Utah cowboy John Weston foils a stagecoach robbery, saving the life of Judge Carter's daughter Marjorie in the process. Impressed by his heroics, the judge asks Weston to investigate mysterious goings-on at the rodeo in nearby Dalton. Entering the competition, Weston learns that a crook named Spike Barton is running the show, making sure the winners die suddenly before they can claim their prize money. Barton plans to skip town with all the money leaving the people of Dalton none the wiser. Now "The Man from Utah" must evade Barton's hired killers and expose his black-hearted scheme - all while romancing the judge's pretty daughter at the same time.

The undisputed King of the Hollywood Cowboys, John Wayne's formative acting years saw him starring in B-grade Westerns like this one from low-budget studio Lone Star Pictures. His role as "The Ringo Kid" in John Ford's Stagecoach (1939) would soon bring major-studio stardom, however, and he would continue to be an iconic figure on screen until his death in 1979. The Man from Utah shows The Duke's gritty persona and trademark halting drawl already present, but he is not quite as macho as he would eventually become - he even sings, though thankfully his voice is dubbed by Jack ‘Pappy' Kirk. It is still a fast-paced picture full of action and humor, though, thanks in no small part to the presence of Yakima Canutt, Hollywood's top stuntman, and comic relief George ‘Gabby' Hayes. The Man From Utah is further enlivened by gorgeous Polly Ann Young as the Duke's love interest, something none of the other Lone Star Wayne features can boast. The older sister of screen icon Loretta Young, she is perhaps best remembered as the heroine of the Bela Lugosi thriller Invisible Ghost (1941).