Good thing this was John Wayne's final outing as a singing cowboy; they'd been turning into a great source of embarrassment to him every time a child asked him to sing at personal appearances. Sorry, kids, he just didn't have the same golden yodel as Jack Kirk, who voice was dubbed in to substitute for the Duke's on this film.
This time out John Wayne appears as...well, John Middleton; he was so close to playing himself the other players didn't even have to forget his real name. John Middleton's father has sent him to help his old pal Emmett. By the time he reaches the territory he's been cornered first by rustlers, rescued a girl who trains her gun on him at first, then flees the posse that was sent after the rustlers. Well, the posse in its infinite wisdom feel its their duty to bring 'im back to town where they can hang him properly. Luckily the plucky lass he'd rescued before rides into town just into time to vouch for him.
I had a feeling that banker Cater was behind the whole plot to drive all the ranchers off their land; score one for me. Not a big surprise that in the depths of the Depression, it was easy for filmmakers to pinpoint money-men and lawyers as easy villain material.
Republic Pictures commits the sin of dubbing the Duke's singing voice twice, and the first time they simply recycled "A Cowboy's Song of Fate" from his first singing cowboy flick Riders of Destiny. Then they repeat the sin by having him serenade lady love Sheila Bromley (credited as Sheila Mannors) in a porch swing. It was kind of a return appearance for her, as she'd already been his lady sidekick in his previous singing oater, Westward Ho (1935), Republic Pictures first motion picture production. From this point on whenever we hear the Duke sing, it'll be in his own voice, and usually in a scene where he's portraying a drunk.
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https://www.facebook.com/notes/michael-robbins/the-man-from-utah-1934/390397254349884
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