)
Zane Grey ... (novel)
Harold Shumate ... (screenplay)
Produced
Harold Hurley ... associate producer (uncredited)
Cinematography
Ben F. Reynolds ... (as Ben Reynolds)
Trivia
This is one of 20 Zane Grey stories, filmed by Paramount in the 1930s, which they sold to Favorite Films for re-release, circa 1949-1950. The failure of Paramount, the original copyright holder, to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film.
Although this film was re-released theatrically under its original title, it was re-titled 'Challenge of the Frontier' when it was sold to television, most likely to protect the theatrical re-release which was still in progress in many territories. It was first telecast in Detroit Friday 6 November 1953 on WXYZ (Channel 7), in New York City Wednesday 6 January 1954 on WCBS (Channel 2), and in Los Angeles Saturday 29 May 1954 on KNBH (Channel 4). In San Francisco, it first hit the airwaves Saturday 22 October 1955 on KPIX (Channel 5).
When re-released nationally in 1950 by Favorite Films, this film was often shown in tandem with the re-release of _To the Last Man (1933)_.
At one point, Scott slips and addresses Guinn Williams by his real-life nickname,
"Big Boy," rather than his character name, "Big Casino." As it happens, Williams is billed simply by his real name in the credits.
The 20 Zane Grey stories sold by Paramount to Favorite Films for theatrical re-release, and then to Unity Television Corporation for television broadcast are as follows: The Light of Western Stars/Winning the West (1930), Fighting Caravans/Blazing Arrows (1931), Heritage of the Desert/When the West Was Young (1932), The Mysterious Rider/The Fighting Phantom (1933), The Thundering Herd/Buffalo Stampede (1933), Man of the Forest/Challenge of the Frontier (1933), To the Last Man/Law of Vengeance (1933), Wagon Wheels/Caravans West (1934), Rocky Mountain Mystery/The Fighting Westerner (1935), Drift Fence/Texas Desperadoes (1936), Desert Gold/Desert Storm (1936), The Arizona Raiders/Bad Men of Arizona (1936), Arizona Mahoney/Arizona Thunderbolt (1936), Forlorn River/River of Destiny (1937), Thunder Trail/Thunder Pass (1937), Born to the West/Hell Town (1937), The Mysterious Rider/Mark of the Avenger (1938), Heritage of the Desert/Heritage of the Plains (1939), Knights of the Range/Bad Men of Nevada (1940), and The Light of Western Stars/Border Renegade (1940).
Quote
Brett Dale: Now don't try that again.
Alice Gaynor: I'll kill you the next time!
Brett Dale: If you do, I'll spank you again.
Filming Locations
Umknown
