In saying misleading, what I'm referring to is that for a Republic Pictures film, this is pretty good. But if we were comparing this to something from one of the big studios...well, average. There are holes in the plot that just don't make sense, particularly in the relationship between Roy Rogers' character and Walter Pidgeon's character. And the reason those holes exist is because of questionable writing for films skills. That also shows up in Claire Trevor's dialogs, which are just sort of flat for much of the early part of the picture.
What is top notch here is the cast. Walter Pidgeon very loosely disguised as William Quantrill, the infamous "Southern" raider (here named William Cantrell...ahem); Roy Rogers (damn he was handsome); John Wayne; Claire Trevor; the wonderful Gabby Hayes; and the also wonderful Marjorie Main. But make no mistake, this is a step above the typical Roy Rogers-Gabby Hayes pictures that Republic also put out. In fact, while Gabby Hayes is Gabby Hayes-ish in the first part of the film, later he becomes a more serious actor as his characters revives his skills as a doctor. Similarly, this is a very dramatic role for Marjorie Main...about as far from Ma Kettle as you can get.
For all the faults of the early part of the film, which seems to meander around a lot, the second half of the film is darned good. The scene with the horse, wagon, and men going over the cliff into the water...a stunner (although I must admit that animal cruelty was pretty evident in this film). And the finale, with the escape (I'll leave it at that) and the burning of Lawrence, Kansas is top notch.
So, despite some real weaknesses, particularly in the first half of the film, overall this a good "Western" and well worth watching.
What is top notch here is the cast. Walter Pidgeon very loosely disguised as William Quantrill, the infamous "Southern" raider (here named William Cantrell...ahem); Roy Rogers (damn he was handsome); John Wayne; Claire Trevor; the wonderful Gabby Hayes; and the also wonderful Marjorie Main. But make no mistake, this is a step above the typical Roy Rogers-Gabby Hayes pictures that Republic also put out. In fact, while Gabby Hayes is Gabby Hayes-ish in the first part of the film, later he becomes a more serious actor as his characters revives his skills as a doctor. Similarly, this is a very dramatic role for Marjorie Main...about as far from Ma Kettle as you can get.
For all the faults of the early part of the film, which seems to meander around a lot, the second half of the film is darned good. The scene with the horse, wagon, and men going over the cliff into the water...a stunner (although I must admit that animal cruelty was pretty evident in this film). And the finale, with the escape (I'll leave it at that) and the burning of Lawrence, Kansas is top notch.
So, despite some real weaknesses, particularly in the first half of the film, overall this a good "Western" and well worth watching.