The Essential Watchlist that Capture the Essence of Neck and Neck: ...

Dir: Richard Thorpe

Jim Gordon, the son of a proud and loving father, enters the University of California as a student. There he meets Mary Ward, a campus coed who captures his heart on the first day. He becomes close friends with Larry Powell, his roommate, but incurs the wrath of Kenneth Slade, who is unable to take a practical joke. Jim and Larry attend a campus dance with Bessie and Phyllis, two vamps, and through a series of romantic complications Jim tries to convince Mary of his love for her. Later, Louise successfully waylays Jim on his way from the training field and the sight of them disillusions Mary; trying to repair matters in a classroom, Jim is reprimanded, is physically punished by Professor Maynard, and is expelled. Later he is reinstated by the dean and plans to join the football squad against Stanford, but the day of the game finds him again in disgrace because he has gone to a roadhouse to protect Mary from her jazzy companions, and then to assist her after an accident. At the last minute, he is called into the game, and his team wins.

Dir: Richard Thorpe

Regan and Burns intend to foreclose a mortgage on Lowery's ranch. Lowery's foreman, Bill Demming, and his assistant get into a scrap. Bill runs away and is charged with murder. He impersonates Lowery in order to get money from the latter's grandfather to pay off the mortgage, succeeds, but is compelled to marry the old man's niece, Alice. Bill is cleared of the murder charge, Lowery's ranch is saved. Bill and Alice face a happy future together.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Saddle Cyclone perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: Richard Thorpe

Buddy West (Buddy Roosevelt) inherits a ranch but a clause in the will provides the ranch shall go to the foreman, Pete Hall (William Lowery), if Buddy is found incompetent, which leads to foul play by Hall. Buddy escapes from an asylum where he has been sent and returns to vindicate himself and free his uncle's daughter, Dorothy Parker (Violet La Plante), who is being held prisoner by Hall and his henchmen. Buddy wins out and also wins the hand of Dorothy.

Dir: Richard Thorpe

Upon his release from prison, Jim Regan, who had been framed for theft by Dan Norris, is jailed again for attempting to shoot Norris. His friend Wally, seeking work at the Bar X ranch, is held up by "Angel-Face," a member of Denver Dan's gang. Realizing his victim is faint from hunger, he shares his food with him and the two decide to become partners and get work together at the ranch. Regan is released on the understanding he will not leave town and goes to the Weston ranch to see Wally. Hiram, Wally's father, sends him away, but when Regan is found dead near the ranch, Hiram is arrested for the murder. Overhearing Norris admit to the crime, Angel-Face informs Wally but is himself shot by the culprit, who then escapes. Wally follows and captures him. Angel-Face recovers, Hiram is released, and Wally marries Ruth, the daughter of Regan.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Battling Buddy perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: Richard Thorpe

Bill Hamilton is on his way to inspect the Lazy-B ranch, which he has inherited, when he collides with the Lazy-B foreman, Buck Wilson, and has a fight with him. Later, while working on Jim Downing's ranch, he foils Wilson's attempts to acquire Downing's mortgage and foreclose. Mary Downing helps by forcing a confession from the man who killed her father, thus clearing Bill of murder charges. Bill protects Mary from Buck just before a rescue party arrives.

Dir: Richard Thorpe

Bill Dillon is denied employment at the Harper ranch but gets a job with the Taylors, whose difficulties with an irrigation project are then resolved through Bill's friendship with Dorothy Harper. Discovering a plot to steal the payroll, Dillon is harassed by foreman Hawk Morton, but he escapes to rescue Dorothy and her father.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Twisted Triggers perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: Richard Thorpe

Lafe Wells, a member of a bandit gang, is wounded and left for dead by his companions. Wally Kenyon finds Lafe. The outlaw, believing himself to be close to death, then asks Wally to take some money to his mother. Wally does as the bandit asks and meets Lafe's sister, Ruth. Lafe recovers and, later, when Wally and Ruth are ambushed by outlaws, he brings the sheriff's men to their aid. Wally and Ruth get married.

Dir: Richard Thorpe

Wally returns from prison having been framed by outlaw Bowers and Banker Brown. When Wally and Bowers fight, Wally is jailed. Getting the Sheriff and posse out of town, Bowers robs Brown's bank to get the note implicating him in Wally's crime. Helen seeing the robbery frees Wally who starts out single handed after the gang.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Hard-Hittin' Hamilton perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: Richard Thorpe

A cowboy named Quicker'n Lightnin' searches for his sweetheart, Helen Harlow, after she is abducted by Mowii, a notorious renegade. Morella, a Native American girl, informs Lightnin' and his friend, Al McNutt, that Mowii has taken Helen to his hideout in a deserted Pueblo village. Along the way, they learn that Morella's father has been murdered. Mowii and his gang capture the group, but Lightnin' escapes and instructs Morella's lover, Truxillo, to send the sheriff with a posse. Following a heated battle, most of the gang members are captured. Lightnin' comes to the rescue as Mowii's mother, known as the Squaw, is about to sacrifice Helen to the sun god. He grabs the arrow and impales Mowii's arm, then ties him up until the sheriff arrives. Afterward, Lightnin' takes Helen home.

Dir: Richard Thorpe

A cowboy sets out to help a pretty young girl who is about to lose her ranch when crooks plan to foreclose on it because she doesn't have enough money to make her mortgage payment. He puts together a cattle drive in order to sell the herd to raise the money to pay off the note, but when the crooks hear about this, they make plans to stampede the herd along the way.