Randolph Scott is Jim Redfern, a rancher who agrees to travel to the gold fields of Canada with partner Mike Evans under one condition — that he be allowed to take along a herd of 30-some cattle.
You see, Redfern dreams of starting a ranch in the north country. Long after the gold runs out, the ranch will remain part of the land, he figures. Only he doesn’t figure on the Cariboo country and the town of Carson Creek being run by one man, Frank Walsh (Victor Jory). His herd is stampeded, Evans loses his left arm in the incident and the men are left penniless.
With the help of pretty and self-sufficient saloon owner Frances Harrison (Karin Booth). a grizzled gold hunter named Grizzly Winters (Gabby Hayes) and a cook who hordes his pay (Lee Tung Foo), Redfern gets back on his feet.
He mines enough to buy into a new herd, romances Frances and just generally shows a stubborn streak Walsh isn’t used to encountering. Evans, meanwhile, turns bitter and turns gunman, finally hiring out to Walsh.
Review:
Not bad, with a few nice touches of humor, thanks largely to the presence of Hayes. One scene in which the three men escape capture by the Indians because Grizzly’s mule can kick on command is downright silly.
But the good outweighs the bad. And Evans turns in a strong performance as a man embittered by losing an arm in a stampede — even if that arm is pretty obvious hidden inside his shirt.
If you’re looking for faults, the plot device that has Walsh plotting with the Indians to attack Redfern’s second herd makes no sense; there’s no indication to that point of Walsh being in cahoots with the warring Indians.
This marked one of the first credited roles for Dale Robertson, who plays foreman for Redfern’s second herd.
Directed by:
Edwin Marin
Cast:
Randolph Scott … Jim Redfern
Gabby Hayes … “Grizzly” Winters
Bill Williams …. Mike Evans
Karin Booth … Frances Harrison
Victor Jory … Frank Walsh
Douglas Kennedy … Bill Murphy
Jim Davis … Bill Miller
Dale Robertson … Will Gray
Mary Stuart … Jane Winters
Lee Tung Foo … Ling, the cook
James Griffith … Higgins
Charles Anthony Hughes … Dr. Rhodes
Mary Kent .. Mrs. Wintrs
Ray Hyke … Jones
Jerome Root … Jenkins
Runtime: 81 min.
Memorable lines:
Grizzly Winters: “This Cariboo Trail, mister. Broken heart for every rock. Dead man for every tree.”
Grizzly to Jim Redfern: “You fellars know gold when you see it? You know how to pan a stream? You think nuggets just jump into your pan and holler, ‘Hey, I’m gold?’ Ain’t that easy.”
Hayes to Ling, the cook: “Don’t sneak up on a man. You’re in a country where folks shoot first, then bury their mistakes.”
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