In this fourth edition of Western Wednesday, five classic Randolph Scott flicks will be reviewed, ranging all the way from 1957 to 1960 in terms of release. Interestingly, all five of the pictures fall under the “Ranown Cycle” that were directed by the American, Burt Boetticher, best remembered for his series of low-budget Westerns. As with every article and review on the website, this entire series will be spoiler-free.
The Randolph Scott Edition
George Randolph Scott, better known to audiences as Randolph Scott, was an American actor, born 23 January 1898, whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. Scott featured heavily in a multitude of different genres, including drama, crime, comedy and even war films. With that being said, he is most known for his association with the western genre.
Scott died of heart and lung ailments in 1987 at the age of 89 in Beverly Hills, California. He was interred at Elmwood Cemetery in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Below are five classic American western films that have been selected for review. As previously mentioned, these were all directed by Burt Boetticher and ranged in terms of release dates from 1957 to 1960.
The Tall T – 1957
The first film under the microscope may very well be one of Randolph Scott’s finest. The Tall T was released to audiences in 1957 and featured an easy to follow storyline and some excellent cinematography along the way. Scott adopted the role of Pat Brennan, a man that hitched a ride on a stagecoach with a newlywed couple, only to become engulfed in a hostage situation after a gang of outlaws ambushed the coach. Throughout the modest runtime of seventy-eight minutes, Scott’s character did his best to not only escape danger, but assist those around him in escaping danger, too.
As touched upon, the cinematography within the film was really easy on the eye, with the filmmakers opting for a predominantly outdoor, rocky setting, utilising the Alabama Hills in California as the perfect filming location for the flick.
It has to be said, however, that the action was few and far between, but that’s a trait that many of Scott’s western films hold. When the action did hit, it was short, snappy and most of all, effective. The film also boasts a pretty impressive poster too. Mostly certainly worth checking out.
Decision at Sundown – 1957
Next up is Decision at Sundown – a 1957 release that was more a tale of revenge with a lot of action-packed moments in the rather short runtime it was given. Upon his arrival in the town of Sundown, Bart Allison (Randolph Scott), planned on killing the man that was set to get married at the time, because he deemed him responsible for his own wife’s death.
Decision at Sundown was enjoyable to an extent, it wasn’t flash, nor was it overly packed with tension and suspense – it primarily dealt with the pain and anger stemming from a man that held another person responsible for their own deeply rooted personal issues.
One of the main positives was the characters on display. Most were extremely likeable and on an emotional level, you managed to invest yourself into their story. Decision at Sundown is one to cast an eye over if you have some time to kill and don’t mind a decent tale of revenge in the old west.
Buchanan Rides Alone – 1958
Set in the unknown town of Agry. Randolph Scott this time adopts the role of Tom Buchanan, a man that decides to explore the unknown town, only to be robbed and consequently framed for a murder in the process, thus leaving him faced with the terrifying prospect of being hanged.
It’s fair to say that the town of Agry took center stage in this picture, with members of the Agry family, that owned the town, being prominent throughout, holding some rather strong positions of power. The finest aspect of the flick would have to be the set design and Arizonian filming locations that the filmmakers put on display.
One minor flaw, however, would have to be the rather repetitive nature of the story, which seemed somewhat unwarranted. Overall, Buchanan Rides Alone was a relaxing and easy to watch western, with a sparse amount of action and relatively short runtime of just eighty-minutes.
Ride Lonesome – 1959
If a western starring Randolph Scott and Lee van Cleef doesn’t interest you, then I’m not sure the genre is for you. Ride Lonesome featured Scott, as a bounty hunter, escorting a known killer across the country only to allow the man’s outlaw brother, Frank (Lee Van Cleef) to catch up, resulting in an inevitable showdown. Along the way there is of course two or three challenging obstacles thrown into the mix, but all in all, stories don’t get much simpler and effective than the one told in Ride Lonesome.
With a large majority of the movie being captured out in the vast American wilderness, the cinematography really shone on multiple occasions, much like The Tall T – it’s also probably worth noting that the filming of Ride Lonesome took place in Olancha Dunes and Alabama Hills, California. With that being said, the combat scenes weren’t too prominent.
Something that stood out to me, however, was the title of the film itself – Ride Lonesome – extremely ironic seeing how Randolph’s character never actually found himself alone throughout the entire seventy-three minute runtime. A must watch for western fans.
Comanche Station – 1960
The fifth and final film under review is Comanche Station. Randolph Scott stars as Jefferson Cody in this one, a man tasked with saving a woman from the arms of the Comanche, before attempting to get her, along with himself, back home while faced with a multitude of struggles along the way. Set against the beautiful backdrop of the Alabama Hills, California (yet again), Comanche Station provides the viewer with a simple, but effective story.
It’s also worth noting that the film had a rather interesting subplot involving Scott’s character – this subplot would become more prominent as the flick wore on, providing the viewer with some nice twists and turns along the way.
For me, Comanche Station had more than enough action sequences to keep the audience engaged throughout the seventy-three minute runtime and certainly ranks as being one of the better releases in the Ranown Cycle.
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