Adventures of Red Ryder

Characters and story

The plot follows a standard B-Western pattern of a villain trying to run the legitimate owners off their valuable land. In this case, the value comes from the building of a railroad. A gang led by banker Calvin Drake plans to drive off ranchers from their land to profit from a railroad. However, on one of these ranches, the Circle R, lives the Ryder family who resist the gang. After his father, Tom, is killed by One Eye Chapin, Red Ryder swears revenge and sets out to defeat the gang once and for all.

Cast

Production

The Adventures of Red Ryder was based on Fred Harman's comic strip. The serial was budgeted at $144,852 although the final negative cost was $145,961 (a $1,109, or 0.8%, overspend). 1940 was the first year in which Republic's overall spending on serial production was less than in the previous year. It was filmed between 27 March and 25 April 1940. The serial's production number was 997. The special effects were created by the Lydecker brothers, Republic's in-house effects team.

Stunts

Theatrical

The Adventures of Red Ryder's official release date is 28 June 1940, although this is actually the date the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges.

Chapter titles

1. Murder on the Santa Fe Trail (27min 48s)
2. Horsemen of Death (16min 42s)
3. Trail's End (16min 41s)
4. Water Rustlers (16min 39s)
5. Avalanche (16min 44s)
6. Hangman's Noose (16min 44s)
7. Framed (16min 42s)
8. Blazing Walls (16min 42s)
9. Records of Doom (16min 42s)
10. One Second to Live (16min 43s)
11. The Devil's Marksman (16min 41s)
12. Frontier Justice (16min 44s)

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This was one of two 12-chapter serials produced by Republic in 1940. The other is the following King of the Royal Mounted, also based on a comic strip. Republic's standard pattern was two 12-chapter serials and two 15-chapter serials in each year.