In the 1840s, California is a land of missions and ranchos, of Spanish grandees and winsome se?oritas. Then comes the Gold Rush - and with it comes the tide of empire as prospectors flood in, ignorant of the culture they destroy with their avarice. This history is the backdrop for a fast-paced story of handsome gold seeker Dermot D'Arcy, who wins a rancho in a horse race -- then tries to win the proud daughter of the former owner. She resists, so Dermot gallantly returns the deed and rides to the gold fields. But the two will meet again. A silent with synchronized sound, Tide of Empire is sagebrush heaven for Western fans, featuring gunplay, necktie parties, saloons, wisecracking sidekicks and the excitement of an untamed land.

The last of the major film companies to fully convert to sound, MGM had yet another box-office bomb in TIDE OF EMPIRE, a would-be epic western set in the days of increasing Yankee influence in hitherto Spanish California. Based on a Peter B. Kyne novel, the film came complete with a synchronized score, but audiences were now demanding at least a few scenes of dialogue. The fresh-faced leading man George Duryea did get a stab at western stardom in the early 1930s, however, but under the moniker Tom Keene and for RKO.