Tonight's Movie: Frontier Marshal (1939)

FRONTIER MARSHAL, starring Randolph Scott as Wyatt Earp, holds an interesting niche in film history. It was the second film 20th Century-Fox based on Stuart Lake's book WYATT EARP: FRONTIER MARSHAL. Just a few years later FRONTIER MARSHAL would be remade yet again...as John Ford's MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (1946), which was reviewed here last May.

Directed by Allan Dwan, this film also stars Cesar Romero in an interesting performance as Doc Holliday (spelled Halliday here). The "good" and "bad" women in Holliday's life, played by Cathy Downs and Linda Darnell in the Ford version, are played in this film by Nancy Kelly and Binnie Barnes. Scott, always at home in Westerns, is fine as the calm, confident Earp. Ward Bond, who played Wyatt Earp's brother Morgan in CLEMENTINE, appears in another role early in this movie.

While not on a par with CLEMENTINE's visual poetry, FRONTIER MARSHAL is quite an enjoyable film in its own right. The movies are different in many respects, but they also share a number of similar scenes and characters. Moments such as the saloon girl being tossed in a horse trough, the girl from Doc's past looking at a photo in his room, an actor performing in the saloon, or Doc having to do emergency surgery will be quickly recognized by those more familiar with MY DARLING CLEMENTINE.

Whereas MY DARLING CLEMENTINE was shot in Monument Valley, portions of FRONTIER MARSHAL were shot in the striking, easily recognizable Alabama Hills outside Lone Pine, California.

Nancy Kelly, who is lovely as the woman from Doc's past, deserves a footnote. In 1939, when she was a leading lady at 20th in films such as this and JESSE JAMES, her little brother Jack was a child actor in two notable films at the same studio, THE STORY OF ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL and John Ford's YOUNG MR. LINCOLN. Nearly two decades later, Jack Kelly starred with James Garner in my all-time favorite TV series, MAVERICK (currently airing Thursday nights on American Life Channel). While most people seem to prefer Garner's better-known Bret Maverick, Kelly's brother Bart was always my favorite. :) Later in life Jack was the mayor of nearby Huntington Beach, California, and I was privileged to meet him on a couple of occasions. He was a friendly, gracious man.

The original 1939 New York Times review of FRONTIER MARSHAL can be found here.

FRONTIER MARSHAL runs a brief 71 minutes and was shot in black and white. The film does not appear to be currently available on either VHS or DVD. I viewed it on a borrowed video. Hopefully it will turn up on DVD at some point. It's an entertaining Western which is well worth seeing.

2007 Update: FRONTIER MARSHAL is now available as an extra in the Ford at Fox: Essential John Ford DVD Collection.

2012 Update: FRONTIER MARSHAL is now available on DVD-R in the Fox Cinema Archives Collection.

October 2015 Update: I had the wonderful chance to see this film at the Lone Pine Film Festival -- followed a few days later by seeing MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (1946) at UCLA.

2018 Update: I wrote more about this movie for Classic Movie Hub.

Coming to DVD: Ford at Fox

This December 4th Fox is releasing a DVD set which should easily be the set of the year: Ford at Fox.

This set includes two dozen John Ford films, as well as Ford's World War II documentaries and a new documentary, BECOMING JOHN FORD.

A wonderful extra is the inclusion of 1939's FRONTIER MARSHAL, a predecessor to MY DARLING CLEMENTINE which was directed by Allan Dwan and starred Randolph Scott as Wyatt Earp and Cesar Romero as Doc Holliday. I reviewed FRONTIER MARSHAL here last November; my post includes information about the history of FRONTIER MARSHAL and MY DARLING CLEMENTINE.

Some of the films, such as THE GRAPES OF WRATH and HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY, are presented with the extras from their previous Fox Studio Classics DVD releases. There are many, many new extras, however, and a majority of the titles have never before been released on DVD.

I'm most excited about a commentary track for DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK, a colorful film I saw on TV many times as a child and which was probably the first Ford film I ever saw. Although not Ford and Henry Fonda's best-known collaboration, the movie made a huge impression on me. (The book was good too.) I already have a "plain vanilla" DVD but would love to upgrade this title.

The movies can be purchased in one huge set, or in smaller collections, such as The Essential John Ford Collection, which contains some of Ford's best-known classic titles, as well as the new documentary and FRONTIER MARSHAL. Some of the movies will also be available for sale as individual releases.

If you're a fan of classic cinema, all that can be said when looking at this list of titles and extras is "Wow!"

Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...Last month I shared the exciting news about the debut of the Fox Cinema Archives, a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) program akin to the Warner Archive. There doesn't appear to be a central website with information on the Fox releases, but several titles are now available at Amazon, including Gene Tierney and Henry Fonda in RINGS ON HER FINGERS (1942), Tyrone Power and Loretta Young in SUEZ (1938), Randolph Scott as Wyatt Earp in FRONTIER MARSHAL (1939), Maureen O'Hara and Rex Harrison in THE FOXES OF HARROW (1947), Tyrone Power as a DIPLOMATIC COURIER (1952), and WAY OF A GAUCHO (1952). I'm especially excited about the latter film, which stars Gene Tierney and Rory Calhoun; it's been on my wish list for a while now.

...I previously reviewed FRONTIER MARSHAL in 2006, RINGS ON HER FINGERS in 2008, and DIPLOMATIC COURIER in 2010. FRONTIER MARSHAL is an especially fascinating film as it helped serve as the basis for John Ford's MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (1946).

...SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN (2012), starring Ewan MacGregor and Emily Blunt, was well reviewed but came and went from local theaters so quickly I never had a chance to see it. It will be out on DVD July 17th.

...I was sad to learn that the Cinementals website, which debuted earlier this year, suddenly went dark this week. Will, Jill, Carley and all the contributors were doing a fine job, and I hope that perhaps the site will return at some point in the future. One of the last posts, contributed by Ivan of Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, was an article on one of my top faves, Dick Powell.

...Colin's been blogging up a storm at Riding the High Country. His recent reviews include a Dick Powell favorite, THE TALL TARGET (1951); Audie Murphy's HELL BENT FOR LEATHER (1960), which sounds really interesting; and THE BIG COMBO (1955), an important noir title which I had the pleasure of seeing at a great old Los Angeles movie palace earlier this year. There's a fun discussion of film noir in the BIG COMBO comments, too. Anyone who loves Westerns or film noir should be sure to pay regular visits to Riding the High Country.

...I also love to hang out and enjoy the posts and great discussions at 50 Westerns From the 50s. Where else could you see a heck of a great publicity still like this one?! I immediately arranged to borrow RIDE CLEAR OF DIABLO (1954). Dan Duryea makes any movie better.

...Caftan Woman has a marvelous tribute up to "Richard Conte, King of Noir." Love to see the appreciation for this somewhat underrated actor, seen here with Susan Hayward in a still from HOUSE OF STRANGERS (1949).

...Another favorite, Ida Lupino, received a lovely tribute from Moira at Skeins of Thought earlier this week.

...John Nolte has an excellent review of the MAVERICK DVD set posted at Breitbart. I like the distinctions he makes between Bret Maverick and Jim Rockford.

...Notable Passing: Noted film critic Andrew Sarris has passed on at the age of 83. I greatly enjoyed his book YOU AIN'T HEARD NOTHIN' YET: THE AMERICAN TALKING FILM, HISTORY AND MEMORY: 1927-1949 which was a gift from my father years ago. Sarris's book THE JOHN FORD MOVIE MYSTERY has been shelved with my Ford collection for more years than I want to count.

...Susan King profiles actor John Amos in the Los Angeles Times. I have a nice memory of Mr. Amos as, thanks to someone on our campus knowing him, he came and spoke to my high school history class, a couple of years after he appeared in ROOTS (1977). I particularly enjoyed him in THE WEST WING.

...While I'm going down memory lane, here's a random fun fact: when I was growing up actor Michael Constantine, then best known for ROOM 222 (1969-74), was said to live in walking distance from my house, though I don't recall ever spotting him myself! His many other credits include PRANCER (1989) and MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING (2002).

...As she prepares for her upcoming wedding, Raquelle has been posting photos of long-married Hollywood couples at Out of the Past, including Robert Preston and Catherine Craig, James and Lois Garner, and Ricardo Montalban and Georgiana Young. The beautiful photo of the Montalban family seen here comes from A Certain Cinema.

...Will cookbooks become extinct?

...The Johnny Depp remake of THE THIN MAN (1934) might be on hold, which would be a great relief to Powell-Loy fans everywhere.

...A very happy 1st bloggiversary to Karen at Shadows and Satin! Karen is also the editor of the wonderful film noir newsletter The Dark Pages.

...Attention Southern Californians: This summer the Academy is sponsoring a neat series with a depressing title: The Last 70mm Film Festival. Titles include two of my all-time favorite movies, SLEEPING BEAUTY (1959) and THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965), which I was privileged to see in 70mm last month at the Egyptian Theatre.

...Speaking of SLEEPING BEAUTY, Disney has begun filming MALEFICENT (2014), with Angelina Jolie starring in the title role.

...Cliff Aliperti has researched the life of actress Cecilia Parker, better known as Andy Hardy's sister Marian. You can read his interesting post at Immortal Ephemera.

...Over at Tales of the Easily Distracted, Dorian reviews HUDSON'S BAY (1941) with her trademark whimsy and good humor. HUDSON'S BAY stars Paul Muni, Gene Tierney, John Sutton, and the inimitable Laird Cregar.

...Ordered from Amazon for vacation reading next week: VANITY WILL GET YOU SOMEWHERE, an autobiography by Joseph Cotten.

...Finally, just for fun, here's a new photo of our cat Lila. Isn't she sweet?

Have a great week!

Tonight's Movie: My Darling Clementine (1946) at UCLA

Last night was a particularly special evening in UCLA's Archive Treasures 50th Anniversary Celebration, a double bill of two beloved John Ford classics, MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (1946) and SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON (1949).

I've ranked SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON in my Top 10 Favorite Films for many years now, and I'll have more to say on it later. (Update: Here is my review of SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON.) It took me longer to warm up to MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (1946), as I found it slower going when I first got to know the film as a child, but over the years I've also come to love it deeply. I'm not sure what I found more beautiful tonight, Monument Valley in black and white or color! I guess it's a tie.

Prior to this year I had never seen MY DARLING CLEMENTINE on a big screen, and what makes 2015 even better is that I had the opportunity to see not one but two different versions of CLEMENTINE in a theater. I definitely made up for lost time.

Last spring I saw a digital restoration of the film's theatrical release at the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival. I've planned to write about CLEMENTINE since that occasion, but seeing 16 films in a short time span makes it a challenge to set aside time to devote individual attention to each title! (Incidentally, I did write about CLEMENTINE briefly here nine and a half years ago.) It couldn't have worked out more beautifully, though, as tonight I saw a 35mm restoration of the 102-minute pre-release version of CLEMENTINE.

And as a postscript, it seems serendipitous that just a week ago I also saw FRONTIER MARSHAL (1939) at the Lone Pine Film Festival. I reviewed that 20th Century-Fox film, starring Randolph Scott as Wyatt Earp, nine years ago; in some ways the Scott version of the story is very different, but certain incidents seem to have inspired the Ford version. In a documentary I watched today, it was said that Ford watched FRONTIER MARSHAL as part of his preparation.

A major American classic such as MY DARLING CLEMENTINE probably needs no introduction to the majority of this blog's readers, but for anyone who may be discovering it for the first time, it's the story of Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda), who accepts a job as marshal of the wild desert town of Tombstone after his young brother (Don Garner) is killed by Old Man Clanton (Walter Brennan) and his sons (including John Ireland and Grant Withers). Wyatt's surviving brothers (Ward Bond and Tim Holt) serve as his deputies. Eventually Wyatt and his new friend Doc Holliday (Victor Mature) face down the Clantons at the OK Corral.

In a parallel story, a lovely woman from Doc's past, Clementine Carter (Cathy Downs), arrives in Tombstone. She tries to persuade Doc to return to his past life in the East as a doctor; meanwhile Wyatt is tentatively attracted to her.

MY DARLING CLEMENTINE is one of those great American movies which simply gets better on each successive viewing. Each screening takes on added resonance, as the memories of past viewings and experiences -- such as visiting the film's location in Monument Valley two years ago -- and even other movies combine to give it added weight. For instance, anyone who loves Ford films and hears "Shall We Gather at the River?" will automatically think of THE SEARCHERS (1956) and other Ford movies, which adds even deeper emotion to the film at hand.

Like other great Westerns such as WINCHESTER '73 (1950) or any number of Ford films, most of the shots seem to be works of art in and of themselves. The clouds in the sky over Monument Valley, as filmed in black and white by Joe McDonald, are stunning, and there are so many similarly remarkable moments of visual poetry.

The famous sequence where Wyatt escorts Clementine to the unfinished church, followed by the dance, is surely one of the great scenes of the American cinema. It's exquisitely beautiful, in and of itself, and at the same time it somehow reaches further back into real American history, seeming to capture the spirit and optimism of the true American pioneers; one almost feels, for a fleeting moment, that one is actually looking backward in time. It's layers such as that which make the film so lovely; that scene in particular never fails to move me to tears, just as I will always cry at "Lest we forget" in SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON.

Fonda and Brennan are perfection as Earp and Clanton, but the cast is filled with marvelous performances. Has there even been a better Doc Holliday than Victor Mature, with his deep, sorrowful eyes? That moment where he quotes Shakespeare...unforgettable.

This was one more outstanding film for Linda Darnell, who plays the tempestuous saloon gal Chihuahua; Darnell deserves greater credit for what she brought to a series of excellent movies throughout her career at Fox.

Having become a fan of Tim Holt in recent years, on this viewing I noted what an assured and charismatic performer he was here, his first postwar film. Holt may have had a supporting role, but my eye would often settle on him among a crowd of actors. Virgil taking on the Clantons singlehandedly, a foolhardy moment despite Wyatt urging him to go after Billy, might have been the only weak spot in the screenplay by Winston Miller and Samuel Engel; going in the Clanton house without backup was a boneheaded move, leading to the only moment in the film I can't watch.

Ward Bond, of course, is right there as Morgan Earp, with his own moments to shine, whether it's ordering an enormous breakfast of "blood rare" steak, bacon, and "a big pot of coffee," mindlessly spooning sugar into his coffee as he stares at the lovely newcomer Clementine, or gunning down Old Man Clanton in the final moments.

The supporting cast also includes Alan Mowbray, Jane Darwell, J. Farrell MacDonald, Roy Roberts, Russell Simpson, Francis Ford, Mae Marsh, Fred Libby, Jack Pennick, and Harry Woods.

I have to mention how nice it was to see that UCLA's restoration credits card included a thank you to Blake Lucas, a great friend of this blog who helped to call UCLA's attention to the differences between the pre-release and theatrical versions, inspiring the preservation of the pre-release edition.

Having watched both versions this year, and also having today re-watched a documentary with UCLA's Bob Gitt about the changes, I'm of the opinion that there are individual moments in the prerelease version which I prefer, but overall I understand the reasons behind and prefer producer Darryl Zanuck's ultimate theatrical version. I believe this differs from Blake's point of view, and perhaps he'll share his thoughts on that in the comments.

There are moments in the prerelease version which serve to deepen characters, most notably in the scene where Doc performs surgery on Chihuahua, summoning his nurse Clementine, who refers to him as "Dr. Holliday." The brief dialogue and visuals are excellent here, and I wish they were in the final version.

There's also a scene which was done originally with just natural sounds rather than music, which I preferred. For the most part, though, I think the music which was put in for the final version, such as when Clementine arrives on the stage, was spot-on. Zanuck also cut out some extraneous crowd scenes which added little to the narrative or the setting.

The most notable change is the final scene; in the original, Wyatt simply shakes hands with Clementine, but as that stark farewell disappointed a large preview audience, a scene where Wyatt kisses her cheek was shot and edited in. While the background for the close-up insert looks awkward, I agree with the scene's sentiment. As I watched the prerelease version, I felt it was very uncertain -- even unlikely -- that Wyatt would ever return to Tombstone or see Clementine again. I prefer the slightly more optimistic version which I've enjoyed for most of my life.

MY DARLING CLEMENTINE has been issued for the home viewing market in many editions. In 2004 it was released on DVD as No. 14 in the Fox Studio Classics series; both the prerelease and theatrical versions were included. It was also included in the giant Ford at Fox set.

More recently it was released on DVD and Blu-ray by the Criterion Collection. Again, both versions of the film were included.

It's also had a release on VHS, and it can be rented for streaming from Amazon.

Most highly recommended.

The 26th Lone Pine Film Festival

My husband and I are back from a wonderful weekend at the 26th Lone Pine Film Festival!

We had a terrific time at last year's festival, and if it's possible I think we had even more fun this year!

I managed to do everything mentioned in my festival preview and a whole lot more!

My festival experience included eight movies (up from just three in 2014), three tours, one concert, and two books signed, plus the opportunity to get to know blogger Beth Gallagher and her husband in person! We enjoyed two lovely dinners chatting movies, film festivals, and more!

The movies spanned the years from 1920 to 2008. I'd only seen two of them previously, FRONTIER MARSHAL (1939) and THE HIRED GUN (1957), and it had been nine years since I last saw FRONTIER MARSHAL. All of the other films were new experiences for me, including my very first Hopalong Cassidy movies.

I'll be writing about the movies in several future posts, along with sharing our experiences touring the locations for GUNGA DIN (1939), IN OLD COLORADO (1941), and THE HIRED GUN (1957). One of the most amazing things about the Lone Pine Film Festival is being able to watch a movie, then hop on a bus and walk the sites you just saw on the screen! The tour guides' longtime knowledge of the Alabama Hills, combined with dedicated detective work hunting locations, provides some memorable experiences.

Again this year our festival experience began on Thursday evening with a gala buffet dinner at the renamed Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine. Celebrities on hand this year included Bruce Boxleitner, William Wellman Jr., Wyatt McCrea, Petrine Day Mitchum, Cheryl Rogers Barnett, Diamond Farnsworth, and Billy King.

This year's festival particularly celebrated the early years of movie-making in Lone Pine, and in keeping with that theme, a restored car which once belonged to silent star Tom Mix was on display in the museum parking lot:

After the dinner there was a most enjoyable hour-long concert by Don Edwards across the street in the high school auditorium. It was entertainment at its purest and most simple: just a man and his guitar and some great Western tunes. It was a relaxing, mellow way to start off the weekend.

Last year the festival celebrities set up shop in a spot on Main Street simply called "The Building." There's now a brand-new barbecue restaurant in that location, so this year the book signings and meet-and-greets took place in the more out-of-the way Statham Hall. Shuttles circled regularly between the Film Museum, Statham Hall, and Spainhower Park, but a Main Street location is definitely more conducive to foot traffic; unfortunately, options are limited so we'll see if Statham Hall is used again next year.

We came home with two beautiful signed books, the "updated and expanded" second edition of HOLLYWOOD HOOFBEATS, a history of movie and TV horses by Petrine Day Mitchum (daughter of Robert), and COWBOY PRINCESS RIDES AGAIN by Cheryl Rogers Barnett (daughter of Roy Rogers). Leonard Maltin recently wrote about COWBOY PRINCESS RIDES AGAIN; it has many photos I'd never seen before!

As was the case last year, we stayed at the classic Dow Villa Motel, with a balcony view of Lone Pine Peak and Mount Whitney...

...and once again the best meals in town can be found across the street from the Dow at the Alabama Hills Cafe, serving breakfast and lunch daily.

The 2016 Lone Pine Film Festival will be held October 7th through 9th and will celebrate Western directors. My husband and I have already made our hotel reservations! Why not start making plans to attend?!

Previously: This Weekend: The 2015 Lone Pine Film Festival (preview post).

Links to all 2015 Festival Coverage: Tonight's Movie: In Old Colorado (1941) at the Lone Pine Film Festival; Tonight's Movie: Heart of Arizona (1938) at the Lone Pine Film Festival; Tonight's Movie: Code of the West (1947) at the Lone Pine Film Festival; Tonight's Movie: Riders of the Purple Sage (1941) at the Lone Pine Film Festival; Tonight's Movie: The Round-Up (1920) at the Lone Pine Film Festival; Tonight's Movie: Appaloosa (2008) at the Lone Pine Film Festival.

My report on the 2015 Lone Pine Film Festival for the ClassicFlix site is here.

2014 Lone Pine Film Festival coverage may be found here.

Update: 2016 Lone Pine Film Festival coverage is here. A 2016 post which includes photos from 2015 location tours, including GUNGA DIN (1939), may be found here.

Update: 2017 Lone Pine Film Festival coverage is here.

Lawman: The Complete First Season: A Warner Archive TV Series Review

LAWMAN is one of the best of the many good Warner Bros. TV Westerns of the late '50s. LAWMAN: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON was just released on DVD by the Warner Archive.

John Russell plays Dan Troop, the Marshal of Laramie, Wyoming. The steely-eyed Troop is a man of honor and courage, as the bad guys learn to their chagrin. Marshal Troop's deputy is young Johnny McKay (Peter Brown). Johnny is originally turned down for the job as too young and inexperienced, but when he backs the Marshal at a critical moment in the pilot episode ("The Deputy"), Troop decides to give him the job after all. Johnny has a lot to learn, but he's going to be taught by the best in the business.

Western fans know they're in for a treat from the very first episode. Marshal Troop has just arrived to take his job in Laramie, a town greatly in need of taming, and his very first confrontation is with Jack Elam and Lee Van Cleef!

The way Marshal Troop handles a murderer (John Doucette) in a barroom shooting in the second episode is eye-opening, to say the least. When the fearful townspeople and judge won't back Troop, preferring to chalk the shooting up to self-defense and let the accused go, Marshal Troop lets him go, all right...he then follows the man straight back into the saloon and goads him to draw, just as the man had treated his victim. Needless to say, the man is no match for Marshal Troop. The unorthodox frontier justice Troop doles out certainly makes a viewer sit up and take notice.

Part of the fun of the show is you never know who will turn up in Laramie next. I've avoided looking ahead at IMDb and instead enjoy being surprised in every episode. An example of a typically strong show is "The Outcast," which guest stars Martin Landau as Bob Ford, the man who shot Jesse James. The episode is notable for its moody guitar scoring, with a ballad about Jesse James also being part of the soundtrack. Former singing cowboy Dick Foran costars -- although, as it happens, the singing in the episode is handled not by Foran but by Tony Romano.

Although the series was shot on the familiar Western streets of the Warner Bros. backlot, there are some attempts to convince viewers of the Wyoming setting, such as Troop and McKay wearing heavy coats and gloves at times.

Warner Bros. Westerns such as LAWMAN and MAVERICK were also blessed with strong theme music. I've always been partial to the evocative Livingston-David theme song for LAWMAN: "The lawman came with the sun, there was a job to be done..."

I haven't yet completed watching all 39 episodes in this five-disc collection -- that will take something like 16 hours altogether! -- but to date I've watched a significant number of them, and I consider LAWMAN: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON a winner in every regard. It's a most enjoyable show, and the Warner Archive DVD prints are outstanding.

Although the Warner Archive website didn't indicate the initial copies sold would be pressed, my set did indeed consist of silver-backed pressed discs.

More great news: Season 2 of LAWMAN is coming in a matter of weeks! I'm especially happy about that news as Peggie Castle joins the series as Lily in the second season. Castle would remain with the series for the duration, with the Marshal and Lily's subtly played adult relationship being one of the intriguing undercurrents in the series. (Update: Here is my review of Season 2 of LAWMAN.)

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this DVD collection. Warner Archive releases are MOD (manufactured on demand) and may be ordered from the Warner Archive Collection Store at Amazon and from other online retailers.

Tonight's Movie: Powder River (1953)

The 20th Century-Fox film POWDER RIVER is a colorful reworking of the Wyatt Earp story, starring Rory Calhoun.

Calhoun plays Chino Bull, a former marshal turned gold prospector, who returns to wearing a badge when his partner is killed. He patiently bides his time, waiting for the opportunity to bring in the man responsible for his friend's death.

While serving as marshal, Chino is sometimes aided by foe-turned-friend Dr. Mitch Hardin (Cameron Mitchell), a fast draw who suffers from a brain tumor. Mitch is having an affair with saloon owner Frenchie (Corinne Calvet).  Then Mitch's former fiancee Debbie (Penny Edwards) comes to town...

POWDER RIVER has a screenplay by Geoffrey Homes, who wrote the screenplay or story for many classic film noir and Western titles, including OUT OF THE PAST (1947), THE TALL TARGET (1951), and a little Western I admired quite a bit called ROUGHSHOD (1949).

The movie is strongest in the early going, particularly in some very well-written and performed action sequences which incorporate humor along with the gunplay. A scene where Chino's can of peaches is shot and he's sworn in as a temporary deputy in the midst of a gunfight is delightful, especially as at the time Chino has given up wearing a gun and handles the situation in an unorthodox fashion. These scenes actually made me think a bit of a much later favorite film, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF! (1969), written by another great Western/noir writer, William Bowers.

The movie's energy begins to slow with the arrival of Debbie in town, which is just about the point that it becomes clear that the film is a loose redo of the earlier Fox films FRONTIER MARSHAL (1939) and MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (1946). The characters have been renamed and the situations are changed, but the basic outline is there until the story veers off the traditional course near movie's end.

I think the film would have been stronger if it had continued in a more original vein, as the familiar elements of the story were the least interesting. Anyone who's seen Nancy Kelly or Cathy Downs look lovingly around Doc's empty hotel room really doesn't need to see Penny Edwards do it again. It doesn't help that Edwards (TRAIL OF ROBIN HOOD) is a fairly pallid heroine whose character doesn't contribute much of interest. It's a bit hard to see why Chino is drawn to her, other than her china doll looks.

That comment aside, the supporting cast is terrific. This is one of those movies where the faces alone will make any Western fan happy. There's Robert J. Wilke riding up, playing, what else, a villain. There's Frank Ferguson as the loyal friend, and here comes gambler John Dehner to show Chino the wonders of canned food. By the time James Griffith walked into the hotel lobby I was in character actor heaven. Four of the very best actors from countless '50s Westerns.

Additionally, John Beradino is a card dealer, and actors such as Carl Betz, Mae Marsh, Robert Foulk, and Doodles Weaver can also be spotted in supporting and bit roles.

Rory Calhoun is a fine, confident Western lead and is one of the best things about the movie. His initial confrontation with Mitch is another of the film's very well-done early scenes. Calhoun and the filmmakers do a good job creating a character who uses brains instead of guns whenever possible, one of the film's more unusual and appealing aspects.

Cameron Mitchell does fairly well as Mitch in the early going, especially in the initial confrontation scene with Chino where they recognize one another as worthy adversaries and part friends. I did feel he could have brought more shading to the role; in the second half he becomes self-pitying, which isn't nearly as interesting as the fiery character of the opening scenes. Perhaps it's unfair of me, but I couldn't help comparing his performance here to his role as Uncle Buck on THE HIGH CHAPARRAL in the late '60s, where he created one of TV's most lively and indelible Western characters. Maybe any other part would seem a little too bland by comparison!

Corinne Calvet added some oomph to the film, in more ways than one, although her accent at a couple of points was almost too heavy to be easily understood. Her wardrobe was nicely done by Travilla, with a blue and green dress a particular standout.

The film was shot in Technicolor by Edward Cronjager; there's some lovely bright and sunny location work. (IMDb is silent on where the film was shot.) The movie was directed by Louis King, brother of Henry. It runs 78 minutes.

POWDER RIVER is available on DVD-R from the Fox Cinema Archives line. It's a very nice-looking DVD. It can be rented from ClassicFlix.

For more perspectives on this film, it's been previously reviewed by Toby at 50 Westerns From the 50s and Colin at Riding the High Country.

Tonight's Movie: The Arizonian (1935)

Richard Dix stars as a marshal cleaning up a crime-ridden frontier town in THE ARIZONIAN (1935), a well-done RKO Western.

Preston Foster costars with Dix, half a dozen years before they made another good Western I've previously reviewed, THE ROUNDUP (1941).

Dix plays Clay Tallant, who rescues saloon singer Kitty Rivers (Margot Grahame of TWO IN THE DARK and NIGHT WAITRESS) when her attempt to leave Silver City is blocked by men working for Sheriff Jake Mannen (Louis Calhern).

Mannen may be a sheriff, but he's a very bad man, and since he wants Kitty he's determined to keep her around. Tallant, who seems modeled on Wyatt Earp, ends up as town marshal, in direct competition with Mannen to control the town.

When the sheriff's men are out to get Tallant, he receives help from an unlikely source, outlaw Tex Randolph (Foster). Randolph admires Tallant's guts and doesn't like the unfair odds when Mannen's men gang up on the new marshal.

Tallant's got other problems, in that he's fallen hard for Kitty, but his younger brother Orin (James Bush) fell in love with her first...

THE ARIZONIAN is from a story and screenplay by Dudley Nichols. Around the time Foster's outlaw was befriending Dix's marshal in the saloon, I realized the situation seemed very familiar...a couple minutes later it dawned on me that my favorite George O'Brien "B" Western, THE MARSHAL OF MESA CITY (1939), was a loose remake.

THE MARSHAL OF MESA CITY is 13 minutes shorter and tells the story much more economically, along with changing the leading lady from saloon singer to schoolmarm; however, several of the key incidents from the original film appear in the remake, including the memorable smoky shootout.

In addition to the appealing relationship between Dix and Foster -- which I only wish had been given more screen time -- the movie has a number of other fine things to distinguish it, starting with Calhern's performance as evil personified. Viewers won't soon forget his actions in the final minutes of the movie.

Grahame is a fine leading lady, and there's an especially nice part for Etta McDaniel (sister of Hattie and Sam), who's given the chance to be a strong heroine near the end of the movie and makes the most of it.

Joe Sawyer is a slimy standout as one of Calhern's gang. The movie also stars Willie Best, Francis Ford, J. Farrell MacDonald, Ray Mayer, and John Alexander.

THE ARIZONIAN was directed by Charles Vidor and filmed by Harold Wenstrom. It runs 75 minutes.

THE ARIZONIAN is not available on DVD or VHS. It has been shown on Turner Classic Movies.

The clip available on the TCM website has a great shot of Vasquez Rocks as it begins. The movie was also shot at Iverson Ranch.

Previous reviews of Richard Dix films: THE PUBLIC DEFENDER (1931), HELL'S HIGHWAY (1932), ROAR OF THE DRAGON (1932), SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR (1936), IT HAPPENED IN HOLLYWOOD (1937), BLIND ALIBI (1938), SKY GIANT (1938), TWELVE CROWDED HOURS (1939), MEN AGAINST THE SKY (1940), THE ROUNDUP (1941), TOMBSTONE: THE TOWN TOO TOUGH TO DIE (1942), and THE KANSAN (1943).