"Tennessee's Partner" was one of a series of minor westerns produced by Benedict Bogeaus, directed by Alan Dwan released by RKO in the 1950s.
Gambler Tennessee (John Payne) cleans up at the gambling table at the "establishment" run by he beloved, the "Duchess" (Rhonda Fleming). Bad guy Turner (Anthony Carouso) sends Clifford (John Mansfield) who was the big loser to ambush Tennessee. A stranger who calls himself "Cowpoke" (Ronald Reagan) rides into town and saves Tennessee's life. Cowpoke then becomes, now wait for it, Tennessee's Partner.
Cowpoke it seems has come to town to marry a girl named Goldie Slater (Colleen Gray) whom the boys meet at the boat dock. It turns out that Goldie has a past and had been involved with Tennessee earlier. So Tennessee sets out to save his partner from this fortune seeker. He manages to convince her to run away with him to San Francisco and takes her to the boat, but puts her aboard and returns to his true love the Duchess.
Meanwhile, Cowpoke finds out what has happened and swears to kill his friend. Meanwhile, meanwhile Tennessee had financed an old miner named "Grubstake" (Chubby Johnson) and he strikes it rich. In an effort to shield Grubstake from the other miners, Tennessee takes him to his place. While Tennessee is trying to convince the Duchess that he didn't run off with Cowpoke's girl, Grubstake is murdered, his map stolen and Tennessee is blamed.
Tennessee seeks out Cowpoke at his mine to settle accounts and allows Cowpoke to beat him up. But just then, the Sheriff (Leo Gordon) rides up and arrests the pair. To clear themselves the boys escape and go to the location of Grubstake's mine to catch the real murderer and....
It's odd that so many of the characters in this film have only nicknames. We never learn Tennessee or Cowpoke's real names. The so-called "Marriage House" run by the Duchess is nothing more than a thinly disguised brothel, sanitized to appease the censors of the day.
The story is weak and there are few surprises. Payne plays an unsavory character for a change, Reagan is good as the jilted lover, Fleming is beautiful as always and Gray is only around for a short while. Others in the cast include Morris Ankrum as the Judge, Myron Healey as a hired gun, Joe Devlin as Carouso's assistant, Frank Jenks as the bartender and if you pay attention you'll see Angie Dickenson as one of the Duchess' girls. Veteran Pierce Lydon also has a bit as one of the miners.
Reagan, Carouso, Johnson, Ankrum and Healey all appeared in "Cattle Queen of Montana" made by the same team a year earlier.
Gambler Tennessee (John Payne) cleans up at the gambling table at the "establishment" run by he beloved, the "Duchess" (Rhonda Fleming). Bad guy Turner (Anthony Carouso) sends Clifford (John Mansfield) who was the big loser to ambush Tennessee. A stranger who calls himself "Cowpoke" (Ronald Reagan) rides into town and saves Tennessee's life. Cowpoke then becomes, now wait for it, Tennessee's Partner.
Cowpoke it seems has come to town to marry a girl named Goldie Slater (Colleen Gray) whom the boys meet at the boat dock. It turns out that Goldie has a past and had been involved with Tennessee earlier. So Tennessee sets out to save his partner from this fortune seeker. He manages to convince her to run away with him to San Francisco and takes her to the boat, but puts her aboard and returns to his true love the Duchess.
Meanwhile, Cowpoke finds out what has happened and swears to kill his friend. Meanwhile, meanwhile Tennessee had financed an old miner named "Grubstake" (Chubby Johnson) and he strikes it rich. In an effort to shield Grubstake from the other miners, Tennessee takes him to his place. While Tennessee is trying to convince the Duchess that he didn't run off with Cowpoke's girl, Grubstake is murdered, his map stolen and Tennessee is blamed.
Tennessee seeks out Cowpoke at his mine to settle accounts and allows Cowpoke to beat him up. But just then, the Sheriff (Leo Gordon) rides up and arrests the pair. To clear themselves the boys escape and go to the location of Grubstake's mine to catch the real murderer and....
It's odd that so many of the characters in this film have only nicknames. We never learn Tennessee or Cowpoke's real names. The so-called "Marriage House" run by the Duchess is nothing more than a thinly disguised brothel, sanitized to appease the censors of the day.
The story is weak and there are few surprises. Payne plays an unsavory character for a change, Reagan is good as the jilted lover, Fleming is beautiful as always and Gray is only around for a short while. Others in the cast include Morris Ankrum as the Judge, Myron Healey as a hired gun, Joe Devlin as Carouso's assistant, Frank Jenks as the bartender and if you pay attention you'll see Angie Dickenson as one of the Duchess' girls. Veteran Pierce Lydon also has a bit as one of the miners.
Reagan, Carouso, Johnson, Ankrum and Healey all appeared in "Cattle Queen of Montana" made by the same team a year earlier.