Riders of the Range

RKO's resident cowboy stars Tim Holt and Richard "Chito" Martin were back in 1949's Riders of the Range. Hired on as ranch hands, Kansas (Holt) and Chito come to the aid of ranch owner Dusty (Jacqueline White), whose brother (Robert Clarke) has been led astray by a crooked gambler (Reed Hadley). As had happened in so many previous RKO oaters, Our Heroes are accused of murder, but manage to break jail in time to collar the real culprit. No, the "mystery" villain isn't the gambler, since he was the murder victim (without giving away the ending, here's a clue: keep an eye on that former cowboy hero who in this film heads the supporting cast). Riders of the Range was the first Tim Holt vehicle to lose money for RKO, an indication of the audience erosion caused by that upstart TV medium.