James Stewart plays Grant McLaine, a down-on-his-luck cowpoke who plays the accordion for nickels and dimes. He used to be a railroad detective, but was fired because his boss thought he was in cahoots with an outlaw known as the Utica Kid (Audie Murphy), who just happens to be his brother.
Well, a gang led by Whitey Harbin (Dan Duryea) has been swiping railroad payrolls. With no one else to turn to, rail boss Ben Kimball summons McLaine. He takes the job. In this case, Kimball wants him to personally carry the payroll money, figuring no one would expect to find it on a man once fired by the very same railroad.
The ploy works. When the gang attempts to rob the train, the money is nowhere to be found. But Harbin decides to take Kimball’s wife Verna (Elaine Stewart) as hostage until the money can be delivered to him.
Verna is a woman McLaine once hoped to marry. But there’s another complication. Turns out the Harbin gang includes none other than the Utica Kid. Suddenly, McLaine has a chance to regain his good name and convince his brother to go straight.
Review:
Well done, with plenty of subplots to keep things interesting. In addition to Elaine Stewart as Verna Kimball, the cast includes Dianne Foster as “Charlie,” who hopes to marry the Utica Kid, if he would ever settle down.
Brandon De Wilde — who played the young boy in “Shane” — has a neat role as a youngster who hangs out with Whitey’s gang. He idolizes the Utica Kid. McLaine tries to put the youngster on the right track, as if to correct his inability to do the same for his brother.
Stewart reportedly liked this role because it gave him an opportunity to show off his musical skills — he sings two numbers, “Follow the River” and “You Can’t Get No Where Without the Railroad.” Also features nice climatic gun battle at a mining camp.
Directed by:
James Neilson
Cast:
James Stewart … Grant McLaine
Audie Murphy … The Utica Kid
Dan Duryea … Whitey Harbin
Dianne Foster … Charlotte Drew
Elaine Stewart … Verna Kimball
Brandon De Wilde … Joey Adams
Jay Flippen … Ben Kimbell
Jack Elam … Shotgun
Herbert Anderson … Will Renner
Robert J. Wilke … Concho
Tommy Cook … Howdy Sladen
Paul Fix … Mr. Feeney
Olive Carey … Miss Vittles
James Flavin … Tim Riley
Runtime: 92 min.
Title tune: “Follow the River”
Memorable lines:
Tim Riley, as a brawl breaks out: “This is the tune your father used to play to keep peace in the house?”
Grant McLaine, putting away his accordion: “I guess I must have squeezed out a couple of wrong notes.”
Grant McLaine to Verna Kimball, on why he doesn’t wonder about what would have happened had they married: “A man likes to know his woman will back him when he’s down. And you didn’t. Ben called me a thief. You went right along with him. It’s as simple as that.”
Grant McLaine to Charlotte Drew: “For five years, I’ve been playing that thing (an accordion) for nickels and dimes that men threw into a hat. For five years, the Utica Kid has been laughing. I may have been wrong, Charlie. I’m not going to make the same mistake twice.”
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