This is a robust Technicolor western from RKO that displays the gorgeous scenery of Glacier National Park. Yes, outdoor photography may be most suited to the western genre. And this film proves it.
Barbara Stanwyck plays the title character who is a bit of a tomboy and has an interesting name-- Sierra Nevada Jones. One almost imagines a mountain girl with windswept hair. Instead Miss Stanwyck sports a perm that she was given just before she stepped out of her dressing room and appeared on camera.
The early scenes in the picture focus on her character's special bond with Pop Jones (Morris Ankrum). It's clear how much she worships her father, and that she's the "son" he never had. Unfortunately, he's killed a short time later, which is devastating for her.
Mr. Ankrum is one of those skillful character actors who does a lot with limited screen time. He seems well-suited to this particular story, since he is able to elicit a vulnerability in Stanwyck that she seldom if ever displays in her other motion pictures. After Ankrum bites the dust, Stanwyck is left on her own. But she still has one of his best rifles and knows how to use it...so she is more than capable of fending for herself.
She blames a land baron (Gene Evans) for pop's death and decides to get revenge. While this is going on, Stanwyck meets an undercover agent (Ronald Reagan) who is in the area investigating a series of crimes. He is attracted to her, and it's obvious that he will gradually fill the void left since pop died. However, she is not initially sure what side of the law he's on.
Fortunately the film doesn't bog down too much with romance added into the mix. Reagan and Stanwyck keep things moving along and bring out the best in each other. It was said that Reagan enjoyed working with Stanwyck immensely. She had previously costarred with his wife Nancy in EAST SIDE WEST SIDE (1949).
Stanwyck and her ex-husband Robert Taylor were close pals of the Reagans and shared similar political views. Apparently, when Reagan was about to leave the White House, the last film he screened as president during his final week in office in January 1989, was CATTLE QUEEN OF MONTANA.
One of the subplots in CATTLE QUEEN involves a group of natives led by a guy named Colorados (Lance Fuller) who befriends Stanwyck's character. This relationship in the film is rather progressive...the idea is to show their friendship go beyond the lines...that neither side is a species separate from the other. Of course, most of the natives we see are still presented a bit stereotypically in the movie, speaking broken English and showing off nice suntans.
In some regards, the unusual friendship between Stanwyck and Fuller is a plot device, so that she has a strong ally when she stands up to Evans. We watch her feud with Evans escalate, since she still holds him responsible for her father being slaughtered and for her land being taken away from her.
Of course we know Stanwyck will win her fight against Evans-- or else she won't be the queen of Montana. She will eventually settle down to a life of happiness...but there are still several issues to be resolved. One of the more interesting ones is how Stanwyck's character is perceived as rebellious and as a non-conformist by the local townspeople.
When she and her native pal go into town, the residents are nearly scandalized to see them together. These scenes give us a much-needed break from the land war occurring out on the range. It's interesting to see how Stanwyck lacks support from the other women in her community, which only reinforces her determination to be one of the boys in order to succeed.
Barbara Stanwyck plays the title character who is a bit of a tomboy and has an interesting name-- Sierra Nevada Jones. One almost imagines a mountain girl with windswept hair. Instead Miss Stanwyck sports a perm that she was given just before she stepped out of her dressing room and appeared on camera.
The early scenes in the picture focus on her character's special bond with Pop Jones (Morris Ankrum). It's clear how much she worships her father, and that she's the "son" he never had. Unfortunately, he's killed a short time later, which is devastating for her.
Mr. Ankrum is one of those skillful character actors who does a lot with limited screen time. He seems well-suited to this particular story, since he is able to elicit a vulnerability in Stanwyck that she seldom if ever displays in her other motion pictures. After Ankrum bites the dust, Stanwyck is left on her own. But she still has one of his best rifles and knows how to use it...so she is more than capable of fending for herself.
She blames a land baron (Gene Evans) for pop's death and decides to get revenge. While this is going on, Stanwyck meets an undercover agent (Ronald Reagan) who is in the area investigating a series of crimes. He is attracted to her, and it's obvious that he will gradually fill the void left since pop died. However, she is not initially sure what side of the law he's on.
Fortunately the film doesn't bog down too much with romance added into the mix. Reagan and Stanwyck keep things moving along and bring out the best in each other. It was said that Reagan enjoyed working with Stanwyck immensely. She had previously costarred with his wife Nancy in EAST SIDE WEST SIDE (1949).
Stanwyck and her ex-husband Robert Taylor were close pals of the Reagans and shared similar political views. Apparently, when Reagan was about to leave the White House, the last film he screened as president during his final week in office in January 1989, was CATTLE QUEEN OF MONTANA.
One of the subplots in CATTLE QUEEN involves a group of natives led by a guy named Colorados (Lance Fuller) who befriends Stanwyck's character. This relationship in the film is rather progressive...the idea is to show their friendship go beyond the lines...that neither side is a species separate from the other. Of course, most of the natives we see are still presented a bit stereotypically in the movie, speaking broken English and showing off nice suntans.
In some regards, the unusual friendship between Stanwyck and Fuller is a plot device, so that she has a strong ally when she stands up to Evans. We watch her feud with Evans escalate, since she still holds him responsible for her father being slaughtered and for her land being taken away from her.
Of course we know Stanwyck will win her fight against Evans-- or else she won't be the queen of Montana. She will eventually settle down to a life of happiness...but there are still several issues to be resolved. One of the more interesting ones is how Stanwyck's character is perceived as rebellious and as a non-conformist by the local townspeople.
When she and her native pal go into town, the residents are nearly scandalized to see them together. These scenes give us a much-needed break from the land war occurring out on the range. It's interesting to see how Stanwyck lacks support from the other women in her community, which only reinforces her determination to be one of the boys in order to succeed.