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Joel McCrea was still relatively new to westerns when he starred in Saddle Tramp. McCrea is cast as footloose and fancy free cowpoke Chuck Connor, who has no intention of settling down. Alas, this decision is made for him when Connor "inherits" the four recently orphaned sons of his best friend. Since his pal died while riding Connor's horse, Our Hero feels obligated to raise the kids as his own -- and it's not gonna be easy. Connor's brood is increased to five when they're joined by runaway gamine Della (Wanda Hendrix). Additional complications include Connor's kid-hating rancher boss (John McIntire), a crooked foreman (John Russell), and an ongoing blood feud. The song "The Cry of the Wild Goose" popularized by Frankie Laine, is heard throughout Saddle Tramp as the restless Joel McCrea's leitmotif.