Idaho Kid (1936)

Cowboy Todd Hollister assumes the name "The Idaho Kid" after joining forces with the Kid, a would-be stagecoach robber, and returns to his birthplace. Todd is the son of Clint Hollister, whose grief over his wife's death in childbirth caused him to abandon his infant son. The kindly Endicott family took Todd in, and Hollister's subsequent jealousy prompted him to begin a feud, which is still going on fifteen years after young Todd ran away in an attempt to end the fighting. Once Todd and the Kid reach town, they are offered a job by Jess Peters, foreman of John Endicott's ranch, but Todd turns him down to accept a job from Bib Slagel, Hollister's ranch foreman. Todd and the Kid are at the general store when Hollister arrives and buys all of the available fencing wire, even though Endicott had a prior order for half of it. As Todd, the Kid and the others are loading the wire onto Hollister's wagon, Endicott and his daughter Ruth arrive and protest. Hollister, who does not recognize his son, attempts to start a rigged fight, but Todd calms the two men down, for which he receives Ruth's thanks. Time passes and Todd realizes that Hollister is building a fence on the edge of Endicott's property, thereby denying Endicott's cattle access to a shared stream. One afternoon, Todd and the Kid prevent Slagel and his gang from murdering Peters, and after returning Peters to the Endicott ranch, they are hired by Endicott, who also does not recognize Todd. Soon after, Todd raids Hollister's ranch and confiscates the wire that Endicott ordered, and after paying Hollister for it, Todd makes his getaway. After Todd helps build a fence to divide the land evenly, Hollister turns the stream away from Endicott's land, and so Todd and the Kid go in search of other water sources. While they are looking, they find three of Hollister's men attempting to dynamite the one remaining water hole on Endicott's ranch. Todd captures them and uses the dynamite to increase the size of the water hole. As Todd rides back to the ranch, the sheriff warns him that Slagel is waiting for him in town, and so Todd goes to meet the challenge. The Kid returns to the ranch to alert the Endicotts, and he and Ruth rush to town to help Todd. They arrive after Todd has bested Slagel and hear Hollister tell Todd to get out of town or come shooting. Ruth rushes to inform Endicott, who then challenges Hollister with the same proposition. Todd decides to leave town rather than fight his natural father, but changes his mind once the Kid tells him about the forthcoming fight. Todd races back to town and jumps between the dueling men just as Hollister shoots at Endicott. The Kid yells at Hollister that he has shot his son, but fortunately Todd is not fatally wounded. As he recovers, father and son are reconciled, and Todd agrees to return to Hollister's ranch with Ruth as his wife.