Romance Rides the Range

Baritone singer Barry Glendon, completing a successful season in opera, departs for his ranch in the west over the objections of his manager Tony. Arriving there with his double-talking friend Shorty, Barry learns that a parcel of his vast ranch has been fraudulently sold to Carol Marland and her ailing (and tiresome) young brother Johnny. Pretending he is only the foreman, and having his cowhands go along with it,Barry allows Carol and her whining, growing-ever-more-tiresome brother to believe that they are the actual owners in order to give him a free hand in running down the swindlers who victimized Carol who, with a brother like hers, was a victim to begin with.Barry learns that brothers Clem and Jonas Allen are the villains and,through a ruse in which they are led to believe there is a hidden treasure on the land they sold Carol, they try to buy it back bidding against Barry, who forces the price up.

Directed by Harry L. Fraser, Romance Rides the Range leans on a strong ensemble — Fred Scott, Cliff Nazarro, Marion Shilling — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about western titles of 1936.