The film begins with three amigos robbing the stage. MacDonald Carey is the oldest -- a leader and bon vivant. William Holden is the younger member, soured on women. William Bendix is the comic sidekick. All three are likable rogues, not averse to being sympathetic and generous to others.
Along the way, they pick up Mona Freeman, who has the role of "bobcat." She's sassy, dresses like a man, and wields a mean rifle. I kept waiting for the transformation in which she showed up in a pretty dress and appealing makeup. The transformation takes place 17 minutes and 22 seconds into the movie.
During a chase by the villainous Alfonso Bedoya ("Gold Hat" in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre") Carey is separated from the other two and strikes out as an outlaw on his own, until he tries to hold up a stagecoach carrying Holden and Bendix and guarded by Texas Rangers. MacDonald is subdued and stashed in the hoosegow, and Holden and Bendix join the Rangers, hoping to find a way to free Carey.
At some points, the movie turns into the kind of recruitment story that was common during the war years, and I suppose that was the model the tale was built on. The Texas Rangers are an elite outfit who can "ride faster and shoot straighter" than anybody else. They're positively anxious to kill. The wall of Squad D is decorated with photos and pistols of the Rangers who have died in combat. The Captain who swears them in explains that he won't shake their hands until he finds out what kind of men they are. Holden and Bendix try to free their old friend but he decks both of them and gallops off into the sunset. His erstwhile companions get KP as punishment. (Is it familiar yet?) As the tale inspissates, Freeman develops a yen for the flippant Carey, despite Holden's sincere offer of marriage. I don't think I'll describe the ending.
As is apparent, this isn't an outstanding Western by any means. It's full of stereotypes. Yet, as color Westerns from 1949 go, it's above average because some of the acting is quite good and the ambiguity of the relationships adds an extra dimension. I mean, yes, Carey turns into a bad guy, a murderer, but throughout, he's LIKABLE. The bond between the three men is palpable. Carey's desire to link up with the other two is genuine until it becomes clearly impossible. It's rather more than a simple good guy versus bad guy movie. In his Westerns of the 40s and 50s, Randolph Scott was always the "good guy," sometimes to the point of boredom. But this story reminds me of his best, "Ride the High Country," where we're never quite sure about the character's intentions. Adults may enjoy it more than the kids.
Along the way, they pick up Mona Freeman, who has the role of "bobcat." She's sassy, dresses like a man, and wields a mean rifle. I kept waiting for the transformation in which she showed up in a pretty dress and appealing makeup. The transformation takes place 17 minutes and 22 seconds into the movie.
During a chase by the villainous Alfonso Bedoya ("Gold Hat" in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre") Carey is separated from the other two and strikes out as an outlaw on his own, until he tries to hold up a stagecoach carrying Holden and Bendix and guarded by Texas Rangers. MacDonald is subdued and stashed in the hoosegow, and Holden and Bendix join the Rangers, hoping to find a way to free Carey.
At some points, the movie turns into the kind of recruitment story that was common during the war years, and I suppose that was the model the tale was built on. The Texas Rangers are an elite outfit who can "ride faster and shoot straighter" than anybody else. They're positively anxious to kill. The wall of Squad D is decorated with photos and pistols of the Rangers who have died in combat. The Captain who swears them in explains that he won't shake their hands until he finds out what kind of men they are. Holden and Bendix try to free their old friend but he decks both of them and gallops off into the sunset. His erstwhile companions get KP as punishment. (Is it familiar yet?) As the tale inspissates, Freeman develops a yen for the flippant Carey, despite Holden's sincere offer of marriage. I don't think I'll describe the ending.
As is apparent, this isn't an outstanding Western by any means. It's full of stereotypes. Yet, as color Westerns from 1949 go, it's above average because some of the acting is quite good and the ambiguity of the relationships adds an extra dimension. I mean, yes, Carey turns into a bad guy, a murderer, but throughout, he's LIKABLE. The bond between the three men is palpable. Carey's desire to link up with the other two is genuine until it becomes clearly impossible. It's rather more than a simple good guy versus bad guy movie. In his Westerns of the 40s and 50s, Randolph Scott was always the "good guy," sometimes to the point of boredom. But this story reminds me of his best, "Ride the High Country," where we're never quite sure about the character's intentions. Adults may enjoy it more than the kids.