Winds of the Wasteland

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Winds of the Wasteland
Directed by	Mack V. Wright
Produced by	Nat Levine
Written by	Joseph F. Poland
Starring	John Wayne/Phyllis Serf
Music by	Arthur Kay/Heinz Roemheld/Paul Van Loan
Cinematography	William Nobles
Editing by	Robert Jahns
Distributed by	Republic Pictures
Release date(s)	June 15, 1936
Running time	54 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
IMDb profile

Winds of the Wasteland (1936) is a western film, starring John Wayne and Phyllis Serf. The film was directed by Mack V. Wright, and was released by Republic Pictures, not to be confused with Republic serials.

1 Plot
2 Cast
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Plot

The film is set in 1861. John Blair (Wayne) and his partner, Larry Adams (Lane Chandler) are dismayed when the arrival of telegraph ends the Pony Express. They pay Cal Drake (Douglas Cosgrove), a price for Crescent City's telegraph line and equipment, but the only residents of Crescent City are the mayor, Rocky O'Brien (Lew Kelly), and Dr. William Forsythe (Sam Flint). Every time a new resident moves in, O'Brien changes the population on the blackboard sign in town. John determines that he will operate the line and learns that a coach race will be staged and he signs up for it. The fastest team in the race will win a $50,000 government contract. The telegraph crew, who was saved by poisoning from John after drinking from a local water hole, offers to run the line through Crescent City if John will give them laborers to build the telegraph line.

John is able to get laborers to build the telegraph line and the population of Crescent City begins to skyrocket. Drake then decides to hire John to drive a gold shipment to Sacramento, and then ambush him. He hires him $1,000. John escapes the ambush and collects the money at gunpoint. Drake is dishonest and his henchman, Smoky help to throw obstacles in John's way and will defeat him by any means necessary. They begin sabotaging the telegraph lines by setting them on fire. John's place in the stagecoach race is also hampered by a skunk, who lives in the stagecoach, which is being raced. But despite all odds, John wins the race and the $50,000 reward.