Anthony George plays Juan Morales, a young man stranded after his horse breaks its leg. He hitches a ride to the stage station, but his timing is oh-so-unfortunate.
Three bandits have just attempted a stage holdup; the deputy sheriff is wounded and near death. And a stranger who happens to be Mexican makes a perfect suspect in the eyes of Sheriff Daniel Harris.
Morales’ situation goes from bad to worse. One of the stage passengers, Pike (George Macready), was the mastermind behind the holdup. He gives Morales two choices: be identified as one of the bandits or escape from the stage station with the payroll so they can meet up later to split the loot.
Backed into a corner, Morales chooses the latter option and makes his escape with the help of Cheel (Vera Ralston). She’s an employee at the stage station who believes in his innocence. Not to mention the fact that they’ve fallen in love in a heartbeat.
So Juan and Cheel make off with the money, with a posse on their heels. They shake the posse, but can’t shake Pike and his two partners in crime, Leder and Scully.
Review:
A cheapie B Western with a message. Anthony George’s Juan is accused of being part of the stage robbery because he’s a Mexican. Macready’s Pike is never suspected as being part of the gang because he’s a well-dressed white man. Yet it’s Pike who nearly succeeds in turning Juan into an outlaw.
Unfortuntely, this director and cast, given this script, can’t pull off a film capable of keeping a viewer’s interest, let alone deliver an effective message about racism in the Old West.
This marked the only starring role in a film for Anthony George, who’d later make his living in TV crime dramas and soap operas. It marked the final Western for Vera Ralston, who would make just two more films.
And this isn’t one of her most memorable Western roles. One kiss and she’s in love with Juan. One look at the money he’s fleeing with, and she spends the rest of the film brooding and trying to fend off the unwanted advances of Leder, another member of the outlaw gang.
Directed by:
Joseph Kane
Cast:
Anthony George … Juan Morales
Vera Ralston … Cheel
George Macready … Pike (Mr. Jefferson)
Barry Kelley … Sheriff Harris
John Doucette … Leder
George Keymaa … Scully
Chubby Johnson … Samuel
Glenn Strange … Matt
Dan White … Fred Moran
Steve Warren … Ed Stewart
Chuck Hicks … Deputy
Sarah Selby … Bessie Moran
Joe Yrigoyen … Bill
Runtime: 70 min.
Memorable line:
Sheriff Harris: “I ain’t givin’ any Mex who thinks he’s tough the benefit of the doubt. I’ve met his kind before; I’ve got no use for them.”
Pike to Juan: “The first half decent town we get to, I’m going to show you some real women. You’re lucky Morales. There isn’t always a reason to get rid of them.”
Juan: “I’m not going to leave Cheel.”
Pike: “No woman is worth the trouble it takes to boot them out of the house. What do you want to get messed up with any of them for? Take ’em or leave ’em. Never camp in the same place twice, Juanny.”
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