Randolph Scott plays Jim Dancer, a member of Quantrill’s raiders (spelled Quantrell in the opening credits) who finds himself a wanted man after the end of the Civil War. He’s eventually caught by a detective named Cummings. But when Cummings dies in a river crossing, Dancer sees an opportunity for a fresh start. He tells the passers-by who find him that the dead man is Dancer and that he’s Cummings.
He immediately quits the detective job, of course. Months later, he finds himself in Lanyard, Kansas, where he wins a gunfight after a rowdy cowboy known for being quick with a gun. He’s offered a marshal’s job and accepts at the urging of the partners of a local gambling house — David Oldham (Victor Jory) and Florence Peel (Jane Nigh) — who suspect his true identity.
Dancer agrees to take the job, even though the town is run by Bert Slocum, the man who killed his brother during the war; and the home of Evelyn Slocum, whose father Dancer killed during the raid on Lawrence, Kansas, in an attempt to avenge his brother’s death.
Dancer manages to clean up Lanyard in relatively short order. But for how long can he hide his true identity? And what will happen when Slocum gets greedy and decides to start stringing barbed wire around the town in an attempt to extort more money from the cattlemen and the business owners in Lanyard.
Review:
Wow, the script writers didn’t worry about a high plausibility factor when they wove this tale of one unlikely coincidence after another. And they didn’t stop weaving until the very end when they present the most well-timed coincidences of all.
As a result … well, let’s just say this isn’t one of Scott’s more memorable Westerns. It is notable for a couple of debuts, however.
It marked the first credited role for Dale Robertson, who plays Jesse James and shows up in two scenes over the course of the film. And it marked the film debut for Joan Taylor, who’d wind up being cast as an Indian maiden in several Westerns to come and closed out her career in the 1960s with a recurring role in The Rifleman.
As for the rest of the cast, Bill Williams plays a trigger-happy deputy named Johnny Trancred who had his eyes on the marshal’s badge before Dancer/Cummins came along; and Victor Jory plays a sympathetic character for once.
Directed by:
Edwin L. Marin
Cast:
Randolph Scott … Jim Dancer
Bill Williams … Johnny Tancred
Victor Jory … Dave Oldham
Jane Nigh … Florence Peel
Douglas Kennedy … Ken Vedder
Joan Taylor … Evelyn Slocum
Barry Kelly … Bert Slocum
James Todd … Paul Hobson
Dale Robertson … Jesse James
Berry Kroeger … Cliff Bailey
Rhys Williams … Chandler Leach
James Todd … Hobson
Paul Fix … Yancey
James Millican … Cummings
Runtime: 94 min.
Memorable lines:
Lanyard town leader: “We want the Texas men to bring their cattle here, but that doesn’t mean they can shoot up the town. Now go out and stop them.”
Marshal: “My ma didn’t raise no foolish children.”
Town leader: “For the last time marshal, do your duty. Or turn in your badge.”
Marshal: “The marshal’s job is all yours.”
Town leader: “You can’t resign now. That’s just like quitting under fire.”
Marshal, as another shot rings out: “Ain’t it though.”
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