Cyclone on Horseback

In the Old West, Stan Bradford, [Tim Holt], a steady horse rancher, delivers a herd of pack horses to Valley City. The purchase isn’t just business—Jeff Corbin, [Dennis Moore], won a bid to lay a telephone line, but trouble starts when Stan learns Jeff’s payment by check is no good. A man named Cobb Wayne, [Harry Worth], offers to cover the bad check and instructs Stan to deliver the horses to him.

Mary Corbin, [Marjorie Reynolds], Jeff’s sister, steps in with a promise to make Jeff’s payment good using negotiable bonds she’s holding for him. Mary heads toward the work camp, but Stan spots her being chased by Wayne’s men who want to seize the bonds. He springs into action with his friends Smokey, [Ray Whitley], and Whopper, [Lee ‘Lasses’ White], driving Wayne’s men away and escorting Mary to Jeff’s work site. There, Stan witnesses a tense moment as Jeff fights with the line workers who feel cheated by unpaid wages. Mary hands Jeff the bonds and he vows to cash them to settle the workers’ claims. Jeff explains he underbid Wayne for the contract, and if he can’t finish the job, Wayne will take it.

To help out, Stan lends Jeff $2,400 and Jeff gives him negotiable bonds as security. But when Stan tries to cash the bonds, Mr. Williams, the local banker, calls the sheriff, alleging that stolen bonds are circulating in the area. Smokey and Whopper manage to avoid arrest and head to a nearby diner, where Smokey’s singing helps gather contributions to pay for the meal, though the duo unwittingly shortchange the owner.

Mary then appears at the jail, awaiting a telegram from her lawyer proving the bonds aren’t stolen. She jokes, > “If anyone stole them, I did.” The sheriff relents and releases Stan, while Mary is taken into custody. Stan heads back to see Jeff, accompanied by Mr. Williams, who confirms the bonds aren’t stolen and clears Jeff and Mary. The moment is short-lived, however, as Wayne’s men ambush the work camp and Jeff is wounded, sidelining him from the project. With investors threatening to pull the contract, Stan reluctantly agrees to step in for Jeff.

Driving wagon loads of dynamite with Mary, Stan faces pursuit but outsmarts the attackers by tossing lit dynamite sticks to deter them. Wayne retaliates by attempting to dynamite the work site himself. He stalks Jeff’s camp, assaults the workers, and drives them away. Stan then takes on a crucial role, using a harness and horse team to load the telephone wire and guide it through the trees. Wayne’s men close in, spurring a fierce gunfight, but Stan’s quick thinking—leveraging the wire spool and rolling it downhill—allows him to finish the connection just in time to meet the deadline. Wayne is hauled off to jail, and the diner’s owner finally runs off Smokey and Whopper after they’re caught up in the earlier short-change incident. With the job secured and the district’s worries behind them, Stan and his friends ride out of town, ready for whatever comes next.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 11:03