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The tragic drowning death of stunt woman Ethel Hall marred the filming of this otherwise below average Tom Mix western. The plot is unremarkable to say the least; Mix heroically saves rancher's daughter Dorothy Dwan from both a raging river and a gang of cattle rustlers led by popular western villain Wallace McDonald. The raging water scenes were filmed on California's Merced River. The 22-year-old Ethel Hall, doubling leading lady Dorothy Dwan, was apparently knocked unconscious when her head hit a rock. Mix's stunt co-coordinator Rocky Cline attempted to save her, but she drowned in the rapids. All in all, Tumbling River was not one of Mix's happier occasion.