I much enjoyed this Technicolor latter day Flynn western, more so than my initial viewing some years ago. Although the viewer can soon guess the ultimate outcomes in the intertwined romance and business departments, the details of getting there are entertaining in typical Flynn fashion. Some reviewers deride it for its relatively short length, but I'd rather have a well-paced shorter film than a tedious long one. Flynn is once again cast as a romantic rebel, this time as sheepman Morgan Lane, intent on invading cattle-only territory in western Montana. He cleverly poses as a hawker for traveling salesman Papa Schultz('Cuddles' Sakall), in order to get his foot in the door. Although he claims to be an Australian who decided to move to the US, if you listen carefully, his father(probably when he was a small boy), as a sheepman, was run out of this region by cattlemen, and he has returned to reestablish a mix of sheep and cattle. He knows it will be a tough sell, but he's undeterred.
Cattle queen Maria Singleton(Alexis Smith) long ago lost her father and brother in a sheepmen-cattlemen war, presumably the one involving Lane's father, although this connection is never explored. Thus, she and neighboring cattleman fiancé Rod Ackroyd have warned death to any attempt to reestablish sheep in their corner of Montana. Before she learns Lane's true intentions, Maria is impressed with Lane's skills with a gun(in a showdown with foreman Slim Reeves), a guitar, and riding a notorious bucking bronco; thus offers to lease him some of her best grazing land, presumably to establish a cattle herd. Naturally, she is horrified to learn that he is the proprietor of the sheep flock recently harassed nearby. Maria spends the rest of the film being alternatively attracted to Lane's charm and ranch skills and repelled by his sheep past and plans: a classic conflict between an irresistible force and an immovable object.
Lane eventually convinces most of the small ranchers, one big rancher, and a banker that, given the depressed prices for cattle products, sheep plus cattle is the way to go. He arranges to move his sheep onto the land of a cooperating big rancher, who is then assassinated by Slim, who then accidentally shoots himself in a grapple with Flynn. The non-cooperating cattlemen then plan a cattle stampede through the sheep flock, but are thwarted by Flynn and cooperating cattlemen, who were forewarned. Ackroyd is trampled to death by his own cattle after losing a grapple with Lane. To rub Maria's nose in his victory, Lane herds his sheep into town, where she is waiting with a gun. Well, you can guess the outcome of this showdown, more or less. End of story.
The two leads are very well cast and charismatic. Flynn, with his past success at combining physical skill, imagination, wordy charm and humor, made a believable upstart, and Alexis made a great brassy beautiful adversary/romantic counterpart. Her flaming red hair and bright gray-green eyes were made for Technicolor. I was surprised to learn this was their fourth(and last)film pairing. Unlike some reviewers, I thought Flynn still looked rather good for age 39(The film was actually shot in '48, not '50). He definitely looks much better in the film than on the jacket of the current DVD! You may or may not be charmed by the charismatic talkative Hungarian refuge 'Cuddles' Sakall, who becomes Flynn's initial local 'old timer' partner and adds some lightness to the story. Sakall disappears after bankrupting himself, losing multiple bets on Lane staying on that bucking bronco for at least one minute(Lane loses this bet due to undetected foul play). He is replaced as Flynn's 'old timer' friend by bewhiskered Paul Burns, as Tecumseh.
In addition to the background music, Flynn and Alexis's duet "I Reckon I'm in Love" is a pleasant diversion in their getting acquainted process. In addition, there is a short traditional Latin song around the campfire, interrupted by a cattlemen attack, and a harmony ditty "Ole Dan Tucker" in the saloon.
So, how does this story relate to actual history? Lane's sheep and shepherds got off very easy compared to some actual depredations by cattlemen. Actually, Montana was one area of the Great Plains where cattle-sheep wars were relatively few, and sheep were often grazed with cattle and horses. In part, this was because individual investors often had both cattle and sheep flocks, and sheep and cattle raising began about the same time in the 1860s. The later '80s and early '90s were a difficult time for northern plains cattlemen, as mass cattle deaths from severe winters and drought, and economic depression drove many into bankruptcy. In this film, only the price drop is mentioned as a hardship.
This film dramatizes some of the common prejudices of the times by cattlemen against sheep and shepherds: sheep eat vegetation down to the roots, are smelly and their meat inferior to beef, while sheepmen usually are inexperienced at riding horses and using firearms, and are financially poor. Most sheperds were Mexicans, Native Americans or poor immigrants, as depicted. In fact, sheep prefer forbs to grass, opposite to cattle. If raised around cattle, they often follow cattle, which tend to scare off lamb predators, abetting guard dogs.
Presently available as part of the Flynn westerns DVD collection, and has played occasionally on the Encore Westerns TV channel.
Cattle queen Maria Singleton(Alexis Smith) long ago lost her father and brother in a sheepmen-cattlemen war, presumably the one involving Lane's father, although this connection is never explored. Thus, she and neighboring cattleman fiancé Rod Ackroyd have warned death to any attempt to reestablish sheep in their corner of Montana. Before she learns Lane's true intentions, Maria is impressed with Lane's skills with a gun(in a showdown with foreman Slim Reeves), a guitar, and riding a notorious bucking bronco; thus offers to lease him some of her best grazing land, presumably to establish a cattle herd. Naturally, she is horrified to learn that he is the proprietor of the sheep flock recently harassed nearby. Maria spends the rest of the film being alternatively attracted to Lane's charm and ranch skills and repelled by his sheep past and plans: a classic conflict between an irresistible force and an immovable object.
Lane eventually convinces most of the small ranchers, one big rancher, and a banker that, given the depressed prices for cattle products, sheep plus cattle is the way to go. He arranges to move his sheep onto the land of a cooperating big rancher, who is then assassinated by Slim, who then accidentally shoots himself in a grapple with Flynn. The non-cooperating cattlemen then plan a cattle stampede through the sheep flock, but are thwarted by Flynn and cooperating cattlemen, who were forewarned. Ackroyd is trampled to death by his own cattle after losing a grapple with Lane. To rub Maria's nose in his victory, Lane herds his sheep into town, where she is waiting with a gun. Well, you can guess the outcome of this showdown, more or less. End of story.
The two leads are very well cast and charismatic. Flynn, with his past success at combining physical skill, imagination, wordy charm and humor, made a believable upstart, and Alexis made a great brassy beautiful adversary/romantic counterpart. Her flaming red hair and bright gray-green eyes were made for Technicolor. I was surprised to learn this was their fourth(and last)film pairing. Unlike some reviewers, I thought Flynn still looked rather good for age 39(The film was actually shot in '48, not '50). He definitely looks much better in the film than on the jacket of the current DVD! You may or may not be charmed by the charismatic talkative Hungarian refuge 'Cuddles' Sakall, who becomes Flynn's initial local 'old timer' partner and adds some lightness to the story. Sakall disappears after bankrupting himself, losing multiple bets on Lane staying on that bucking bronco for at least one minute(Lane loses this bet due to undetected foul play). He is replaced as Flynn's 'old timer' friend by bewhiskered Paul Burns, as Tecumseh.
In addition to the background music, Flynn and Alexis's duet "I Reckon I'm in Love" is a pleasant diversion in their getting acquainted process. In addition, there is a short traditional Latin song around the campfire, interrupted by a cattlemen attack, and a harmony ditty "Ole Dan Tucker" in the saloon.
So, how does this story relate to actual history? Lane's sheep and shepherds got off very easy compared to some actual depredations by cattlemen. Actually, Montana was one area of the Great Plains where cattle-sheep wars were relatively few, and sheep were often grazed with cattle and horses. In part, this was because individual investors often had both cattle and sheep flocks, and sheep and cattle raising began about the same time in the 1860s. The later '80s and early '90s were a difficult time for northern plains cattlemen, as mass cattle deaths from severe winters and drought, and economic depression drove many into bankruptcy. In this film, only the price drop is mentioned as a hardship.
This film dramatizes some of the common prejudices of the times by cattlemen against sheep and shepherds: sheep eat vegetation down to the roots, are smelly and their meat inferior to beef, while sheepmen usually are inexperienced at riding horses and using firearms, and are financially poor. Most sheperds were Mexicans, Native Americans or poor immigrants, as depicted. In fact, sheep prefer forbs to grass, opposite to cattle. If raised around cattle, they often follow cattle, which tend to scare off lamb predators, abetting guard dogs.
Presently available as part of the Flynn westerns DVD collection, and has played occasionally on the Encore Westerns TV channel.