Lex Barker plays Andy Martin, who travels to the town of Goldfield to collect a debt from an old friend, Pete Menlo (Howard Duff), who’s something of a womanizer and con man. They wind up becoming partners and co-owners of what looks to be a fabulously rich gold mine.
But there’s one thing they can share — pretty Nevada Wray (Mala Powers). Pete would like to think she’s his. Andy takes an immediate liking to her and vice versa. Ah, but it’s not that simple. Nevada’s dad, Jackpot, has a gambling problem and his luck seldom matches his nickname. He also owns a mine; and Pete’s the partner with the money to bankroll him.
Meanwhile, yet another fellow mine owner named Bannon hires all their help away and does his best to sabotage their plans. He also has a gunman named Draka to help carry out his plans, and isn’t afraid of resorting to violence to get his way.
Review:
Middling Western with enough twists to keep things interesting. Barker’s likable in the lead role and Powers’ very shapely presence certainly doesn’t hurt.
William Demarest, who plays her dad, would land his most memorable role much later in his career as Uncle Charly on the hit TV show “My Three Sons.” This was one of 10 films directed by Hibbs, and seven were Westerns, including a trio with Audie Murphy (“Walk the Proud Land,” “Ride Clear of Diablo” and “Ride a Crooked Trail.”)
Directed by:
Jesse Hibbs
Cast:
Lex Barker … Andy Martin
Mala Powers … Nevada Wray
Howard Duff … Pete Menlo
William Demarest … Jackpot Wray
John McIntire … Bannon
Leo Gordon … Drake
Dayton Lummis … Geraghty
Hal K. Dawson … Sam Torrence
William Fawcett … Old Prospector
James Parnell … Joe
Runtime: 77 min.
Memorable lines:
Andy Martin: “Pete’s got his good side, but you have to keep turning him to find it.”
Pete Menlo: “Partners?”
Bannon: “Sure. Why not?”
Menlo: “I couldn’t live long enough to give you all the reasons.”
Bannon; “I can arrange for just as long a life as you want.”
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