Under California Stars (1948)

No renewal found Free in the US since 1 January 1977, on the registry's reading: registration LP1592 of 1948 by Opie Pictures Corp was not renewed in the volumes searched. Record.

A ransom plot built around Trigger brings Roy Rogers’s screen identity, ranch life and musical company into the same story.

The hostage in Under California Stars is its leading man’s horse. A gang steals Trigger to hold him for ransom.³ Roy Rogers and his ranch hands set out to recover the animal.³ Trigger’s place in the story is closer to that of a fellow performer than a piece of property. Rogers plays Roy Rogers.⁴ The crime strikes at the partnership around which the film is built. The premise makes room for pursuit without requiring an unfamiliar hero or an elaborate personal history. Rescuing Roy’s horse gives the company a common purpose. The Western adventure begins with a disruption of the household.

William Witney directed the film for Republic Pictures.¹ Sloan Nibley’s screenplay came from a story by Paul Gangelin.² The production takes its identity from an existing star rather than a character whom the story must introduce from scratch. Jack Marta photographed that familiar framework in Trucolor.¹² Cookie Bullfincher welcomes Roy home at the Saddleback ranch before the main plot develops.² That homecoming establishes the social unit the ransom plot will put under pressure. The ranch is not merely territory to defend. It is the place to which the performer returns.

Music gives that company another means of gathering. Jane Frazee and the Sons of the Pioneers join Rogers in performing the title song.¹ Written by Jack Elliott, “Under California Stars” supplies a shared setting rather than an individual grievance.¹ Elliott’s “Rogers, King of the Cowboys” addresses the star more directly.² Its title names the performer in the terms of his screen identity. “Little Saddle Pals,” also by Elliott, invokes a smaller, companionable world of riders.² Read beside the ransom premise, these titles help explain the film’s construction. This is an adventure designed to accommodate the singer as well as the rider. Roy’s name belongs both to the story and to the entertainment offered around it.

Andy Devine’s casting extends that interest in familiar identities through a different device. He plays Cookie Bullfincher and Cookie’s relative Alf.¹ The dual-role gag asks the same performer to furnish two members of the film’s world. Where Rogers’s role narrows the distance between actor and character, Devine’s makes the actor recognizable beneath a second identity. Both devices put performance itself close to the surface of the fiction. They also suggest why a plot as direct as the theft of Trigger can carry the picture: the supporting pleasures do not all have to come from the mechanics of detection and pursuit.

The film’s later circulation includes budget video editions and online copies.³ Availability should not be confused with a complete account of ownership. A survey of the Republic library reports no renewal for this title.⁸ The survey also offers an account of the Rogers films’ ownership that assigns rights to Paramount and the Rogers estate.⁸ That assertion does not establish the scope of those rights. A scene from the film is presented online as an example of Rogers’s starring Westerns.¹⁰ The excerpt offers a different encounter from a full viewing copy. The atlas currently supplies no annotated beats, so it cannot yet ground a closer account of particular cuts or gestures.

The record: Registration LP1592 by Opie Pictures Corp is dated 17 February 1948. The registry found no renewal in the renewal volumes for 1975 to 1977, nor in the Copyright Office's records from 1978 on; on that reading the term ended on 31 December 1976 and the film has been free in the US since 1 January 1977. The same registration is also recorded under Republic Pictures Corp., rather than Opie Pictures Corp.² That difference in attribution should remain visible alongside the registry’s finding. The renewal search does not settle the nature or scope of the separate rights asserted in the Republic library survey.⁸

Written 6 September 2026 by gpt-6-astra from the registry record, the atlas's own evidence and the sources below, gathered by Qwen/Qwen3.8-Max with web search and questioned by deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V4-Pro. Numbered notes are the sources; a claim marked unverified has no source yet; times open the atlas at that second. How these are made and checked.

en.wikipedia.org https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_California_Stars
catalog.afi.com https://catalog.afi.com/Film/25788-UNDER-CALIFORNIA-STARS
archive.org https://archive.org/details/under_california_stars
en.wikipedia.org https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Rogers
archive.org https://archive.org/stream/filmdaily93wids/filmdaily93wids_djvu.txt
archive.org https://archive.org/stream/motionpictureher1721unse/motionpictureher1721unse_djvu.txt
imdb.com https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040915/
dukefilmography.com https://dukefilmography.com/republic_pictures_library.html
en.wikipedia.org https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_Pictures
britannica.com https://www.britannica.com/video/scene-Under-California-Stars-Roy-Rogers/-157671

Inside the film

762 shots over 1:12:20 · 746 transcript lines · JSON

Every shot, 762 frames with timestamps and on-screen text

How this page was made

762 shots over 1:12:20, read from the Internet Archive copy under_california_stars (under_california_stars.mp4, 640×480, 29.97 fps). Shot boundaries by PySceneDetect's adaptive detector; each frame links to the Archive's player at that second. Registry dossier: Under California Stars No renewal found. JSON

Measurements: colour film on its keyframes (756 of 762 shots judged colour), average shot 5.7s long, a frontal face detected in 23% of keyframes. Shots are detected automatically and each is represented by its midpoint frame.

Transcript

Machine transcription of the Archive copy's audio with Whisper large-v3-turbo (temperature 0); the model heard it as en. 746 segments kept, 190 dropped as the kind of hallucination the model produces over music and silence. Each timestamp links to the Archive's player at that second. This has not been checked against the film and can be wrong.

0:14 Oh, say my English piece of art now.
0:19 Save our ink the moon is shining bright. Robbing in his midst and the countryside's a threat. Under California's dawn.
0:33 Listen to the creepets chime in awe.
0:38 Hear the rest of the moon and fall.
0:42 Shadows from the glow while the western regions glow.
0:49 Oh, my God.
0:51 From far across the valley, up to the home of the cowboy song,
1:00 He'd wait for the daybreak, then he'll up and move along.
1:09 Save our lady peaceful house tonight. Seems like all the world is even right.
1:18 now
1:42 Oh, my God.
1:55 Cut!
1:56 That does it, boys.
1:58 You okay? Sure, Roy. Sure, Al.
2:02 Well, that's another picture in the bag. When are you leaving? Right away.
2:06 I'm making my 10th anniversary broadcast from the ranch.
2:09 Roy, you can be mighty proud of your ten years in pictures.
2:12 You've made millions of friends all over the world. Hey, Roy.
2:16 Sing "Dust". That's all you sang in your first picture.
2:18 You know, we haven't heard that in a long time. Okay, Joe, I'll remember. Well,

726 more segments

2:22 Good luck and have a nice trip.
2:25 We'll all be listening to your broadcast, Roy. Thanks, Paul. You bet. Take a reason, boys. We'll see you.
2:30 Come on, Roy. Come on, Roy.
2:46 I'm going to go.
2:59 Hey, Cookie! Hey, Val! Hey, fellas, I saw him coming! He's coming down the road! Come on!
3:03 It's right! It's right! It's right! It's right! Come on! Come on! Come on! I wonder if Roy and Drago have changed and...
3:12 - That's a big movie star! - Not Roy, he'll always be the same old horse rank.
3:21 All you loyal subjects, it's the time to bow your heads and pay homage to the king who's come to greet us. Here, here! Right-o.
3:30 I'm all a Twitter and a flutter. My little knees are just like butter.
3:36 to think the mighty king would stoop to meet us. Huh?
3:40 Let's hail the conquering hero
3:43 For it's time he did appear
3:47 And with reverence.
3:49 We proudly say...
3:51 Long live the king.
3:54 He's here. He's Rootin' Tootin' Rogers, the king of the cowboys, the bravest man upon the silver screen. Whenever there is trouble, there comes Trigger on the devil to lick the villain and then feel the scene. He's got away with women, too. How they cuddle up to him when the director tells them to.
4:24 boys the brain is like this and despite this oh he's rough and the toughest let me mention he's the singer is too but is he the same old rock that we once knew hi you fellas hello boy some of you boys
4:54 to kind of stretch her legs a little bit. All right.
4:57 Oh.
5:00 Shh, now go on, go on, go on, go on. Get away. You can meet Roy Rogers later. Go on now.
5:10 Who was it, Cookie? - Huh? Oh, nobody, Roy, nobody.
5:16 Well, we sure have missed you around here too, Roy. You just never know how we...
5:21 Oh!
5:22 Oh, Roy, that's just some extra help that I hired so cheap I couldn't afford not to, really. Well, they're certainly well fed.
5:29 He had a great big... Oh!
5:35 Hello, Mr. Rogers.
5:37 Cookie promised to introduce us after we took our naps.
5:40 Didn't you, cousin Cookie?
5:43 Cousin Cookie, huh?
5:45 I guess I can't deny him, Roy.
5:47 Runs in the family, that's Alf and Luke and Grover Bullfincher.
5:52 Cookie, if you don't quit hiring your relatives... Well, Roy, after their mama died... They'll never be able to feed your...
5:58 I know.
6:00 By the way, Cookie...
6:02 Did you ever hire that horse trainer I asked you about?
6:05 Huh?
6:05 Oh, well, yeah, yeah, you know, Roy, now that's something else I wanted to talk to you about.
6:10 Well, look at that. There's old Bob.
6:15 Hey, that bunch that's been rounding up range horses is over in the North Pasture. Oh, who is it, Cookie? Oh, some strangers butchering up them range horses for meetin' hides.
6:26 That's what happened to the buffaloes. Yeah, but this is legal and it's hurting our army contract.
6:32 It isn't legal if it's on our range. We better get over and see if there's no double-R horses in it, bud.
6:43 Thanks, cousin.
7:02 Yeah, yeah.
7:32 Oh, you knothead.
8:02 Hey, what's going on here?
8:07 Running wild horses if it's any of your business.
8:16 Get up.
8:17 Well, well, I might have known.
8:21 Roy Rogers, the movie cowboy. Yeah.
8:24 - Here. - Pretty brave with all your friends backing you up.
8:28 Hold it!
8:30 Stay on your horses.
8:32 I'll see that this is on the upper nuts.
8:34 Come on.
9:10 Oh, my God.
9:12 - - Who are those fellas?
9:17 I don't know.
9:18 I didn't find any horses up the drawer you sent me.
9:21 All right, all right, but be quiet.
9:22 Oh, my God.
9:24 That dog barks out. He won't, Major. I promise you he won't. Get in, boy!
9:37 Come on, Roy!
9:43 Boy, that'll teach him.
9:47 What side do you want?
9:54 I'm going to go.
10:17 Okay, he's had enough, Roy. Come on, get up.
10:22 All right, clear out of here.
10:24 Anybody can catch wild horses on open range. Not the way you're doing it.
10:28 Go on, now, get 'em.
10:30 I got some work to do.
10:40 Take it easy, fella.
10:42 You're not hurt so bad.
10:44 Come on now, on your feet. Lead the rest of your pals back out on the range. Come on, fella.
10:49 Oh, my God.
11:19 Oh, my God.
11:23 Gee, no wonder Ed took a looking. That's Roy Rogers and Trigger.
11:28 I've written a movie magazine that Roy wouldn't sell him for a million dollars.
11:32 Yeah, I know that. Get on your horse.
11:34 Yeah, trigger. I'll have a little talk with Pop.
11:56 He's hearing the cowboy bustin' a bronch and he can't find a darn thing.
12:10 Well, Pop?
12:11 We lost the herd.
12:13 Rogers and his gang from the double R ranch jumped us.
12:17 Yeah, and he gave you a nice lesson on the manly art of self-defense, too.
12:21 Where were you?
12:22 Just watching.
12:23 Boy, you were a sucker for those lefts. Yes, sir, we could use that money. Get out here now, fellas!
12:28 Hey, you're getting awful touchy.
12:30 Well, I'm sore. Where were you when I was taking that beating? Yeah.
12:34 If we lose that herd, the Hyde contract is gone and so is the money. Oh, take it easy. We're going to do something about it.
12:39 But what about the horses?
12:41 We'd better round them up before Rogers gets everybody thinking his way and they run us out.
12:45 Range horses.
12:46 Well, that's just chicken feed.
12:48 What I'm thinking about now is one horse.
12:50 Yeah, but Rogers. Roy Rogers! And the smartest horse in pictures.
12:56 Say...
13:00 Get that flea-bitten Australian coyote out of here. Tramp!
13:05 Come here. Haven't I told you not to come in here when we're busy?
13:09 I know, but it's way past lunchtime and I'm hungry.
13:13 Get yourself something to eat. Thanks. Come on, Trent.
13:17 Yeah, come back here with that!
13:20 That dog steals everything around here.
13:22 I can't even find my no-sale stamp anymore. Let me handle this.
13:28 Told you before, take him out and get rid of him before I do it for you.
13:32 But I'll break him up stealing, Lloyd.
13:33 He'll learn. So take him out and get rid of him.
13:36 Sure, why? Sure.
13:39 Between that dog and that stepson of yours, my patience is wearing out. Now, don't worry about him. I'm shipping him off pronto.
13:46 I hope he didn't hear that crack about Trigger.
13:49 I'm going to go.
13:55 Well, Junior, you look nice enough to go to church.
14:02 Going out of all your clothes.
14:10 Help! Help!
14:15 You got the place looking good, Cookie. Help! Hey, what's up? Help! Help!
14:25 Help! Help! Go home! Don't come up here! Don't come up here! You... you... you... you... you... you... a monster! Oh!
14:49 Oh, that monster. She must have seen another mouse.
14:54 Well, who is she? Well, now you see, Roy, that's what I was gonna--
14:58 Help!
15:00 You better help me out.
15:03 Don't tell me that he...
15:05 Means this is another cousin of yours.
15:07 Mm-hmm.
15:08 Yeah, Roy.
15:09 She's the new horse trainer. I had to hire her.
15:12 You see?
15:13 Aunt Clara and Uncle Otto got married right after the First World War, and they had seven kids. Cousin Cookie, I'm sorry. Oh.
15:21 It was another mouse. Yeah, I thought it was. Uh, Carolyn, meet your boss.
15:26 Roy Rogers? Yeah.
15:32 Roy Rogers!
15:34 Oh!
15:37 Not again.
15:38 Wake up!
15:41 But it's the first time she ever seen a movie star. I can sure tell she's your relation.
15:46 She weighs a ton. Oh, she ain't so big.
15:50 How old did you say she was? Well, now, let's see. When I left... Oh! Now, she... I don't rightly remember, Roy. Well, you know how we tell the ages of horses, don't you? You mean look at her teeth? Right.
16:01 Hey!
16:02 I can't imagine her being afraid of a mouse.
16:05 Why a bull fincher ain't afraid of anything on four legs?
16:10 It is! It is, Wolf! It's your mouth!
16:36 Cousin Cookie! Cousin Cookie! I found them! They're all in the barn asleep! Oh, they are, are they? I'll take care of that.
16:53 A cowboy and a coyote way out on the western prairie. The cowboy sat a-smoking and dreaming about his merry. The coyote started howling with his nose pointing to the moon. For a while the cowboy listened. Then I heard him sing this tune. You're a nice little coyote. You prowl around and howl around the moon.
17:24 You're a sharp little fella. You better out and yell about until the light. And you always sound so lonesome. It makes me a little bit blue. But I ain't got time for prowling. Or I do a little howling. Ooh, go away, little critter.
17:44 Yelping ain't it helping me to hit the sack. Get along, little varmint. I'll pick me up a stick of nothing. Whack your back. If you don't cut out that yap, how can I get any napping done? So go easy on the screaming while I do a little dreaming about my only one.
18:08 Let me dream about my only one.
18:16 All right, break it up, you guys.
18:19 You too, Trigger.
18:20 Oh, I was winning.
18:22 Oh, no wonder you're winning. Trigger's standing there telling you what to play.
18:35 I have no relative of a line. Are you sure? Well, what's your name, son?
18:50 I'm Ted Conover.
18:52 And this tramp.
18:53 Well, hi, Ted. - Hello. - Hi, Tramp. I came here on a business deal.
18:57 I'm sorry you caught me this way, Mr. Rogers.
18:59 Business deal?
19:01 Do you generally go around making business deals in one boot?
19:05 Oh, no. I was just listening to the song when Tramp took it.
19:08 He's always doing things like that.
19:18 What's the matter, son? Did you hurt yourself?
19:20 No, not lately.
19:21 A horse kicked me two years ago. Doc Richards said I needed an operation.
19:26 Lights in my leg will have to get well by itself.
19:30 Where do you live?
19:33 Well...
19:34 Right now I'm...
19:36 found a place I liked and
19:37 Got a job? That sounds to me like a hint.
19:40 I thought Mr. Rogers might need an assistant.
19:43 Somebody has to shine his guns.
19:44 So that's the business deal.
19:46 Well, I think maybe we could use another hand in his dog.
19:51 Thanks, Tramp.
19:53 That is, if he isn't running away from home.
19:56 How about it, fellas? Why, sure.
19:59 Who is this light?
20:00 ...fella you spoke about. Well, he's my stepfather. He works for Mr. Jordan Down Saddleback, catching wild horses. But he won't mind.
20:08 Well, I'll phone down and see what I can find out.
20:11 In the meantime, how about some chow, Carolyn?
20:13 OK. Dad, you better come along with me.
20:16 You could stand a little...
20:17 Well, you know what they say about cleanliness.
20:23 Now that you're working for him, he just called me Roy.
20:25 You got me 10.
20:26 That's a deal.
20:28 Come on, Tramp. Maybe we can even find a bone for Tramp.
20:46 Hello?
20:49 Hey, light.
20:51 Well, it's like old times hearing your voice again.
20:58 Rodgers.
21:00 Oh?
21:02 Ted!
21:04 Well, now ain't that just like a kid?
21:10 His step pops Lodge McFarlane works for me.
21:13 Yeah.
21:14 No, he ain't right now.
21:17 I'll sure tell him when he comes in.
21:26 That kid of yours is up to Rogers Ranch, asking for a job.
21:30 Well, that's the last time you'll pull that trick.
21:32 I'll go up and get him and give him a tan and he'll never forget.
21:36 Just a minute, Lige.
21:38 You ain't telling nobody.
21:40 We want him to get that job.
21:43 Whether you know it or not, the boy's just done us a big favor.
21:47 Yeah.
21:49 Maybe he can help us on that Palomino horse trading deal we're thinking about.
21:52 That's right.
22:07 Hi Carolyn. Hi. Gonna stick around for the big horse race? Who do you think will win? The world's fastest dog or the world's fastest horse? He better bet on my side Carolyn.
22:18 Damn, Pumey, he was ready. Didn't you, Tramp?
22:22 You'll be the official starter, Cuddin Cookie.
22:25 Sure. Pousin?
22:26 Oh, now, wait a minute, Roy. You can tell by looking at him. He's not one of us. We were bigger than that when we were born. Now, get in there and start the race. Go on, go on. Get on your marks. Get set.
22:42 Go! Come on, Tramp! Come on, boy! Come on, Tramp! Come on! Come on, Tramp! Come on! Come on, Tramp! Think of your reputation! Come on, Tramp! Come on! Come on! Run! Come on, boy! Come on, Tramp! Come on, Tramp! Come on, Tramp! Come on, Tramp! Come on, Tramp! Come on!
23:12 - Sam, come on! He's going back to the homestretch. - Well, he'd better hurry up. This is the homestretch.
23:34 Attaboy, Trigger. See, I told you so. Well?
23:38 Trigger one.
23:39 But it was fair and square.
23:43 I'm not mad at you. Come on, Tramp.
23:46 Come on, Tramp!
23:49 Farrah!
23:53 Trapp, that was a good try. Roy? Mm-hmm.
23:57 You know why trigger one?
23:58 Why?
23:59 Because you can holler, come on, louder than I can. Trigger's legs are a little bit longer, too. How about taking a long ride on the winter?
24:07 Come on.
24:17 Hi, Pop.
24:18 Roy, boy, how be you? Glad to see you back. Good to see you too, Pop.
24:23 Hiya, Ted. Is everything okay?
24:25 Sherlock?
24:26 I'm fine.
24:27 Royce gave me a job in the ranch.
24:29 This is Lodge McFarlane, the boy's tip top.
24:33 Hi. How are you? That's mighty nice of you, Mr. Rogers. I'm pretty busy, and Ted and I have been batching, and sometimes it gets a little online, but if he wouldn't be in your way...
24:40 Always room for one more.
24:42 You mean I can stay?
24:43 You're not mad at me for... River Wayne? No, no. There won't be any more running away, will there, Ted?
24:49 I'll see that he scrubs behind his ears. You know, that's mighty handsome of you, Miss Carolyn. A woman's influence will probably do the boy a lot of good.
24:58 So this is the famous trigger.
24:59 Roy, I won't apologize for that cowpoke of mine slugging that horse.
25:04 I fired him as soon as I found out about it.
25:06 Tram! Yeah, you see them? I'll come back to your house. Hey, Pop, please, I'll get him. You better...
25:12 Take it easy, Pop.
25:15 Why, he's just a puppy. Let him have his fun.
25:20 Be a good boy, Ted. Do what Mr. Rogers tells you. There's your stuff.
25:24 By the way...
25:25 You know you're both invited to Roy's anniversary broadcast tonight, don't you?
25:28 We'll be very sure, Miss Caroline. Or bust a cinch. Ten years, huh? Boy, we'll put on a wing ding.
25:41 It's so pretty, I kind of hate to cut it. Yes, indeed, ladies and gentlemen. This beautiful anniversary cake...
25:47 here on the table in front of us is too beautiful to cut but we've got to get on with the proceedings here
25:53 So while the guests in the ranch living room are being served this anniversary cake,
25:57 We're going to call upon Roy to give us one of the songs that helped make him king of the cowboys.
26:03 Ladies and gentlemen, Roy Rogers.
26:18 Just...
26:20 Dust.
26:21 Dust in the skies, dust on the trail, dust in my eyes.
26:31 Yes?
26:32 Can't see the sun, can't find my way, the dust has won. The cattle and the sheep, better down to sleep.
26:45 seem to realize their fate.
26:51 The vultures in the sky know the time is nigh.
26:57 Will they fly away our way? Oh, Lord, please ease my pain.
27:12 Oh Lord, where is your rain and sunshine?
27:24 Don't you?
27:25 Yes.
27:27 Must it be? Can it be eternity, O Lord?
27:37 Have mercy on me.
27:42 Amen.
27:44 Amen.
27:45 Oh Lord
27:49 Please ease my pain.
27:56 Oh, Lord.
28:00 Where is your rain?
28:04 And sunshine.
28:08 Just...
28:09 Just...
28:10 Must it be in this eternity, O Lord, have mercy.
28:24 Fun for me.
28:30 Well, Polkhead counter brings to a close, our little get-together for this evening.
28:35 So until we meet again, this is Roy Rogers saying goodbye, good luck, and may the good Lord take a liking to you.
28:41 Thanks, Roy. We return you now to our main studio.
28:53 There he is.
28:58 Oh, my God.
29:02 Oh!
29:07 Ah!
29:09 Not that way.
29:11 They'll kick your brains out.
29:14 I'm going to go.
29:15 rope that man leader out he'll follow her
29:22 Ah!
29:28 Well, Ted, that's a pretty good-sized piece of cake you got there.
29:31 Yeah, you ought to get yourself some. Yeah, we will.
29:33 Say, where'd you get that fancy shirt?
29:35 Oh, it's Roy's.
29:36 He loaned to me for the party.
29:38 He says I'll grow into it.
29:41 Say, that looks fit to eat. Let's grab us a hug.
29:46 I bet it treated like some.
29:48 Let's go see.
29:54 Oh.
30:11 Ah! Ah!
30:18 Shrieker!
30:25 Oh! Oh!
30:27 I
30:37 Kill him!
30:40 You don't want something to happen to trigger in your friend Rogers, you're going to keep your little mouth shut.
30:46 Get bad?
30:47 Yes, sir. You just came down here and Trigger was gone.
30:50 That's all.
30:51 You never saw anybody, remember?
30:54 No, sir.
30:54 I didn't.
30:55 That's a smart boy.
30:57 If you ever crack one word, I'll shoot your head off.
31:00 Don't forget that.
31:01 And that goes for your friend Rogers and Trigger.
31:05 Don't try and holler for help, 'cause I'll be right outside the door.
31:11 I'm going to go.
31:21 Tram.
31:22 You're not dead.
31:24 Did you hear what he said about rolling a trigger? I don't dare tell on him.
32:24 Come on.
32:54 Oh, my God.
33:24 Oh, my God.
34:01 X-ray, X-ray, read all about it. Trigger kidnap. X-ray, X-ray, read all about it.
34:20 The search for trigger is being continued by plane, automobile, and horse, and the sheriff has announced that no stone will be left unturned in the hunt.
34:27 Although it is feared the trigger has been stolen and may be held for ransom. No contact has yet been made with the abductors.
34:35 They'll be contacted soon enough. We'll let them stew in their own juice for a while.
34:39 Not bad, not bad at all for a green hand, as the feller says that ought to do it.
34:44 We got trigger.
34:46 You can have him back for $100,000.
34:49 A dead horse is no good to you or me.
34:52 Have money in small bills. Instructions will follow.
34:56 Act fast and don't fool around.
34:58 Sounds like Ed wrote it.
34:59 Sure, that's the way we want to sound.
35:03 Might as well bring him in. There's no use in watching any longer. I guess we're safe now.
35:07 Come on.
35:17 That one of our boys just pulled out? Yeah, that was Joe. And he took plenty of grub to the cabin for the boys so they can stay there for a long time without showing themselves.
35:25 Trigger okay?
35:26 Yeah.
35:27 That's good. We don't want nobody coming or going from there any more than we can help. Somebody's out to spot us.
35:32 Here, mail this letter for me. $100,000? I think that's too much. Why don't we ask for ten and get it? That ain't good horse trading. Why ask for a little when you can get a lot?
35:43 If you ain't getting your cut for thinking.
35:45 All right.
35:58 Well, I called the studio today, and they've arranged to have the $100,000 here the first thing in the morning.
36:06 You know, I've got a hunch of somebody that knows us pretty well.
36:10 It was such a smooth job, they must have been watching us all the time.
36:14 If we had just one clue...
36:17 If Ted had gotten there a second sooner, he could have had a good look at them.
36:21 Yeah.
36:21 How was the kid? Not so good.
36:25 He had quite a scare.
36:27 He wouldn't go to bed till I told him what was in the ransom note.
36:30 Then the part about Trigger really upset him.
36:32 Amen.
36:33 Maybe I'd better go have a talk with him.
36:41 How about a lullaby cookie?
36:43 Sure.
36:53 What's the matter, Ted?
36:57 - Can't sleep? - No, Roy.
37:01 I understand.
37:02 I'm having the same trouble.
37:07 How are you doing, Tramp?
37:09 Mm-hmm.
37:10 Good boy.
37:11 Let me give you a hand.
37:15 Ted.
37:18 Are you sure you told me everything you saw at the barn that night? Uh-huh.
37:23 Everything.
37:26 - What's the matter? - Splinter.
37:28 I can fix that.
37:32 You know, Ted...
37:35 anything you can remember might give me a clue.
37:37 You want to get Trigger back, don't you?
37:40 Oh, yes, more than anything.
37:43 Couldn't you?
37:47 Ted?
37:48 There's boys all over the world who would like to help me right now.
37:51 But you're the only one who can.
37:55 If you knew anything, anything at all,
37:58 Don't be afraid to tell me.
37:59 I will.
38:00 I want to tell the truth.
38:03 Sure you do.
38:05 If everybody would tell the truth...
38:08 This would be a much better world to live in.
38:11 He tried to go to sleep. Sure, Roy.
38:13 don't worry about a thing they're not worrying or they wouldn't be singing
38:22 My friend of the mantel, it's time to sleep.
39:14 What's that mean?
39:17 It means...
39:19 It's time you'll hit the trail to dreamland, little saddle pal.
39:28 So saddle up your bronc and drift away.
39:39 It's time you'll load into the shadows, little saddle pal.
39:49 For your work's over for another day.
40:00 Dream about a golden palomino
40:05 Taken you to Never Never Land. Maybe you will find a long lost fool mind.
40:15 Or capture a rustler band. It's time you hit the trail to dreamland, little saddle cat.
40:31 So saddle up your drone and drift away.
40:43 You better go back with him. He needs you.
40:55 Thanks for the help, fellas.
40:57 did the trick made me sleepy to think I'll turn in and save my strength for tomorrow
41:03 Yeah, me too.
41:10 Don't anybody move.
41:12 Nobody's gonna get hurt.
41:14 I just want to talk to you.
41:16 What about?
41:17 I know where Trigger is.
41:19 Trigger.
41:20 And it won't cost you $100,000 to find out.
41:26 Ten thousands, my price.
41:29 How can you prove it?
41:30 I thought you'd ask that.
41:32 Take a look at this.
41:34 Doesn't necessarily prove anything.
41:37 A lot of horses have white manes and tails.
41:41 Where is he?
41:42 First, the 10,000.
41:49 Okay, you'll get it. But first...
42:03 Saddle up!
42:07 I wonder where they shot him.
42:08 Because he was double-crossing them.
42:10 Double-crossing who? I wish I knew.
42:12 We haven't got a chance at...
42:20 Good morning, Sheriff. Good morning, John. You're right on time. You've been sitting here all night? No, I trust the bars on the window and the burglar alarm.
42:29 Well, I guess that $100,000 in the vault was by the place. Yeah, I guess it would.
42:34 I'm going to go.
42:42 Kids.
42:42 I'll be in the bank for a while.
42:45 Go over and get yourself a nice cream cone. Thanks, Roy.
42:52 Come on, Tramp.
43:09 Oh, it's you again.
43:11 Nice tramp, nice tramp. Hi, Pop.
43:13 Howdy, son.
43:15 Where's Roy?
43:16 Oh, hi, Archie.
43:18 He just went in the bank.
43:20 Somebody shot Ed last night up at the ranch. Well, you don't say...
43:24 Yeah.
43:26 He was just about to tell us where Trigger was, and they shot him in the back.
43:29 You supposed to hurt trigger?
43:31 Oh, as long as they get the money, I think the horse will be safe.
43:35 If they don't, it'll probably be the end of them.
43:38 Well, Roy's in the bank now getting $100,000.
43:42 Well, in that case, Ted, you ain't got anything to worry about.
43:46 Sit on Pappy's knee and I'll tell you all about it.
43:49 You see, it's like this.
43:50 Roy goes into the bank?
43:52 It's the hundred thousand dollars.
43:55 He gives it to these folks.
43:56 Hand triggers? Okay.
43:58 Sure.
43:59 That's all they gotta do is give the money to the people that did this.
44:03 Are they treating you all right up there, Ted? Sure, Lodge. Well, that's good. Say, don't you just let me know. Come on, Tramp!
44:12 Beautiful. Beautiful.
44:15 Hi, Sheriff. Hello, Roy.
44:17 I guess you can see I got the money. Yeah, the studio shifted in last night my special messenger
44:22 My duty to check up on things like that Going someplace mm-hmm
44:27 Taxpayers think it's a good idea if I went along for protection.
44:31 Well, I'm a taxpayer, and I think it's a pretty good idea, too. Let's go.
44:40 Is Pop Jordan selling ice cream cones now? No, Roy. I wasn't hungry. That's why I went over to say hello to Pop and Light. Oh?
44:49 Oh, come on, get in.
45:04 Hey, you don't be quiet out this evening
45:12 Say beneath the moon is shining bright
45:15 Bird, just stop there, Flutter.
45:18 And the one-hour disordered under California stars.
45:29 Hi, Carolyn.
45:30 Yeah, I'm sure missing my big opportunity. I was gonna sell Roy a song for his next picture, but...
45:36 Trigger's got me so upset that boots and saddles just sound like a lot of work.
45:42 Sounded kind of pretty to me.
45:45 hey here's something that came in the mail that looks plenty interesting
45:54 It looks just like the other one. Yeah.
45:56 Hi. Hey Roy. Roy this just came. I think it's from the same fellas.
46:03 Well, open it.
46:11 What's it say?
46:13 Trigger's safe. Follow instructions carefully.
46:16 Be at Twin Rocks tomorrow, it's sign up with money.
46:19 Put in saddlebags, turn horse loose.
46:22 If you follow, you will be shot, and so will Trigger.
46:26 Well, at least Trigger's safe. We know what to do.
46:30 Yes, if you can believe them. I'll sure be glad to see that horse again. You see, Ted, by tomorrow we'll have Trigger back.
46:37 I think the money will be safe here to Lamar, Sheriff. If anything goes wrong, I'll give you a buzz.
46:42 If I were you, Roy, I wouldn't bother.
46:44 Because we're going to forget about this ransom note and not pay the money.
46:49 Now, wait a minute, Sheriff.
46:51 Trigger means more to me than any amount of money.
46:53 I'm sorry, Roy, but there's more to this than just getting Trigger back.
47:00 A man's been murdered.
47:02 And there may be more.
47:04 That money stays right where it is.
47:07 There's still no order in this county, and the apprehension of murderers and blackmailers come first.
47:13 Can't you see if we let this bunch of outlaws get away with this?
47:17 It will only serve to encourage them and others to pull the same trick again.
47:21 No one will be safe.
47:23 But these men are dangerous.
47:25 They'll kill Trigger if they don't get their money. Yeah, but the money's... Shh!
47:30 Naturally, I'm going to do all I can to prevent that.
47:33 And I'll need help from all of you.
47:36 I think you can count on us.
47:39 Hey.
47:40 I'm sorry, Sheriff. I guess I just didn't realize.
47:43 You know how much trigger means to me.
47:46 But if that's the way you want it, that's the way it's gotta be.
47:48 What's your plan? That's the spirit.
47:50 Round up your boys and have them meet me here tonight.
47:55 Now here's the plan I have in mind.
47:57 By daylight tomorrow morning...
47:59 We'll all be staked out in a big circle around twin rocks.
48:03 When Roy turns the horse loose with the fake money,
48:06 One of us will be able to keep our eye on him at all times without following him and jeopardizing Trigger.
48:13 Give the horse a good start.
48:15 and follow him at a safe distance.
48:17 If anything happens, fire a shock and we'll all come running.
48:20 - Understood? - Good. All right, saddle up. Roy.
48:24 Don't forget your little package.
48:26 I won't.
48:26 Hey, Pat, settle up for me, will you?
48:32 Shadows come and go while the western breezes blow
48:38 Under California stars.
48:43 From far across the valley
48:48 Comes a lonesome cowboy song
48:54 He's waiting for the daybreak.
48:59 When you love
49:01 And move along.
49:05 Amen.
49:07 Hi, Roy. See that package of fake money you asked me to make up is in the drawer.
49:12 You got time to try a course? Why not?
49:15 Go!
49:22 Say, but ain't it peaceful out tonight?
49:27 Say, but ain't the moon a-shin' bright?
49:32 Robin's in his nest and the countryside's at best.
49:37 Under California stars.
49:42 Well, just hear the crickets chime along. And the restless bird is moving down.
49:52 Shadows come and go while the western breezes blow
49:58 Under California stars
50:02 From far across the valley comes a lonesome cowboy soul.
50:12 He's waiting for the daybreak when he'll up and move along.
50:22 We'll say about any peaceful love tonight.
50:27 Amen.
50:28 Seems like all the world is feeling right
50:33 Lord, you will agree, it's the only place to be.
50:39 I'm the California star.
50:46 Say, that's all right.
51:01 Did you really like the song, Roy? Song? Sure, sure. Did you like it enough to use it in your next picture? Well, it wasn't bad.
51:07 Oh, gee, then you'll use it. Oh, that's swell.
51:11 Wait a minute.
51:13 Who wrote it?
51:14 A relative.
51:15 A cousin of mine by the name of Bull Fincher. Cookie Bull Fincher.
51:22 I enjoyed that, Roy. Gee, it was beautiful.
51:27 You think so, huh? Oh, yeah.
51:29 You're fired.
51:31 Oh, Roy, you can't fire me. My cousins won't let you.
51:34 Besides, what for? For writing songs on ranch time.
51:39 You little tattletale, I'll get you.
51:43 Roy, honest, I did it on spare time, so help me, I did. From now on, you'll have a lot of spare time.
51:49 in Hollywood writing songs for me.
51:53 Run.
51:56 Oh, Cookie. Cookie, come too. You're going to be famous. Yes.
52:00 Oh.
52:01 Oh.
52:02 Ha ha.
52:03 Hollywood.
52:04 Swimming pool.
52:06 Light!
52:07 And girls. Yeah.
52:09 We better get started. Oh, gee. Get a block tactic, buddy. My hat, my hat, my hat.
53:27 the
53:51 Amen.
53:53 I'm good.
54:05 I'm not.
54:06 He went straight ahead, Roy. Bob will pick him up.
55:06 the the
55:18 He's around here safe place and he's got the money.
55:30 Come on.
55:43 Shh.
55:48 Light should have been here a long time ago. We'd better get Trigger inside. I guess we had.
55:52 Hey, fellas, give us a hand. Bring some ropes and the whip.
56:22 Give me that whip.
56:52 Get out!
57:22 Come on.
57:27 I'm going to go.
57:29 Come on.
57:42 Oh.
57:43 I'm.
58:00 It's fate.
58:02 I thought Rogers was smarter than that knowing we still got Trigger.
58:05 But we won't have long because now they force us to get rid of them.
58:11 Hey, hey, what's going on here? Don't do that!
58:14 Where's the...
58:16 Come on.
58:20 Come on.
58:25 They oughtn't to do that to us.
58:29 Well, trigger, old fella. Looks like they let you down.
58:33 Lodge, I guess she was right. Better do your stuff.
58:35 All right, boys, get your shovels. We've got to bury the evidence.
58:44 What's dead, you crippled little... How did you get in here? Nobody's with me, Lige. I'm alone. Well, how did you know where we were?
58:53 I figured when Ed was killed that
58:55 You had something to do with Trigger. Swipe all with Pop here.
59:01 The rents are money. A real McCoy.
59:05 Where'd you get it, kid?
59:07 A chicken from Roy's desk.
59:09 I knew you wanted it.
59:10 Well, I'll be damned burned if you ain't the smartest young'un in the whole wide west.
59:15 Ed, I knew old-eyed just training would show up in you sooner or later.
59:18 From now on, we're working together. Isn't that right, boys? You betcha.
59:21 And this money's gonna give us a good start.
59:23 What about Trigger?
59:24 Stay away from him, Ted. He's a killer.
59:26 He won't hurt me, Lodge.
59:28 Will you, Trigger? We missed you a lot. All right, boys, pack up. We're pulling out of here.
59:34 Come on.
59:41 Well, how did it go? It didn't.
59:43 I'm sorry, Roy.
59:44 But Dale contacted us again.
59:46 They want that money.
59:47 At least we still have the money to give them.
59:50 I sure hate to tell Ted.
1:00:01 That must be in the barn. Yeah. Yeah.
1:00:15 So that's where you've been hiding your loot.
1:00:18 Crap.
1:00:19 You're a regular thief.
1:00:21 Mm-hmm.
1:00:23 There's a package.
1:00:26 somebody's boot.
1:00:29 Pop's glove.
1:00:36 What this is...
1:00:39 Looks like something's been cut out of here.
1:00:43 The ransom note.
1:00:57 Hey, Andy.
1:01:00 Head!
1:01:07 I haven't seen him for a couple of hours.
1:01:19 There's your evidence.
1:01:20 I don't believe it. Do you, Roy?
1:01:22 It was Pop and Lodge who stole Trigger and killed Ed all right.
1:01:26 Tramp must have taken this from Pop's office the day Ted went to visit him. That was the day I picked up the money at the bank.
1:01:31 So now they have Trigger and $100,000.
1:01:34 Well, the kid's gone.
1:01:35 There's no doubt about that.
1:01:38 But why did he leave Tramp?
1:01:39 I don't know.
1:01:42 They were pretty smart.
1:01:44 sending the boy here to spy on you.
1:01:46 And then when he saw how things were going, skip out with the money.
1:01:50 Help! Help! Help! Help! Tramp seems to think you're wrong, Sheriff. Help!
1:02:00 What are we going to do now? Wait for another contact. That's all we can do.
1:02:04 We're not waiting for anything, Sheriff.
1:02:06 Drop them.
1:02:09 Tramp, you never left Ted for anything unless you went to steal something.
1:02:12 Now go find him for me, will you? Go find him.
1:02:14 No.
1:02:16 Oh,
1:02:16 Back.
1:02:19 the
1:02:44 sending back to Roy now? As long as we got the ransom money, why worry about triggers?
1:02:47 There's this leaving here and they'll find them
1:02:50 We're taking the North Trail.
1:02:52 You said as soon as she got the money that Roy could have triggered back. That was yesterday. A lot of things have happened around here since then.
1:03:01 Oh, my God.
1:03:03 Hey, how about me? I can't move.
1:03:06 Don't worry, Glenn. We'll fix up something to take you down to the doctor's.
1:03:09 - Fix up a living for him, boys. - Okay, Pop. All right, Ted.
1:03:14 Hey, fellas, get them horses out of the brush.
1:03:18 But never mind the stretcher for Glenn. He won't be needing one.
1:03:23 All right, keep her going. Why, you're getting to be a regular young steward. What's the matter with you? Let me go! Oh, you breaking line! Where do you think you're going?
1:03:30 Lige, you said.
1:03:38 But you can't leave Trigger in there and starve. Don't worry, he won't starve, son. It's smoke!
1:03:53 Trigger!
1:03:54 Come on.
1:04:03 I've seen a bad little sprout. Why, that little... And besides, you're slowing things up. Come on, let's hide in it.
1:04:17 I'm going to go.
1:05:12 Take it easy, boy.
1:05:18 Get around there. Don't let them out.
1:05:20 Come on.
1:05:25 Well, the old horse trader wound up with the money as usual.
1:05:29 Oh, my God.
1:05:35 You okay, Ted? Trigger. Trigger. Trigger's all right.
1:06:05 You shouldn't have done it.
1:06:07 I was a bad boy.
1:06:09 I took the money so I could get Trigger back.
1:06:11 Honest idea. I know Ted.
1:06:12 Popping lines.
1:06:14 Rounded most of them up. Bob and Lodge are still missing. They took the North Trail. I heard them say so.
1:06:20 Take care of him, Cookie. He's been a brave boy.
1:06:24 Oh boy, I'm sure glad to see you, Trigger. We've got to hurry. We've got to date on the North Trail.
1:06:29 No!
1:06:53 What's the tarnation's wrong with you, Lide? Stopping me like this.
1:06:57 You going plumb loco? We better get out of here. No, I ain't going plumb loco.
1:07:02 You wouldn't be trying to run out on me, would you, Pop?
1:07:04 I know. I give you the signal. I knew you were following me all the time.
1:07:08 Let's split the money up and take different trails out of here.
1:07:12 I'm going to go.
1:07:20 Come on.
1:07:51 I'm going to go.
1:08:09 I'm going to go.
1:08:12 All right, get your hands up.
1:08:16 The sheriff will want to talk to you.
1:08:19 Now take that money.
1:08:20 I'm.
1:08:29 I'm sorry.
1:08:53 Come on.
1:09:23 Come on.
1:09:53 Come on.
1:10:04 It's too bad a kid like Ted had to get himself mixed up with a no-good guy like you.
1:10:14 Just...
1:10:15 Just a minute, young fella.
1:10:17 Hop!
1:10:20 Ah.
1:10:22 Attaboy, Pop!
1:10:29 Now, Pop...
1:10:31 Let him have it.
1:10:32 Sure, I'll let him have it.
1:10:34 I'll let him have everything.
1:10:39 Oh, my God.
1:10:50 Come on.
1:10:52 - Bye bye.
1:10:54 You know, Roy...
1:10:56 trading horses all my life.
1:10:58 has learned me to...
1:11:00 Drive a hard bargain.
1:11:03 Don't be mad at me.
1:11:06 I'm not mad at you, Pop. I just...
1:11:20 Oh, say but ain't it peaceful out tonight?
1:11:30 Say but ain't the moon that's shining bright?
1:11:36 Robinson is less than the country's eyes that rest Under California stars
1:11:47 Well, cousin Cookie says they'll all be back next year. Yeah, and Ted will be able to walk just as good as anybody.
1:11:52 Roy will get the best doctor in the country.
1:11:58 No, you will agree, it's the only place to be. Under California South. Under California South.

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