This is a fair Hoppy movie. I bother to review it to point out one unusual thing. Virtually all of the Hoppy movies entail some kind of mystery or some clever way to flush out the bad guys, get the goods on them. ***Spoilers*** This Hoppy movie is very different! In this oater, after Hoppy helps capture the Trilling gang (but not Trilling himself, who is unknown outside of his gang) at the start of the movie, from there until the conclusion of the movie it is one long caper: the bad guys getting out of jail to rustle Hoppy's 1000-head of cattle being driven for sale at the Circle J, and Hoppy recapturing and losing the herd, etc.
(1) The Trilling gang rustles Hoppy's herd by sneaking up to the cowboys' downtime camp, scattering the cowboys' horses and making off with the herd.
(2) Hoppy and his men gather their horses, follow the herd, chase off the rustlers and regain the herd.
(3) The rustlers pretend to be a posse of lawmen, get the drop of Hoppy, tie up Hoppy and his men at their hideout, and go off with the herd.
(4) Hoppy and men escape the hideout, but before they can regain the herd, Trilling has pretended he is Hopalong, owner of the herd, and Trilling sics the local Sheriff on the real Hoppy and company, who are thrown in jail.
(5) The Sheriff's daughter knows the truth, so she breaks the real Hoppy and crew out of jail, and they finally apprehend the Trilling gang.
(1) The Trilling gang rustles Hoppy's herd by sneaking up to the cowboys' downtime camp, scattering the cowboys' horses and making off with the herd.
(2) Hoppy and his men gather their horses, follow the herd, chase off the rustlers and regain the herd.
(3) The rustlers pretend to be a posse of lawmen, get the drop of Hoppy, tie up Hoppy and his men at their hideout, and go off with the herd.
(4) Hoppy and men escape the hideout, but before they can regain the herd, Trilling has pretended he is Hopalong, owner of the herd, and Trilling sics the local Sheriff on the real Hoppy and company, who are thrown in jail.
(5) The Sheriff's daughter knows the truth, so she breaks the real Hoppy and crew out of jail, and they finally apprehend the Trilling gang.