John Derek plays a young man named Jet Cosgrave, who returns to the town of Colton intent on starting a war with his uncle — Jim Davis as Maj. Linton Cosgrave — over ownership of the Circle C Ranch.
Jet’s dad started that ranch; Jet figured to inherit it when he turned 21. Instead, his father died and a will discovered after his death left the property under the control of his uncle. Jet’s share: 10 percent of the Circle C’s profits.
Jet is convinced that will is a forgery. So he brings in a group of hired guns/cowpokes led by Dude Ranklin (Bob Steele) and begins moving cattle onto land neighboring his uncle’s ranch.
The land in question is owned by a man who has mysteriously disappeared; some of the major’s men are squatting there with part of his herd, so the move is sure to cause friction, if not gunplay.
And Jet soon discovers he’s not his uncle’s own enemy. The Polsen clan has had their herd pushed off that very same land and has no use for anyone named Cosgrave, Jet included.
Well, an exception might be pretty Judy Polsen (Joan Evans). A couple of kisses and she’s sure Jet is the man she’s destined to marry.
Speaking of marriage, Alice Austin (Catherine McLeod) has arrived from Virginia to marry the major. Jet warns her not to. Heck, he might even try to steal her in order to get under his uncle’s skin.
John Derek as Jet Cosgrave, warning Alice Austin war is about to break out over ownership of the Circle C Ranch in The Outcast (1954)
Jim Davis as Maj. Linton Cosgrave with Catherine McLeod as Alice Austin in The Outcast (1954)
Review:
An action-packed film and, along with “Run for Cover,” the best Western with Derek as its star.
Shifting allegiances will keep you guessing, between the major and his henchmen, Jet and his hired hands and the Polsen family.
There’s also a crooked attorney in the mix, a former prize fighter turned stable owner and Mrs. Banner, a hotel owner who’s trying to teach Judy how to become a refined young lady but wants to do absolutely nothing to upset the major, who just about runs everything around Colton.
Oh, and our heroes endure lots of abuse. Jet dragged behind a horse, shot and beaten at various points in the film. Judy is whipped by her father after being spotted kissing Jet. He brands her a harlot and kicks her off of their home.
Western fans will also get to see Ben Cooper in an early role as a hot-headed young gunslinger on the major’s payroll and a truly slim Slim Pickens as the eldest son in the Polsen clan.
Joan Evans as Judy Polsen, after saving Jet Cosgrave from a bushwacking in The Outcast (1954)
Catherine McLeod as Alice Austin, the woman who travels West to marry Maj. Cosgrave in The Outcast (1954)
Directed by:
William Whitney
Cast:
John Derek … Jet Cosgrave
Joan Evans … Judy Polsen
Jim Davis … Maj. Linton Cosgrave
Catherine McLeod … Alice Austin
Ben Cooper … The Kid
Taylor Holmes … Andew Devlin
Nana Bryant … Mrs. Banner
Slim Pickens … Boone Polsen
Frank Ferguson … Chad Polsen
Robert “Buzz” Henry … Zeke Polsen
James Millican …Cal Prince
Bob Steele … Dude Ranklin
Nacho Galindo … Curly
Harry Carey Jr. … Bert
Bill Walker … Sam Allen
Runtime: 90 min.
James Millican as Cal Prince, hired gun, with Maj. Linton Cosgrave (Jim Davis), the man he works for in The Outcast (1954)
Ben Cooper as The Kid and Harry Carey Jr. as Bert, two of Maj. Linton Cosgrave’s men in The Outcast (1954)
Memorable lines:
Jet Cosgrave to Alice, after capturing her escaped bird: “Colton’s a rough town for a lone canary to be loose in.”
Judy Polsen: “If my pa knew I saved a Cosgrave, he’d take a whip to me.”
Maj. Cosgrave: “Alright, Jet, if it’s a fight you want, you’ve picked a mighty big opponent.”
Jet Cosgrave: “The bigger the tree, the louder the crash.”
Circle C Hand of Maj. Cosgrave: “Wait until after the wedding. He’ll get his same ol’ disposition back: always mad.”
Judy Polsen: “I don’t suppose I’m the first girl you’ve kissed. But I don’t care, as long as I’m the last.”
Jet Cosgrave to Alice: “After the wedding’s over, don’t throw the flowers away. You might need them for a funeral.”
Alice Austin, as Jet and the major duke it out: “Someone’s got to stop them.”
Judy Polsen; “A good beating will knock the Cosgrave out of both of them.”
Maj. Cosgrave: “Don’t cross me, Devlin. Mentally, you’re sharp, but physically, you’re a coward. It takes a man to cross me, not a rabbit.”
Joan Evans as Judy Polsen with John Derek as Jet Cosgrave in The Outcast (1954)
Bob Steele as Dude Rankin and Nacho Galindo as Curly, two of Jet Cosgrave’s hired hands in The Outcast (1954)
Frank Ferguson as Chad Polsen, patriarch of the Polsen clan in The Outcast (1954)
Slim Pickens as Boone Polsen, one of the Polsen brothers, foes of the major in The Outcast (1954)
Nana Bryant as Mrs. Banner, the older woman who befriends Judy Polsen in The Outcast (1954)
Jim Davis as Maj. Linton Cosgrave, lashing out at his Andrew Devlin (Taylor Holmes), his silent partner, in The Outcast (1954)
Jim Davis as Maj. Linton Cosgrave and Catherine McLeod as Alice Austin in The Outcast (1954)
John Derek as Jet Cosgrave, returning home to find Boone Polsen spitting on a statue of his father in The Outcast (1954)
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