Joel McCrea is Joe Cord, a cattle drive boss who’s just served five years in prison and gets a rude welcome upon his return to the town of Hamilton.
In fact, the good folks of Hamilton, led by one-armed Tom Povis, have tied him to a horse and are dragging him up and down Hamilton’s main street.
Seems five years earlier, his trail crew went crazy in the town, crippling one man and killing another. A third man — the cattle baron after whom the town is named — was blinded.
Now Cord has served his time and is back, summoned by Ralph Hamilton (Don Haggerty) to lead a large herd on a desperation drive designed to save the town from financial ruin.
At first, Cord has every intention of double crossing Hamilton. First, he requests that the men who dragged him through town serve as cowpokes during the drive so he can humiliate them.
Then he plots with a rival trail boss named Garth to lead the Hamilton herd to a dry river bed.
Hamilton hears the rumbling and the speculation about what Cord is up to. But he’s confident that even if Cord could do such a thing to the people of Hamilton to get even, he’d never lead a herd of cattle to their destruction.
Also along on the cattle drive is Sandy Jeffrey (Gloria Talbott), a young girl who idolizes Cord in spite of it all and dreams of a future with him; and Janice Hamilton (Phyllis Coates), Ralph’s wife and Cord’s former lover. They were engaged at one point and she still has feelings for him.
Joel McCrea as John Cord, a man who reluctantly agrees to drive an old enemy’s cattle to market in Cattle Empire (1958)
Don Haggerty as Ralph Hamilton, a rancher blinded when cattle hands were cut lose on the town that bears his name in Cattle Empire (1958)
Review:
Unusual opening and plot makes for a slightly better than average Western, though given McCrea’s on-screen persona, the outcome is rather predictable.
Richard Shannon plays Garth, the rival cattle rancher who would love to rename the town of Hamilton as Garthville once he ruins all the other ranchers. One of the more interesting twists in the film is what happens to his herd. Let’s just say he thinks too much.
Then there’s the scene about what really happened on that wild night in Hamilton. It’s the films other major twist.
Like many a cattle drive quickie, this is loaded with stock footage, but at least it’s better matching than most.
Phyllis Coates as Janice Hamitlon, waiting for her orders as the cattle drive begins in Cattle Empire (1958)
Gloria Talbott as Sandy, the girl who has idolized John Cord since she was young and now loves him in Cattle Empire (1958)
Directed by:
Charles Marquis Warren
Cast:
Joel McCrea … John Cord
Gloria Talbott … Sandy Jeffrey
Don Haggerty … Ralph Hamilton
Phyllis Coates … Janice Hamilton
Bing Russell ….Douglas Hamilton
Paul Brinegar … Tom Jefferson Jeffrey
Richard Shannon … Garth
Charles H. Gray … Tom Powis
Patrick O’Moore … Rex Cogswell
Duane Grey … Juan Aruzza
William McGrew … Jim Whittaker
Jack Lomas … Sheriff Brewster
Runtime: 82 min.
Bing Russell as Douglas Hamilton, younger brother of Ralph and mistrusting of John Cord in Cattle Empire (1958)
Charles H. Gray (left) as Tom Povis, suspicious of John Cord’s motivations in Cattle Empire (1958)
Memorable lines:
Janice Hamilton, tending the injured John Cord: “Lie down, John, or you’re going to get dirt fever.”
Janice Hamilton, when John Cord tries to kiss her: “You think after what you did to Ralph you can walk in here and help yourself to his wife?”
John Cord: “You used to wear my ring. Should be my privilege to kiss the bride.”
Janice: “When a man blinds another man, he loses his privileges.”
Douglas Hamilton: “I hate you so much it burns my guts. But if you have to see all of us Hamiltons crawl, I’ll crawl too.”
Richard Shannon as Garth, the rival rancher who wants to get his herd to market first in Cattle Empire (1958)
Duane Grey as Juan Aruzz, the man whose vaqueros will help on the cattle drive in Cattle Empire (1958)
John Cord, after one of his enemies has said his peace as the cattle drive begins: “Anybody else itchin’ to make a speech?”
Ralph Hamilton, when other member of the cattle drive suggest John Cord “is out to ruin us”: “Maybe, but he won’t be able to go through with it. Trail driving is his life. It’s what he was born for. It might be in him to destroy us, but not the cattle. Not the cattle.”
John Cord to Garth: “I don’t know how to lead 5,000 head of cattle to their death, no matter how I feel about the people who own them.”
Garth, who has his own herd on the move: “That’s mighty noble of you. Somebody should write a ballad about you. What am I supposed to do? Fold my arms and let you pass me?”
Joel McCrea as John Cord with the woman who was once his girl, Phyllis Coates as Janice, in Cattle Empire (1958)
Joel McCrea as John Cord, enjoying a drink with old friends Thomas Jefferson Jeffrey (Paul Brinegar, middle) and George Washington Jeffrey (Hal K. Dawson) in Cattle Empire (1958)
Don Haggerty as Ralph Hamilton and Bing Russell as his brother Douglas, pinning their hopes on John Cord’s trustworthiness in Cattle Empire (1958)
Joel McCrea as John Cord, on the watch for Garth and his men as a climatic showdown looms in Cattle Empire (1958)
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