Heritage of the Desert

This solid Zane Grey western gets its third and final treatment on the big screen when Harry Sherman producer and Lesley Selander director took a break from Hopalong Cassidy westerns and did this version of Heritage Of The Desert. They even brought along Russell Hayden taking a break from the Hoppy series and playing Lucky Jenkins.

This film starts in the east where Donald Woods who's been something of a wastrel has been told his old man's fortune has dissipated and the properties worthless. He decides to go out west and investigate and for his troubles he gets shot down by Paul Fix working for C. Henry Gordon who manages the estate for Woods's late father.

From that position Gordon has been muscling in on a lot of other ranchers including Robert Barrat and his daughter Evelyn Venable and fourth and only surviving son Russell Hayden. They rescue Woods from quicksand after Fix shot him and he heals up and learns a few western skills at the same time. They prove handy and Woods proves he has the right stuff.

The second version of this tale starred Randolph Scott in 1932 and next to Randolph Scott, Donald Woods does not match up as a western hero. In fact he's a competent actor with a rather bland personality. Still this Zane Grey story sells itself on the big screen.