HERITAGE OF THE DESERT

US, 1932, 60 minutes, black-and-white.
Randolph Scott, Sally Blane, J.Farrell Mac Donald, David Landau, Gordon Wescott, Guinn Williams, Vince Barnett.
Directed by Henry Hathaway.

This was the first major film directed by Henry Hathaway who is to have a very successful career over several decades, making many westerns up till 1974. It was also the first starring part for Randolph Scott, in dramas, westerns and musicals during the 1930s but from the mid-1940s until Ride the High Country in 1962, a career almost exclusively in westerns.

The film is based on a story by Zane Gray. With its brief running time, it is rather barebones, the story of ranchers and pressure from businessmen outside the law, a stranger coming in and being befriended by the ranchers, falling in love with the adopted daughter, clashing with the son of the rancher who is in league with the criminals.

Quite some action, shootouts and fights, a leading lady who is rather feisty, a romantic ending.

The film was remade with same title in 1939, directed by Lesley Selander who directed a number of film versions of books by Zane Gray. It improves very much on the 1932 version, a lot more subtlety, quite a number of plot and character complexities and interesting character performances.

The present film was rereleased in 1951 with the title When the West was Young.