Scarlet River

A covered wagon pulls into view, signaling the end of the line for a struggling couple. There is no water, underscoring the harsh frontier reality. Suddenly a flourish of car horns announces a huge Hollywood limousine and a crowd eager to sell oil leases, highlighting the clash between real life and show business.

In the studio restaurant, Tom Baxter is shown a photo of Scarlet River Ranch that is to be returned with an unsolicited script. The photo dissolves into the actual ranch, and the mailman struggles to fit a manuscript into the mailbox. The eager author, Ulysses Mope, arrives on horseback, gallops up, and falls off, setting a chaotic, meta-fiction tone.

Ulysses describes a movie plot about a foreman planning to steal a ranch and force the owner to marry him. Jeff instantly recognizes that the story mirrors his own troubles, deepening the personal conflict. Judy enters and Jeff pressures her to marry him, raising the stakes for the couple and the ranch.

Jeff meets with banker Clink McPherson and demands a larger cut from their deal. Clink threatens to tell the sheriff that Jeff is responsible for rustling, hay-burning, and water-poisoning, turning the financial dispute into a potential criminal charge. The threat heightens the danger around the ranch’s finances.

The Tom Baxter troupe arrives in a parade of vehicles, drawing attention to the ranch. Tom is attracted to Judy but distrustful of Jeff. Ulysses fills Tom in on the studio's troubles, but Tom reads the situation clearly and remains cautious.

Jeff accuses Tom of being a 'powder puff actor,' and the director sets up a stunt to prove him wrong. Jeff fails the stunt, while Tom performs it perfectly, earning Judy's admiration. In the bunkhouse, Tom knocks Jeff out after a quick fight, solidifying Tom's edge.

Judy watches a kiss on set and confesses she can’t perform in front of others. Ulysses interferes, forcing the director to call Benny to bring the 'job stick.' If Ulysses can free himself from the vest entanglement without breaking, he can get a job on the film.

Tom offers to enroll Buck in a good private school and proposes monthly visits. He and Judy kiss, but she slaps him when he is about to get carried away; they reconcile with an apology.

That night, Tom follows Jeff and discovers him killing several steers, allegedly due to bad water. Tom's plan hinges on a veterinarian's findings to prove poisoning and secure an arrest.

Tom confronts Buck about his smoking and disrespect for his sister; Judy interrupts with a confrontation where Buck lies about what provoked the punishment. Judy's anger underscores the personal entanglements driving the ranch's troubles.

On the set, Buck has stopped smoking, but McPherson has kidnapped Judy and, supposedly, Jeff. Dummy arrives with a note threatening Judy's life unless Tom and his crew leave Scarlet River. Tom slips into the hideout, trying to rescue Judy.

Dummy rides to the hideout with the note's message; Tom is the intruder who reveals Jeff's fate. Judy is captured again as they escape, and Buck and Ulysses race to get help from the sheriff.

McPherson plans to stage Tom's fall from a cliff as an accident while Judy runs for safety. The crew rushes in with blanks and a live grenade to stop McPherson's men, and Jeff arrives in pursuit. Tom hurls himself through a window and knocks McPherson out in a dramatic climax.

The sheriff thanks Tom and his crew for their help; Tom declares he and Buck are partners, and Tom and Judy walk off with his arm around her. Their victory routes the threat to Scarlet River and secures a fragile peace.

In the final beat, Ulysses finally detaches the job stick, ending the running joke of the production. The director screams for Benny as the credits begin to roll, underscoring the blurred lines between movie and reality.