The painted desert (1931 in film) is a film released by RKO Radio Pictures, produced by E. B. Derr, it was directed by Howard Higgin, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Tom Buckingham. It starred low-budget Western (genre) stars William Boyd (actor) (in his pre-Hopalong Cassidy days) and Helen Twelvetrees, and featured a young Clark Gable in his sound film debut. The picture was shot mostly on location in Arizona.