Tonight's Movie: Bitter Creek (1954)

"Wild" Bill Elliott stars in BITTER CREEK (1954), the kind of film which exemplifies what some of us like to refer to as a "darn good Western." I found it enjoyable start to finish.

Elliott plays Clay Tyndall, who arrives in the Western town of Bitter Creek searching for the man who killed his brother. Although it takes Clay a while to figure it out, the viewer knows early on that rancher Quentin Allen (Carleton Young) and his hired hands, headed by Vance Morgan (Claude Akins), are responsible.

Clay forges relationships with several locals, including Dr. Prentiss (Jim Hayward), A.Z. the stagecoach driver (John Harmon), and Allen's cook Harley (Forrest Taylor), as he searches for the man responsible, while the sheriff (Dabbs Greer) watches the goings-on with a wary eye.

Complicating matters is Clay's attraction to Allen's fiancee, Gail Bonner (Beverly Garland), who's just arrived in town from St. Louis -- and gradually comes to reciprocate his feelings.

This is a fast-paced 74-minute story with a good script by George Waggner. Director Thomas Carr keeps things moving along, yet the actors have the time to create unique characters who develop interesting relationships, with the interplay between Elliott and Hayward especially enjoyable.

Elliott is his usual taciturn self, but he makes clear he's got a heart under the stoic exterior which is beating for the charming Garland.

Garland does a very nice job breathing life into her character, a woman who was fascinated by the idea of living in the west but comes to realize she chose the wrong man. My only complaint is I wish there had been more of her in the movie; based on some stills I've found on the internet, seen here, it seems possible some of her part was left on the cutting room floor, unless they filmed some action publicity stills outdoors. That's possible as well, as I can't necessarily figure out how the scenes in the photographs would have fit into the story!

Garland was in a number of movies the year this was released; she also starred with Wayne Morris in the excellent Western THE DESPERADO (1954) -- in which Greer again played the sheriff -- and she also costarred in THE MIAMI STORY (1954), reviewed here earlier this week.

BITTER CREEK was filmed in black and white by Ernest Miller at Southern California locations including Iverson Ranch and Corriganville.

The supporting cast includes Veda Ann Borg, Dan Mummert, and John Pickard.

This movie is unfortunately not yet on DVD; I've been hoping that the Warner Archive will eventually release it, as they have put out Elliott's other Westerns for Allied Artists. I saw the film thanks to a past airing on Turner Classic Movies.

Fans of Elliott and '50s "B" Westerns should find this one quite enjoyable.