Valley of the Sun movie storyline. It’s 1868 in the Arizona Territory. Jonathan Ware, an Army scout, is court-martialed and sentenced to five years in military prison for helping three Indians escape from jail. He did so in knowing that the three, jailed for stealing, were only taking back what was rightfully there’s under the law, cheated from them by corrupt civilian Indian agents.
Johnny also knew that the Indians would embark upon war with the white man in that unjust sentencing and the corrupt agents working on behalf of the government going unpunished. Johnny is able to escape custody before being imprisoned, he encountering one of those corrupt Indian agents, Jim Sawyer, on his way to the frontier town of Desert Center to marry the local café owner, Christine Larson.
There is general antagonism between Johnny and Sawyer even before they know who the other is, which is ratcheted up two notches when they discover where each falls in dealing with the Indians, and when Johnny meets Christine with who he falls in love. While Sawyer tries to continue on his path of marrying Chris and cheating the Indians, all with the help of his loyal band of henchmen, which means going against Johnny, Johnny tries to stop Chris from marrying Sawyer and have her fall in love with him, all the while helping the Indians get what is rightfully there’s and evading recapture by the Army.
Johnny gets some help along the way, not only from the Indians but from simple minded Willie who loves all creatures great and small, a native Englishman named Warrick who has wanted to see Sawyer get his comeuppance for as long as he’s been in Desert Center, and Judge Homer Burnaby who is supposed to officiate at Chris and Sawyer’s wedding.
Valley of the Sun is a 1942 film directed by George Marshall and starring Lucille Ball, James Craig, Cedric Hardwicke, Dean Jagger, Peter Whitney, Billy Gilbert, Tom Tyler, Antonio Moreno, George Cleveland, Hank Bell, Stanley Andrews and Chris Willow Bird. The film was released on February 6, 1942 in the United States.
Valley of the Sun (1942)
Directed by: George Marshall
Starring: Lucille Ball, James Craig, Cedric Hardwicke, Dean Jagger, Peter Whitney, Billy Gilbert, Tom Tyler, Antonio Moreno, George Cleveland, Hank Bell, Stanley Andrews, Chris Willow Bird
Screenplay by: Horace McCoy
Cinematography by: Harry J. Wild
Film Editing by: Desmond Marquette
Costume Design by: Edward Stevenson
Art Direction by: Albert S. D’Agostino, Walter E. Keller
Music by: Paul Sawtell
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: RKO Radio Pictures
Release Date: February 6, 1942
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