John Ireland is Jefferson Waring, a Confederate soldier tired of war. So when the war ends, he vows to never again pick up a gun, then heads West, lands in Independence, Missouri, and makes friends with newspaperman Peter Sharpe (Frank Marlowe).
In fact, after some momentary confusion with his gun-toting daughter Cathy (Dorothy Malone) that lands him in jail momentarily, Waring goes to work for Peter. But not all is well with this newspaper or with Independence.
A rich rancher named Artemus Taylor (Lon Chaney) is having homesteaders killed and burned out of their homes. He’s wheelchair bound, but he has a gang of henchmen and a rather cold-blooded daughter (Myrna Dell) to carry out his wishes.
Meanwhile, the newspaper is in debt and beholden to the powers that be in Independence, which prevents Sharpe from printing the truth, if he wants to stay alive and stay in business.
The marshal? He’s been put in office by Taylor. So while he won’t engage in the ousting of the homesteaders, he’s not rushing to their defense either.
Finally, Sharpe decides to print the truth, the homesteaders decide to band together and even Waring decides this fight might be worth picking up a gun for. Because the truth is out: The railroad is coming. That’s why Taylor has been fighting so desperately to hold onto all of the land around Independence.
Review:
OK, if an ex-Confederate never wants to pick up a gun again, the West — especially the movie West — wouldn’t seem the smartest direction in which to head.
That plot flaw aside, this is mildly entertaining. The film is salvaged in part because both of the female leads play tougher-than-normal gals who aren’t afraid to grab a gun and do their share of the shooting.
That’s especially true of Taylor’s blonde daughter Norah. And Cathy Sharpe’s spirited first “meeting” with Jefferson Waring makes for one of the film’s highlights.
As for familiar faces, Jack Elam has a small role — one of his first credited outings — as one of Taylor’s henchmen. And director Rodney Amateau puts his ugly mug to good use, having him come right at the viewer for tight fear-inducing close-ups on two occasions, once when he’s about to burn down a homestead, once when he’s threatening poor Cathy.
Directed by:
Rodney Amateau
Cast:
John Ireland … Jefferson Waring
Wayne Morris … Marshal Harding
Lawrence Tierney … Sam Tobin
Dorothy Malone … Cathy Sharpe
Lon Chaney Jr. … Artemus Taylor
Myrna Dell … Norah Taylor
Frank Marlowe … Peter Sharpe
William Holmes … Ding Bell
Jack Elam … Cree
Charles Trowbridge … Justin Stone
Norman Leavitt … Deputy Yale
Stuart Randall … Slocum
George Lynn … Guthrie
Gordon Wynn … John Quigley
Runtime: 70 min.
Memorable lines:
Artemus Taylor: “I made you marshal. You’ll do what I say.”
Marshal Harding, flipping his badge into Taylor’s lap: “Make yourself another marshal.”
Marshal to Waring: “Mr. Waring, you came here with a lot of noble ideas. And what did it get you? Waiting for the hangman’s noose.”
Barber, reading the newspaper: “Peter Sharpe has lost his mind. Or else he just naturally wants to die.”
Customer: “He ain’t gonna die natural. Not after Taylor reads this.”
Waring: “I can’t feel a thing for you, Taylor. You’re a beaten old man, and I’m not sorry. You’ve ruined so many lives, your’s isn’t even a down payment.”
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