Vera Ralston is Violet Barton, a young woman with a tawdry past, determined to use her beauty and charm to live a finer life.
She saw her father die in poverty. She saw her mother die when the family was too poor to afford a funeral.
Fleeing trouble in San Antonio, she moves in with her sister Janet in the LaMirada, where she’s determined to change her fortune.
She meets handsome and rich Gregg Delaney (John Carroll) and falls for the roguish casino owner.
She meets his friend, John Beauregard Hale (William Ching), realizes he’s richer yet, and marries him on their first night together.
She cares not that her sister has fallen for the same man. She cares not that she herself really doesn’t love Hale.
He can provide the life she’s always dreamed of. And she can always slip away to meet Delaney when she wants.
What she doesn’t count on is Delaney’s loyalty to Hale. During the Civil War, Hale saved Delaney’s life.
And Delaney made one oath in life that he plans to live up to: Anyone who hurts John Hale will pay a hefty price.
Then trouble comes calling in the form of Violet’s past. Seems the husband she left in jail back in San Antonio has gotten out.
He’s tracked her down. And he never got the divorce he promised because he couldn’t afford it.
Violet knows this: She can’t afford for Henry Vaan to spoil the life of comfort she’s worked so hard to attain.
Vera Ralston as VIolet Barton, determined to become someone’s rich wife in Surrender (1950)
Review:
There’s more romance than Western in this Western. But there are also enough entanglements to keep the viewer entertained.
Violet versus her sister. Violet versus her past. Violet versus the reputation of the Hale family.
Violet versus Delaney, who loves her madly but won’t act on that love out of loyalty to his friend.
And Violet versus Hale, who quickly realizes she married him for his money, not out of love, and takes to the bottle as a result.
Walter Brennan contributes to the proceedings as a tough-talking sheriff who has a soft spot for Hale and a desire to put Delaney behind bars because he’s a scoundrel.
Ralson, wife of studio box Herbert Yates, was never very highly regarded for her acting ability. But here, she makes for a quite convincing gold digger, especially in the early scenes with her sister.
William Ching as John Hale, Vera Ralston as Violet Barton and John Carroll as Gregg Delaney in Surrender (1950)
Directed by:
Allan Dwan
Cast:
Vera Ralston … Violet Barton
John Carroll … Gregg Delaney
Walter Brennan … Sheriff Bill Howard
Francis Lederer … Henry Vaan
William Ching … John Beauregard Hale
Maria Palmer … Janet Barton
Jane Darwell … Molly Hale
Roy Barcroft … Deputy Gerard
Paul Fix … Deputy Williams
Esther Dale … Aunt May
Edward Norris … Wilbur
Howland Chamberlain … Casino manager
Norman Budd … Carson
Nacho Galindo … Gringo
Jeff York … Canning
Mickey Simpson … Pete
Runtime: 90 min.
aka:
The Barton Women
Francis Lederer as Henry Vaan makes an unexpected visit to Violet Barton (Vera Ralston) in Surrender (1950)
Memorable lines:
Janet Barton, when her sister refuses to return a bracelet bought with stolen money, even when the man who bought if for her is caught: “Honestly, Vi, I don’t understand how you can live with your conscience.”
Violet Barton: “Don’t you, dear?”
Janet: “No I don’t. What earthly pleasure can you derrive from ruining that young man?”
Violet: “I love jewelry. And this is the nicest bracelet I’ve ever had.”
Violet Barton to her sister Janet: “You’re like momma and papa. You’ll sweat and you’ll scrape. For what? You’ll never be rich. But I will. While you work, I’ll ride in my splendid carraige. The silk will rustle and the jewels will sparkle when I move. And I don’t care who pays the bills.”
Gregg Delaney, as Sheriff Bill Howard probes for information: “You bore me.”
Sheriff Howard: “Well, I’m not tryin’ to be entertainin’. This is the law talkin’ now. And I’m talkin’ about a murder.”
Sheriff Bill Howard: “They say a man is judged by the company he keeps. That goes for a woman too.”
Violet Barton, in Gregg Delaney’s carraige: “I don’t understand.”
Sheriff Howard: “You can’t sleep in a stable and expect to smell like a rose.”
Sheriff Bill Howard: “Go ahead. Jump me, Delaney. I’d enjoy blowing a wide legal hole through you. But I’d let you die slow so you could talk and get things off your soul. Am I boring you now?”
Walter Brennan as Sheriff Bill Howard, determined to bring Delaney to justice in Surrender (1950)
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