Diamond smugglers are using a herd of wild horses to smuggle diamonds into the US from Mexico. The leader of the herd, the titular golden stallion, kills one of the diamond smugglers and Trigger is accused of the murder. Rather than let Trigger be destroyed, Rogers confesses to accidentally killing the man in a fight and is sentenced to several years in jail for manslaughter. A few years later, Rogers learns about the diamond smuggling and conspires with the local sheriff to capture the smugglers.
Director William Witney remains a favorite of Quentin Tarantino, who has spoken eloquently in an extensive New York Times interview, among other venues, about Witney's prowess as a director, mentioning Witney's work with Roy Rogers programmers, detailing how Witney gradually moved Rogers into more naturalistic costumes such as jeans and flannel shirts, and how occasionally the camera would follow Rogers' horse Trigger for much of a film, going off and having adventures with other animals before returning to Rogers. Tarantino and reporter Rick Lyman screened The Golden Stallion together during the aforementioned interview, with Tarantino keeping up a running commentary about the production.[2]
^Lyman, Rick (September 15, 2000). "Whoa, Trigger! Auteur Alert!". The New York Times. Interview with Quentin Tarantino; Lyman and Tarantino watched The Golden Stallion together.
Bibliography
Hurst, Richard M. Republic Studios: Beyond Poverty Row and the Majors. Scarecrow Press, 2007.