Bruce Bennett is “Bull” Herrick, a man left in a wheelchair following an accident and a man with an odd notion for how to protect his herd of 6,000 cattle.
He’s going to hire two new foremen — Hank Hayes (Richard Boone) and Heesman (Peter Graves). They’re the leaders of rival outlaw gangs.
Herrick figures they will go at all lengths to protect the herd, if only to keep the other side from cashing in by rustling his cattle.
Then Helen Herrick (Sylvia Findley), Bull’s sister, arrives on the scene. She scoffs at his idea; she’d prefer he forget about cattle and travel back east with her to see specialists who might help him walk again.
She winds up under the protective care of “Tex” (George Montgomery), a new member of Hayes’ gang who likes neither women or whiskey.
Of course, Helen will eventually test that first dislike.
Herrick’s plan works, but only for a while. Then the outlaw leaders decide to work together and rustle the cattle little by little … until someone tips off Helen and she starts looking for a buyer for the herd.
Then Hayes and Heesman decide to act quickly. And when they rustle the herd, Hayes kidnaps Helen as well. He has special plans for her.
George Montgomery as ‘Tex’, aka Jim Hall, stepping into the middle of a feud between rival gangs in Robbers’ Roost (1955)
Sylvia Findley as Helen Herrick, trying to figure out why ‘Tex’ seems different than the other guns her brother has hired in Robbers’ Roost (1955)
Review:
Montgomery headlined better and worse Westerns. Once you get past the ridiculous premise of a rancher hiring outlaws to protect his herd, the film presents enough plot hitches to keep things interesting.
For instance, just when Helen begins trusting Tex, she spots a poster indicated he’s wanted for murder. And rich townsman Robert Bell offers Bull a way out of his financial troubles. hen again, he wants Helen for a wife in return.
All of it leads up to a final three-sided shoot-out amidst dangerous looking terrain in Durango, Mexico, with Helen and Tex on one side, Hayes and his men on the other and Heesman and his gang trying to horn in on the action. Oh, and a posse is in hot pursuit as well.
This marked just one of two films for Sylvia Findley. The other was 1954’s “Black Tuesday,” a gangster film that also included Peter Graves in its cast.
Richard Boone as Hank Hayes, taking time out from romancing a saloon girl to recruit a new fast gun for his gang in Robbers’ Roost (1955)
Peter Graves as Heesman, taking a job as foreman on the Herrick spread knowing he’s going to try to steal the herd in Robbers’ Roost (1955)
Directed by:
Sidney Salkow
Cast:
George Montgomery … ‘Tex’ / Jim Hall
Richard Boone … Hank Hayes
Sylvia Findley … Helen Herrick
Bruce Bennett … “Bull” Herrick
Peter Graves … Heesman
Tony Romano … Happy Jack
Warren Stevens … Smokey
William Hopper … Robert Bell
Stanley Clements … Chuck
Leo Gordon … Jeff
Runtime: 83 min.
Bruce Bennett as ‘Bull’ Herrick, the cripple rancher who hires rival outlaw gangs to watch over his herd in Robbers’ Roost (1955)
William Hopper as Robert Bell, the man who would help Herrick hang onto his ranch for a price — Helen’s hand in marriage — in Robbers’ Roost (1955)
Memorable lines:
Tex to Hank Hayes: “I never shot a man just because I had a chance to.”
Hayes: “Me, I work on the opposite principle, and I’ll live longer than you.”
Hayes, about Heesman: “The leather on your boots ain’t safe with him around.”
Helen Herrick: “Is it too late to thank you for what you did the other day?”
Tex: “Maybe it’s too soon.”
Tex to his fellow outlaws, after Helen Herrick has tricked Happy Jack out of his gun: “Maybe now you’ll believe me. She hates our guts. Don’t ever forget it when she puts on that charm for you. And she’s got plenty of it.”
Outlaw gang member: “Yeah, more than a loaded Wells Fargo safe.”
George Montgomery as ‘Tex’, about to settle a dispute with the help of his fast draw in Robbers’ Roost (1955)
Warren Stevens as Smoky, about to learn why it isn’t wise to pull a gun on ‘Tex’ in Robbers’ Roost (1955)
Leo Gordon as Jeff, a gang member for Hayes, about to learn the danger in insulting ‘Tex’ (George Montgomery) in Robbers’ Roost (1955)
George Montgomery as ‘Tex’ and Sylvia Findley as Helen Herrick survey her crippled brother’s herd in Robbers’ Roost (1955)
){kind=link}