Colt .45 (1950)

Randolph Scott plays Steve Farrell, a Colt. 45 salesman who has a pair of the new six-shooters stolen from him.

And with a few choice words, the thief has everyone suspecting that Farrell was in on his jail break.

That thief — Jason Brett (Zachary Scott) — uses his newfound firepower to unleash terror in the southwest, holding up miners, stagecoaches and framing the local Indians for some of his murders.

Farrell sets out after Brett in hopes of recovering his guns and restoring the manufacturer’s good name.

Farrell, in cahoots with the sheriff of Bonanza Creek, has a plan to get even richer than the robberies are making him by taking over the town.

Ruth Roman is Beth Donovan, the film’s damsel in distress. The 45 Gang has taken over her home as a hideout; she thinks she’s complying with Brett’s every wish to save the life of her husband (Lloyd Bridges as Paul Donovan).

She eventually learns that he’s part of the gang, too, and finds a better man in Steve Farrell.

Randolph Scott as Steve Farrell, determined to recover two Colt .45 pistols Jason Brett has been using for a crime spree in Colt .45 (1950)

Zachary Scott as Jason Brett, watching his gang chase down an ambushed stagecoach in Colt .45 (1950)

Review:

Contrived fluff, though there’s certainly no shortage of action crammed into the film’s short runtime. These Colt .45s are apparently the only six-shooters around, though the film looks to be set in the post-Civil War era.

After Farrell saves the life of their chief, the Indians are always around, bailing him out of one jam after another. Chief Thundercloud has to pull off some of the silliest lines you’ll find in a 1950s Western. Example: “Big chief always take own scalp. We stay here.”

There’s lots of other silliness. But in spite of it all, this film was a hit back in 1950.

That said, Randolph Scott ambles through the film with ease, and Zachery Scott turns in a demonic performance as a weasel made powerful by the two six-shooters he holds in his hands.

Ruth Roman as Beth Donovan, the woman who sides with Steve Farrell after learning her husband’s true motives in Colt .45 (1950)

Lloyd Bridges as Paul Donovan, plotting to get rich with the help of outlaw Jason Brett in Colt .45 (1950)

Directed by:
Edwin Marin

Cast:
Randolph Scott … Steve Farrell
Zachary Scott … Jason Brett
Ruth Roman …Beth Donovan
Lloyd Bridges … Paul Donovan
Alan Hale … Sheriff Harris
Chief Thundercloud … Walking Bear
Ian MacDonald … Miller
Charles Evans … Redrock sheriff
Walter Coy … Carl
Luther Crockett … Judge Tucker

Runtime: 70 min.

Randolph Scott as Steve Farrell and Chief Thundercloud as Walking Bear, working together during a showdown with Jason Brett’s men in Colt .45 (1950)

Alan Hale as Sheriff Harris, offering Steve Farrell a deputy’s badge, which he accepts, in Colt .45 (1950)

Memorable lines:

Farrell to Indian chief: “Chief, you almost lost top hair.”

Beth Donovan, to her husband about Jason Brett: “He’s an animal. You should have seen him behind those guns today. I think he kills just to see men die.”

Paul Donovan: “You can buy the best woman with gold. She won’t care where it comes from.”

Walking Bear to Farrell: “Dead enemies is the best way to peace.”

Luther Crockett as Judge Tucker, trying to convince townsfolk not to turn into a lynch mob in Colt .45 (1950)

Randolph Scott as Steve Farrell, about to be accused of a murder he didn’t commit in Colt .45 (1950)

Steve Farrell, raving about the new Colt .45: “The finest gun ever made. Here’s law and order in six-finger doses. Easy to load, and as durable as your mother-in-law.”

Steve Farrell, marveling at the sheriff’s inability to find volunteers to serve on a posse: “Grow big men in this country, don’t you sheriff?”
Sheriff Harris: “They’re pockets are so full of profits, they can’t get up off their hind legs.”

Jason Brett, to one of his men: “Pour yourself some backbone and shut up.”

Beth Donovan: “There’s another pair of .45’s out there now. And a better man.”

Ruth Roman as Beth Donovan with husband Paul (Lloyd Bridges), who pretends to be in danger from outlaw Jason Brett in Colt .45 (1950)

Zachary Scott as Jason Brett, held back by one of his men during a fit of anger with Sheriff Harris in Colt .45 (1950)

Alan Hale as Sheriff Harris, a lawman in on the thievery with the Jason Brett gang in Colt .45 (1950)

Randolph Scott as Steve Farrell, a man looking to break up the Jason Brett gang in Colt .45 (1950)