Rocky Mountain Mystery (1935) User Reviews

Combining The Genres

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 8 July 2007]

Randolph Scott at this point in his career when he wasn't doing other films was learning the western genre in a series of films that Paramount's B unit was doing from Zane Grey novels. In this particular one, Rocky Mountain Mystery, Grey tried his hand at a detective story and skilfully combined the genres.

Randy's a mining engineer, but he's turning amateur sleuth to find out what's happened to his brother-in-law, who no one has heard from. Upon arriving at the scene he meets deputy sheriff Chic Sale who's investigating the murder of the owner of a mine. The two of them decide to join forces.

The film is set in the contemporary west, at least the contemporary west of when Zane Grey wrote the story. There's reference to Chic Sale's son killed in the Great War and how Scott reminds him of his late son. When these two arrive at the mine, there's a lot of interesting people living there.

As it turns out there's quite an intricate scheme working there of which the homicide is only one aspect. I wish this film had been given a bigger budget and the A treatment because the film had potential.

Young Ann Sheridan is the female lead, this is probably one of her first films in that regard, she'd be signed by Warner Brothers next year.

However the important reason to see the film is the appearance of one of the great stage stars of the last centuries and notorious personalities. Mrs. Leslie Carter (and that's how she was billed) has the role of family matriarch of the clan at the mine and even in her old age you can tell what a beauty she was back then. Her acting is also decent, no exaggerated stage mannerisms from back in her day when she learned her craft from David Belasco.

Her divorce from her husband was one of the great scandals of the day. Divorce back in her time was scandalous in and of itself. She was left penniless by the divorce, but Belasco seeking to capitalize on her notoriety, took her under his wing and trained her in the thespian arts. People exploiting their celebrity, some things never change. You can see her story in the film, The Lady With Red Hair starring Miriam Hopkins and Claude Rains.

By the way she was billed under her former married name to take advantage of the fact that was how the public knew her and to stick it to her ex.

Even without Mrs. Leslie Carter, Rocky Mountain Mystery is a decent film, I wish had been given better production values by Paramount.

Early Ann Sheridan

[Randy_D · 7/10 · 1 August 2001]

My primary interest in seeing this movie was to catch an early appearance by 'Sheridan, Ann' (qv) where she actually appears in a few scenes and not just in a bit part. She does a nice job with this early effort but is hampered by some fairly clunky dialog. I'd dare any actress to make this dialog come alive, never mind one who is just starting out.

Aside from Miss Sheridan, Randolph Scott is good as the lead but he is also a victim of a story, and script, that doesn't have much to offer. But at a running time of only an hour and combined with an early glimpse of a future star, there are worse ways you could spend an hour.

Aloha to Randy and Ann

[weezeralfalfa · 6/10 · 15 April 2012]

This story much reminds me of the later John Wayne-starring western murder mystery "Tall in the Saddle" Like Wayne, Randy shows up unexpectedly from far away, with an oblique interest in the case, but becomes the main driving force in pursuing the identity of the killer. Like Wayne, Randy has two beautiful young women indirectly involved in the case, and we assume that he will wind up with one of them. See the movie to discover the meaning of my title.

Interesting that a rare radium mine, rather than the usual gold or silver mine, was chosen as the story location and property of interest for the heirs to fight over. Less than a pound of radium/year was mined in the US at this time. As indicated in the film, it did fetch top dollar, being a transient radioactive breakdown product of uranium, and thus being extra hazardous to mine, as well as present in only minute amounts in the ore.

Unless you are paying close attention, the identity of all the relations of the two old owner partners of the mine can be confusing. Thus, here is a rundown: Adolf Borg and Jim Ballard are the two partners, with Ballard the senior member, and Borg sometimes referred to as his caretaker. Adolf is the murdered man, while Jim is bed-ridden, claiming he is dying of some terminal condition. Thus, the kin of both have been called to Ballard's house, next to the mine, waiting to hear what portion of the mine they will inherit when he dies. Ballard has no children, only a divorced wife who hasn't seen him in decades. Thus, his only relatives are two nieces:Rita and Flora, and a nephew:Fritz. None of these had ever met Ballard before, as he is a very reclusive person. Also present are Mrs. Borg and her son John, as well as the Chinaman servant of Ballard:Ling Yat. Randy is present as the newly hired mining engineer for the mine, replacing his brother in law, Jack Parsons. The latter is the officially suspected murderer, but Randy discounts him as a suspect. Also present is Tex Murdock, the newly appointed deputy sheriff of this region: an eccentric old coot, who joins Randy in trying to solve the case. Mrs. Ballard doesn't show up until rather late in the story, and only at Randy's request. Yes, it all sounds highly contrived.

Now, several strange things happen. The body, kept under a sheet in a back room of Borg's cottage, vanishes.(No one present, except presumably those who lived on the property prior to the murder, has seen the body). Flora and Fritz are found murdered in separate incidents, with Fritz's head crushed by the ore stamping machine, similar to the death of Adolf. Randy just barely escapes a similar fate. That's enough clues. You figure out what's going on, or see the film to find out the answer. Would have been poetic justice if the guilty had been also crushed by that ore stamper but he/she meets another fate.

Kathleen Burke, who played the murdered Flora Ballard, was a striking exotic beauty, especially her eyes. Her main claim to fame in Hollywood was as the cat woman in the dark science fiction film of 1933 :"Island of Lost Souls". She was chosen from a nationwide search of thousands of young women. Her Hollywood career would last only a few more years.

'Chic' Sale, who played the old coot Tex Murdock, was a noted ex-vaudevillian comedian and current film character actor, specializing in tottering old men 20-40 years older than his 45-50 years. It's not hard to imagine him making an excellent Ben Gunn, as he did in the '30s version of "Treasure Island". Unfortunately, he would die of pneumonia only a year or two after this film was made. Otherwise, I'm sure we would have seen him in many more films of the late '30s and '40s.

Willie Fung, who played the Chinaman, had a 20 year Hollywood career. Handsome Howard Wilson, who played the murdered Fritz, had a very short Hollywood career. Mrs. Lesie Carter was mainly a stage actress, with only a few film roles. She would be the subject of a film a few years later: "The Lady with the Red Hair", based on her biography. Of course, Ann Sheridan, would go on to have a substantial film career.

This film is currently available on DVD as part of a very cheap package of some of Scott's lesser known westerns.

The Stamping Mill

[boblipton · 7/10 · 25 July 2019]

Randolph Scott is a mining engineer, with a letter to a dying mine owner, who has radium on his property. He meets deputy sheriff Chic Sales, who's trying to figure out what happened to an unidentified body. Scott goes on, and meets the bedridden George Marion, and his family, gathered around for his death. Then they start dying... and the will says that if they predecease him, their shares go to the survivors; they begin dying and disappearing, leaving Sales and Scott to figure out who is killing them.

It's a very good mystery, one of the Zane Grey westerns that Paramount was producing in this period, with some nice location shooting near Big Bear Lake, and a large stamping mill that portends a nice melodramatic ending. Sales has never been better, and it's hardly surprising, because there are some nice, long-lived performers for him to compete with: not only Marion, but Florence Roberts in a small role, and Mrs. Leslie Carter in a large one.

Charles Barton would not rank as anyone's idea of a great director, but he handles his cast and the settings very nicely, for a nice, creepy movie.

Slightly Better Than Average 30s Western

[clark-9 · 6/10 · 24 June 2001]

This is definitely a "B" type western, but Randolph Scott does his normal star role as Randolph Scott. "Chic" Sale's performance as the "old timer" is very entertaining, the plot is decent, and everything moves along. Some interesting little add ins, like the two dogs. You can also see Ann Sheridan before she learned to act.

All in all a little better than average for this era.

Some Good Novel Touches

[dougdoepke · 11 April 2019]

Wow, that stamping machine that pounds raw ore into dust may be the star of the show. It's scary as heck as a few unfortunates find out. The plot's an okay whodunit, taking place in modern age boondocks, sort of a mixture of six-guns and Ford flivvers. Then too, how about those run-down shacks and interiors, including the monster ore house that's a real eye-catcher. These amount to real old movie oddities.

Cast-wise, there's a sneaky family of suspects to choose from, with Mrs. Borg looking like Frankenstein's mother as the likeliest candidate. Too bad Scott-- still early in his outstanding career-- has little more to do than stand around like a handsome hunk. In short, he's wasted. Instead it's Chic Sale who gets the screen time for a series of mostly amusing antics as a deputy sheriff, no less. Whether his role appeals to viewers, however, is likely a matter of taste. Also, should mention Ann Sheridan as the sweet ingénue, still a long way from the sassy hussies she perfected over at Warner Bros.

Anyway, the plot may not be anything special, but many of the visuals are, thanks to what the pro's call "mise-en-scene". Then too, I'm glad Scott went on from his near nothing role here to the great Boetticher westerns of the 50's and 60's. So, all in all, give this novelty a try.

The doors creak, but the movie creaks louder.

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 26 September 2011]

"The Old Dark House" has moved from Wales to the west coast of the United States, and Randolph Scott shows up in the middle of a murder investigation. It seems that the relatives of a dying patriarch (who hires Scott to work in his laboratory) have gathered around, waiting for the old coot to die. But one by one, members of the family start to drop dead themselves. As always happens in these films, the hero (Scott) falls in love with one of the more innocent members of the family, and in this case, that heroine is none other than Ann Sheridan, the future "Oomph Girl" in one of her first major roles. Several years off from beginning to shine as one of Warner Brothers' top actresses of the late 1930's and 40's, Sheridan had yet to show her potential, but what made her movie star material is evident. Scott, seen the same year in the Astaire/Rogers musical "Roberta", moved between "A" films and low-grade western/action films. Even though he's seen through most of the films in chaps, this isn't really a western, in spite of its setting.

In the supporting cast, "Chic" Sale adds some amusement as the self-sworn in sheriff, while stage actress Mrs. Leslie Carter makes a rare screen appearance as the family matriarch. Coming off like Eva Moore in "The Old Dark House", Carter would be much better off five years later when Miriam Hopkins played her in Warner's biopic "The Lady With Red Hair". Her acting here is best described as something out of the gaslight era, overly dramatic and unintentionally campy. Willie Fung, as usual, is typecast as the effeminate servant.

There are some interesting developments in the slow-moving and creaky pacing, particularly the contraption used in several of the demises. Otherwise, the film is entirely forgettable, and strictly for fans of the "Z" budget bottom of the bill programmers or for fans who want to see Scott and Sheridan early in their career.

mystery/western

[disdressed12 · 6/10 · 8 March 2009]

this is a pretty good western.but it's not just a western.it's also a mystery.actually it's probably more of a mystery than a western.it's short clocking in at around 65 minutes,but it's a pretty good movie.it stars Randolph Scott,Anne Sheridan,Kathleen Burke,Florence Roberts,Howard Wilson,Charles 'Chic' Sale,Mrs.Leslie carter,George F. Marion,among others.i thought it was well done.it had a nice atmosphere,and wasn't wholly predictable.the acting was good by all concerned,and the story was interesting,but similar to another western i remember seeing.though i can't recall weather this movie came out before that one or not.by similar story,i don't mean the general outline and formula that most westerns follow.i mean that some of the story details and specifics are similar.regardless,i liked it.for me,The Fighting Westerner is a 6/10

Hmmm....Fightingwesterner's review already says a lot of what I'd like to say.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 23 February 2011]

As you see in Fightingwesterner's review, this is one of those weird western B-movies in which you see all kinds of contemporary items yet the film is set in what seems like the old west! This was actually pretty common back in the 30s and 40s, as Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and many of the other stars of the day made such anachronistic films. My favorite was an Autry film where you see Gene chasing baddies on his horse--and they were driving in a pickup truck! Oddly, audiences of the time loved the films and seemed to look past this weirdness. And, despite "Rocky Mountain Mystery" being another one of these strange films, it was enjoyable.

The film begins with Randolph Scott arriving at the scene of a murder. It seems that a man has been assumed guilty and Scott knows this other man is not the culprit. Along with the goofy Deputy (Chic Sale--who is even more of a crusty old character than the great Gabby Hayes). Together the two work on uncovering the mystery--and it leads to a surprising discovery that it's not one person they are looking for but a group of them! The film is enjoyable--mostly due to Sale's enjoyable over-the-top performance. Yes, he chews the scenery but you can't help but like him. Aside from this, look for a younger and less glamorous Ann Sheridan--before Warner Brothers changed her appearance and style. Worth seeing--particularly if you like B-westerns or mysteries.

Great Early Randolph Scott

[FightingWesterner · 8/10 · 3 August 2009]

Rocky Mountain Mystery exists in that parallel universe where the old west never really ended but continued on well into the nineteen-thirties and forties, usually inhabited by Gene Autry, Roy Rodgers, Tex Ritter, and sometimes even a very young John Wayne.

The characters ride horses, use oil lamps to light their way, and seemingly live a frontier existence under territorial law, all with six-guns on their hips. The viewer either forgets or is unaware that this is supposed to take place in modern times when suddenly the cowboys encounter modern cars, telephones, radio, and electricity. I sometimes wonder if the depression era children who were the films' main audience actually believed the west was really like this.

This is an above average B-western and a great example of what modern experts are calling "horror western" due to their odd plots and sadistic mystery villains. I prefer to call them mystery or suspense westerns.

Rocky Mountain Mystery effectively mixes an Old Dark House plot with frontier themes. It's not as chilling as I'd like but it does have a creepy fiend dressed in black complete with gloves, hat, and cape; a killer that prefers to crush heads in a hydraulic press but isn't afraid to menace a pretty girl with a straight razor either! The ending is quite surprising and well plotted.

"I wouldn't trust that feller, he's got a bad eye."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 18 July 2012]

I would never have figured Randolph Scott and Ann Sheridan in a picture together, much less a Western. At least it's nominally a Western, with it's fair share of mystery elements as hero Larry Sutton (Scott) arrives on the scene as a mining engineer with a penchant for detective work.

I saw this picture under the title "The Fighting Westerner", packaged as part of a two hundred fifty film Western collection by Mill Creek Entertainment. The surprise of the movie in retrospect was the actor Chic Sale portraying Deputy Sheriff Tex Murdock, who I would have sworn was in his Seventies, but a quick check of his bio revealed he was only fifty at the time he made this picture. He died the year after this film's release of pneumonia and something tells me he would have been a cool character to know personally.

If you think about it, the way the villain dispatched his victims here was pretty gruesome. But I have to tell you, that hydraulic press made such a hideous noise I had to lower the volume every time it's power was engaged. At one point, our hero is knocked out and placed strategically under the press to become it's next victim, but if you're attentive, you'll see the 'unconscious' Randolph Scott move his left arm across his chest. Fortunately, he wakes up just in the nick of time to solve the murder mystery and hook up with Ann Sheridan by the end of the story. I did a double take when I saw them under those palm trees, but heck, that made as much sense as anything else in the story.

Fair

[Michael_Elliott · 14 November 2008]

Rocky Mountain Mystery (1935)

** (out of 4)

Randolph Scott stars in this "B" picture, which is based on a story by Zane Grey. In the film Scott has to go to a small mining town where murders are taking place for what appears to be a possible future inheritance. Scott must battle the bad guys, find out who the killer is and romance Ann Sheridan. This is a rather strange film that mixed with Western and Mystery genres together but the end result isn't as good as one would hope. The biggest problem are the incredibly low production values, which usually leaves all the action to one small place. There's never any scope to the film and the low budget doesn't leave much that the cast can do. In fact it seems like the budget is so low that they can't really do much of anything except talk. The mystery itself isn't too interesting but Scott does make the film worth watching. He's certainly not his classic self here but he is good enough for the film. Sheridan is decent in her role but still a little rough around the edges. This was director Barton's third film and of course he's go on to do several Abbott and Costello films. He handles the material here pretty well even though he doesn't have too much to work with.

A Valuable Radium Mine

[StrictlyConfidential · 6/10 · 5 September 2021]

"Rocky Mountain Mystery" was originally released back in 1935.

Anyway - As the story goes - An old mine that may contain a new strike (and is the sight of several murders) has the family of the owner waiting for his demise. A mining engineer arrives to investigate the mine for a possible radium strike and he ends up partnered with an old sheriff's deputy to solve the murders.

Good creepy mystery ranch thriller

[coltras35 · 7/10 · 7 February 2022]

The heirs of the dying owner of a valuable radium mine are being murdered as a mining engineer tries to uncover the killer and clear his cousin's name.

Though set in 1934, this film is set in a western parallel universe with only an automobile at the end giving it away. It's a tautly-strung mystery with an enticing creepy atmosphere, some good characters especially the scary looking Mrs Borg, and that horribly sounding stamping machine. It's quite nail biting at times. Scott, in his early appearance, does well as does the sheriff he helps. It's creaky at times, but that can add to the creepiness.

Charles Barton directs a muse-see movie!

[JohnHowardReid · 9/10 · 11 December 2017]

Randolph Scott (Larry Sutton), Ann Sheridan (Rita Ballard), Charles "Chic" Sale (Deputy Tex Murdock), George F. Marion (James Ballard), Mrs Leslie Carter (Mrs Borg), James C. Eagles (John Borg), Willie Fung (Ling Yat), Kathleen Burke (Flora Ballard), Howard Wilson (Fritz Ballard), Florence Roberts (Mrs Ballard).

Director: CHARLES BARTON. Screenplay: Edward E. Paramore, junior. Adapted by Ethel Doherty from the novel Golden Dreams by Zane Grey. Photography: Archie Stout. Art directors: Hans Dreier and David S. Garber. Music: Rudolph G. Kopp. Producer: Harold Hurley.

Copyright 7 February 1935 by Paramount. U.S. release: 1 March 1935. Australian release: 4 September 1935. Re-released in 1950 by Favorite Films as The Fighting Westerner. Critics' Choice DVD rates 9 out of ten.

NOTES: The first of only two talkies made by the distinguished stage actress, Mrs Leslie Carter ("The American Sarah Bernhardt"), who is the subject of the 1940 movie, "Lady With Red Hair".

COMMENT: This "B" western is a must-see if only for the presence of Mrs Leslie Carter who has a major role which she plays with unforgettable (if somewhat theatrical) gusto. Director Charles Barton was wise enough to indulge her with many close-ups. We wonder if the celebrated red hair is actually a wig, but the important thing is that we see her and hear her. Truly, a theater-lover's heaven.

However, "Rocky Mountain Mystery" has many other features of interest as well. Just take the rest of the cast: George Marion, who starred opposite Garbo in her first talkie, Anna Christie (1930), is great as the crippled mine-owner. Randolph Scott is at his personable best as the hero, playing opposite here the lovely Ann Sheridan. Charles "Chic" Sale, a very popular artist in his day, displays plenty of fire in the serio-comic role of a none too-bright old codger who has been roped in as a deputy sheriff.

Kathleen Burke elicits plenty of sympathy as a brittle but imperiled heiress, while Florence Roberts makes the most of a stand-out scene in she confronts both Mrs. Leslie Carter and then George Marion.

Director Charles Barton not only deftly underscores all the various plot surprises but invests the movie with an overall atmosphere that is truly chilling, assisted here by marvelous art direction, spooky photography, disorienting sound effects, and production values that can only be described as staggering.

The Radium Brand

[tedg · 14 July 2010]

Much of the effort that went into screen writing in the thirties had to do with exploring the role of the detective. Most of that was playing with the detective story. Watching many films from this era is fun just from the experimental nature of the narrative.

This is nominally a western. That is, there are horses, cowboy revolvers and hats. Our hero struts like all the other cowboys busy in other films establishing that genre. He has an honest heart, appears on the scene with no baggage and gets the girl. Otherwise, this is a standard detective story. Because it wants to make the case clear, it features a radium mine, something about as alien from the old west as possible.

Judged as an experiment, it is pretty clever mix of genres. Judged as a detective story, it is slightly more complex than the ordinary. There is misdirection of a kind that seems predicable today but was likely a surprise then. (The murdered man had his face crushed in a mining press, so you know the body is not who it is claimed to be.) There is a surprise conspiracy.

The version I saw had the title "The Fighting Westerner," and I suppose they tried to market this both as a western and a mystery.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

Excellent Mystery set in the West

[oldsenior · 10/10 · 13 July 2005]

I quite enjoyed this movie. Randoph Scott was quite good as the agent sent to investigate things (I can understand how Cary Grant was supposed to be smitten by him at the time). I liked the production values for this 1935 film, it helped me know more about 1935. I enjoyed the story and was mildly taken by surprise as to the "who done-it". The old lady was a "hoot", I understand she was quite an actress in her day and quite a personality also: a movie was made about her and her husband, for some unusual reason. Loved watching Ann Sheridan and all the other actors (seemed like a stage play) who all seemed to have long and interesting careers. Loved the scene in Hawaii for some reason, maybe it tied up all the loose ends, happy ending, etc. I also prefer the "Rocky Mountain Mystery" title as opposed to "The Fighting Westerner" title that I bought.