Who knew there were feminists in the old west? Perhaps more
amazing than that was the fact that a movie could be made in 1955 that showed
that perspective! In the end you find an entertaining classic from the past
just released on blu-ray.
Sally Marris (Joan Leslie) is arriving in Border City just
at the end of the Civil War. The town isn’t near as wild as one would expect
since the mayor, Delilah Courtney, runs it with an iron fist. The owner of the
nearby lead mine, Delilah refuses to allow anyone in to town wearing their guns
be it the soldiers from the nearby fort or the mercenaries in the employ of
marauder Charles Quantrill (Brian Donlevy). On her trip into town, Sally finds
her stage overrun by Quantrill’s band of men where she meets Cole Younger and a
young Jesse James.
Once she enters town Sally seeks out her brother only to
find that he runs a local saloon and brothel. Not only that, she learns that he
was heartbroken not long ago when the woman he intended to marry, Kate (Audrey
Totter), was kidnapped by Quantrill who then forced her to marry him. She now
holds a grudge against Sally’s brother and does nothing more than start trouble
when she enters his saloon. This eventually leads to his being shot in a
gunfight, leaving Sally behind to discover that he was deep in debt which is
now on her.
When she appeals to the ladies of the town led by the mayor
she discovers that they only think of her as a floozy due to her brother’s
business rather than the prim and proper lady she actually is. With nowhere to
go and no one to turn to she has little choice but to keep the saloon open and
run it just as her brother had before. This isn’t an easy task since Kate holds
a grudge against Sally.
Alongside this story is that of an undercover agent for
Quantrill, Lance Horton (Jon Lund), who is posing as the foreman for the lead
mine. This is the same man responsible for shooting Sally’s brother. He now
feels he owes a debt to Sally and does everything he can to help her. At the
same time Quantrill is pushing Lance to deliver a load of stolen lead to be
used to make bullets for his raiders.
Before the end of the film at least one if not both of the
female leads will be in line for the hangman’s noose, thus the film’s title.
The fighting will go one, the Civil War will end and the townspeople just might
come to think more highly of Sally than they originally did. And what of Kate,
Quantrill, Younger and the James brothers? Well, I think history has shown what
became of them and their ends are not a part of this film. It’s a low budget
western that shows the best of what they had to offer short of a singing
cowboy. Had that been included it would have had it all. As it stands it offers
a nice entertainment of the sort seen only in the past. Thank goodness movies like
this are being preserved.
Click here to order.
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