And some more westerns.

The Tall Men (1955), directed by Raoul Walsh. This is a western in four acts: the opening snow-bound action in Montana, the interlude in San Antonio, the cattle drive north from Texas to Montana, and the final battle between Sioux and cattlemen. As this brief summary indicates, the film is sweeping, giving us a grand tour of the west. The cinematography is noteworthy, the scenes in snow especially exciting. As for plot, this is rather wan, giving us a love triangle. Col. Ben Allison (Clark Gable), a confederate veteran, riding north to Montana with his brother Clint (Cameron Mitchell), encounters Nathan Stark (Robert Ryan), a man on a mission, a mission to become wealthy and powerful. After the brothers try to rob Stark, he convinces them to join him in a cattle venture, taking some 4,000 cattle from Texas to Montana where they can be sold well above normal prices in the south. As they ride through the snow and blizzards of Montana, they come across a group of settlers, one of whom is Nella Turner (Jane Russell). Both Nathan and Ben have eyes for Nella. Thus begins a love triangle that travels south to Texas and then back to Montana with adventures along the way, especially adventures with Natives who are presented in the stereotypical way. They are simply the enemy – no characters, no motives, no lives beyond shooting at the white people. Such content is no longer fun, if it ever was. What makes the film attractive is the sweep of its action, the cinematography, the 300 horses and 4,000 long-horned cows. Walsh is an accomplished director of action, and he works well here.

 

William Castle westerns, Part 1. William Castle is perhaps best known for the 1959 horror flic, The Tingler. He did, however, make a series of westerns in the early to mid 1950s. Here I notice Klondike Kate (1943), Masterson of Kansas (1954), Conquest of Cochise (1953), Jesse James vs the Daltons (1953). As the titles indicate, the films deal with historical figures, but they do so in very unhistorical ways. For example, in Jesse James vs the Daltons, Bob Ford, alive and well, turns up to let everyone know that Jesse James is also alive and well. This specific bit of information comes some years after Jesse is supposed to have been shot by Ford. And so it goes, as these films play fast and loose with history. Cochise is played by blue-eyed John Hodiak. But rather than quibble over such things, I will note that these films have one thing that stands out: colour. Castle’s use of colour is striking, especially in Conquest of Cochise. Clearly Castle and his technicolour coordinator thought about colour patterns even down to the carefully dressed characters. The colours in these films rival MGM at its best. The studio here is Columbia. Then we have the rather wan attempts at redressing the presentation of Native peoples, a la Daves’s Broken Arrow (1950). As westerns go, these films are watchable, but do not expect anything above the average. Actors of note include George Montgomery, John Hodiak, Robert Stack, James Griffith, and Tom Neal. Female actors include Joy Page, Barbara Lawrence, Glenda Farrell, and Nancy Gates, none of whom are A-list actors. Same goes for the men.

 

William Castle westerns, Part 2: here we have The Gun That Won the West (1955), Battle of Rogue River (1954), Duel on the Mississippi (1955), and Uranium Boom (1956). The first two of these are bona fide westerns, while the second two are on the periphery of the western genre. Three are in colour, and exceptional colour as we saw in the first batch of Castle westerns, and one, the last one in 1956, is black and white. Again, we have an interest in historical events presented unhistorically, in native people, and feisty women. Actors include George Montgomery, Lex Barker, Dennis Morgan, Richard Denning, Martha Hyer, Patricia Medina, Paula Raymond, and William Talman. Once again, these films are watchable, if undistinguished. Uranium Boom is, I guess, a modern western that has something of the feel of The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1947). Duel on the Mississippi takes place in the late 18^th or early 19^th century. And yes, there are two duels, one with sabres and one with machetes! The Gun That Won the West takes place just prior to the Civil War and deals with the new Springfield rifle. Battle of Rogue River is about, well, the battle of Rogue River. George Montgomery here saves the lives of many Natives and non-Natives. Things in these films are pretty predictable.

 

The Walking Hills (1949), directed by John Sturges. Sturges can be relied on to deliver character-driven westerns. This one is one of his slighter films, but it does focus on greed for gold, a theme we see in more celebrated films such as The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948) or Lust for Gold (1949). Location shooting in the Alabama Hills and Death Valley is fine, and the set piece finale, a furious wind storm, is impressively worked out. This is a modern day western where most of the action takes place in the desert. Randolph Scott as Jim Carey is at his stoical best. Ella Raines as Chris Jackson is the love interest, and in a twist, she fancies the fugitive Dave ‘Shep’ Wilson (William Bishop) rather than Jim. In any case, Jim seems more attached to his mare and her foal than to any people. Along for the adventure are such stalwarts as Edgar Buchanan, Arthur Kennedy, John Ireland, and Jerome Courtland. As usual in such ensemble pieces, everyone has a secret. My one disappointment is the way the film, and the characters, treat Jim’s Mexican helper Cleve (an uncredited Charles Stevens). He appears to perish in the sand storm, but no one seems to notice.

 

Jack McCall, Desperado (1953), directed by Sidney Salkow. This one has George Montgomery in the title role, and with Montgomery in the lead, you can bet that this film plays fast and loose with history. This Jack McCall, desperado, is the same one who turns up in Deadwood and shoots Wild Bill Hickock, only in this version Hickock is as bad as they come and McCall is an innocent fellow just trying to prove his innocence while seeking to avenge his parents who have been murdered by Hickock (Douglas Kennedy) and McCall’s cousin, Bay (James Seay). The film begins with McCall shooting Hickock, and then we learn all the intricate details in flashback, as McCall defends himself in court. This film has lots of action, including a nifty jail break when McCall manages to make a paper doll from a newspaper in his cell, and use this to project a shadow on a wall that looks like a man hanging. While this shadow dangles and wavers, McCall makes gagging sounds, as if he is choking. The sheriff comes running, opens the cell to save the hanging man, and - well you can guess the rest. Now you have to give the film makers credit for this novel jail break. We also have lots of riding and shooting and fisticuffs, so much that there is little time left for developing characters. The film is in colour, and has some good outdoor shooting. But, other than the strange twist to history, this film is not particularly memorable. Montgomery is his usual stoic figure, and Kennedy sports a hefty moustache. Sam Katzman is the producer, and we can depend on him to deliver entertainment.

 

Ten Wanted Men (1955), directed by Bruce Humberstone. Humberstone directed many B movies (e.g. Charlie Chan films, Tarzan films, and so on) before he tried his hand at westerns. This is the first of three westerns he directed, and it is not bad. It is also not great. It is middling. The plot has big rancher John Stewart (Randolph Scott) going up against shyster saloon owner and would-be cattle baron Wick Campbell (Richard Boone). The catalyst for their feud is the arrival of Stewart’s brother Adam (Lester Matthews) and young nephew Howie (Skip Homeier). Young Howie takes a fancy to Maria Segura (Donna Martell), and doing so raises the ire of Wick who wants Maria for himself. So begins a war of sorts between Wick and John, Wick bringing in a gaggle of baddies headed by Frank Scavo (Leo Gordon), and including Lee Van Cleef and Denver Pyle. One of my favourite actors, Clem Bevans, also makes a brief appearance. The action has its furious moments, but things work out predictably. None of the characters shows much in the way of development. We have good guys and bad guys. Men fight for women. Young Howie wins Maria, and John comes to appreciate his long- time friend Corinne Michaels (Jocelyn Brando – yes sister of Marlon), and marries her. Happy ending – full stop.

Young Billy Young (1969) directed by Burt Kennedy. Kennedy has made some agreeable westerns. This one, however, has a tired air about it. It is the familiar revenge story of a marshal out to get the man who killed his son, and along the way he meets a young fellow who becomes something of a stand-in for the son the marshal has lost. The marshal is Ben Kane (Robert Mitchum), whose name checks one box: High Noon. Even Ben’s costume is reminiscent of Will Kane’s in the latter film. Billy Young (Robert Walker) is the youngster who becomes Ben’s ally. Then we have saloon gal, Lily Beloit, played by Angie Dickinson reprising her role in Rio Bravo. Along for the ride are the likes of John Anderson as Boone the antagonist, David Carradine as Boone’s son, Paul Fix doing his best to imitate Walter Brennan’s Stumpy, Jack Kelly as saloon owner and woman abusing John Behan, and briefly Rodolpho Acosta as a Mexican bad guy. The locations are pleasant to look at, the action serviceable, and the performances all a wee bit tired, even sleepy. The set-up at the beginning implies that this is a coming-of-age story, but it is not. Young Billy is pretty much as mature as he will ever be right from the get-go. He, like the rest of the cast, is only slightly developed. The film is a good example of a genre wearing thin.