Richie-67-485852 Ah yes...the classic Western which when done right lives in the hearts of every Western lover. This one has it all. Cowboys, the law, a love story, outdoors, cattle and frontier justice. What we tend to forget but are reminded thanks to Westerns like these that it was no cake walk back then and life was not given to anyone on a platter. You had to work hard and long and even then who knows what can or would happen living out-there in the wilderness and on the edge of civilization. Kirk was made for Westerns as we find out in future movies as he went on to star in some pretty nice stuff. Walter Brennan is a guaranteed good time as the man captured every role he ever played no matter where you put him. Add some horses, some other familiar faces and we are being entertained no problem. Imagine going to see this for the first time in the big theater. Its a slow-popcorn eating movie with a tasty drink all the way to the end with some chair-gripping scenes along the way complimenting the title Along The Great Divide. Mount-up on this one and lets all head back to the ranch fore supper time. Enjoy pards

weezeralfalfa One of my favorite westerns, dominated by the complicated relationships between Kirk Douglas, in his first western, crusty old Walter Brennan, as an accused cattle rustler and murder, and Brennan's wildcat, sharpshooting, daughter Ann, played by beautiful Virginia Mayo, in her tomboy mode, with close-cropped hair. However, as with so many westerns, the title seems to make no sense in the context of the screenplay. The latter plays much like several later Randolph Scott westerns of the '50s and '60s, with a small group of men and one beautiful woman forming an ad hoc group, on a sojourn to some rather distant destination. Within this group, there are either overt(as in the present film) or covert strong antagonisms, which provide the potential for shifting alliances and murder. In addition, there is an external danger or two. In the present film, there are two. A gang headed by cattle baron Ned Roden, having been thwarted by US Marshall Merrick(Douglas) and his 2 deputies in lynching Brennan, follows this group, intent on killing Brennan, as the presumed murderer of Ned's favorite son. Merrick is just as intent in insuring that they don't kill Brennan: that he will get a fair jury trial at the distant Texan town of Santa Loma. Both Brennan and Ann are grateful that Merrick saved Brennan from a lynching, but assume that a jury will still convict him of murder, based on circumstantial evidence, since there apparently were no witnesses to the murder. Hence, throughout the journey, they try to convince Merrick that Brennan is innocent, hence should be let go, to hopefully make it to the Mexican border before Roden gets him. The second external danger is the desert Merrick chose to cross to get to Santa Loma. Unfortunately, during a gun battle with Roden's bunch, their horse with all their water was spooked and ran off. Thus, they are banking on a small water hole that Brennan claims exists. When this is found, when all are nearly dead from heat exhaustion and dehydration, they discover it's been poisoned(salt?), judging from the taste. They blame Roden, who has ridden ahead to be at the trial. To add insult to injury, a sandstorm shows up and their remaining horses run off, presumably looking for water. This part of the film is reminiscent of the trek by Wayne and companions across a waterless desert, in the prior "3 Godfathers". In that story, their water supply was also lost due to pursuit. Can they somehow hold out until they reach the spring at Santa Loma? Their desperate situation heightens the antagonisms within the group, which now includes Roden's surviving son, Dan, who was captured during the battle with Roden's bunch. Dan is also being taken by Merrick to Santa Loma for the murder of his deputy Billy during that gun battle. Dan tries to work out a deal with surviving deputy Gray or an alliance with Brennan, when the survival of any looks bleak. A crisis occurs when grossly sleep-deprived Merrick is temporarily knocked out when his horse falls. There's a scramble for firearms and the various members have to quickly decide who, if anyone, to shoot. Merrick's surviving deputy turns out to be the unexpected victim of this crisis.Well, the rest of the bunch somehow survive to reach Santa Loma, and a trial for Brennan is held immediately. I will not divulge the details of the complex suspenseful finale, except to say that, for the second time, Merrick removes a hangman's noose from Brennan's neck. Also, the simmering love/hate relationship between Merrick and Ann is resolved for the better.So, why did Brennan steal a few cows from his neighbor, instigating all this trouble? This is never explored. However, while the group is resting up at his home, before the long journey, we learn that there has been bad blood between them and the Rodens ever since they showed up, a few years ago: they being homesteaders, instead of ranchers. The Rodens burned their crops the last 2 years. Hence they are very poor and probably hungry. ..At Brennan's trial, the matter of his rustling is forgotten, in favor of the charge of murder.. Roden did say that he wasn't that concerned about loosing a few cows. John Agar: Shirley Temple's recently divorced husband, plays Deputy Billy. Ray Teal, who plays the older Deputy Gray, is a familiar-looking character actor, as is Norris Ankrum, who plays Ed Roden.There isn't a lot of humor. That's OK. The complicated drama and personas of the 3 leads is enough to carry the film.Merrick's extreme sense of duty is a primer for Burt Lancaster's equally persistent and costly pursuit of murder suspects, in "Lawman", released 20 years later. Merrick's unpopular decisions on the route to take, at two points, reminds us of "Red River".The shootout between the Rodens and Merrick bunch was shot in the unique Alabama hills, at the foot of the High Sierras: perfect terrain for a hide and seek confrontation. The desert scenes were shot in the Mojave Desert. Brennan accidentally discovers that singing "Down in the Valley", during the trip, causes notable anxiety in Merrick. It's somehow related to the lynching death of his father, who used to be Marshall here. Brennan hopes this will induce Merrick to release him.Shot in B&W: probably a better choice than color, given the bleak nature of the terrains.

Neil Doyle The heavy-handed script of ALONG THE GREAT DIVIDE puts every possible obstacle in the way of a saintly sheriff (KIRK DOUGLAS) intent on bringing a suspected murderer to justice and away from the men who want to lynch him for killing a rancher's son.The plot gets off to a good start with a lynching interrupted by good guy Douglas, who saves the neck of WALTER BRENNAN from the hangman's noose. But the plot gets a bit too thick by the time we encounter Brennan's fiery daughter (VIRGINIA MAYO) and the bad men who want to stop Douglas and his party from reaching a town where a jury can decide Brennan's fate.Despite the gorgeous outoor scenery filmed in crisp B&W, there's a low-budget look to the night scenes filmed on indoor stage bound sets. Director Raoul Walsh keeps things moving, but the plot is so full of tiresome obstacles and shifting loyalties that the thirsty desert scenes seem to drag as the film nears its conclusion once the party has reached civilization.JOHN AGAR is decent enough as Douglas' ill-fated sidekick but it's JAMES ANDERSON as the no good son (brother of the man Brennan is supposed to have killed), who manages to steal scenes with his shifty manner as the villain of the piece. Too bad his career was cut short by his premature death at 48.VIRGINIA MAYO is improbably cast and her romance with Douglas is strictly full of clichés as they fight incessantly over his intent on bringing her father to justice. The story is pretty routine and even though the running time is brief, the film runs out of steam before the party reaches its destination in a nearby village so that the finale seems anticlimactic.It remains an average western despite the good cast.

bkoganbing Along The Great Divide marked Kirk Douglas's western debut. Fortunately he made several more and they were a whole lot better than this one.Douglas is a federal marshal who with his deputies John Agar and Ray Teal breaks up a lynching of Walter Brennan who is accused of rustling and killing the son of cattle baron Morris Ankrum. Douglas arrests Brennan and brings him back for trial. It's the journey back across the desert that's marked by ambush and betrayal with Brennan maintaining his innocence in the homicide. Along for the ride is Brennan's daughter, Virginia Mayo.Kirk Douglas proved to be a natural western star and he's cast well as the determined federal marshal. Unfortunately he's hampered by an extremely improbable script as is the rest of the cast. Some of the B westerns of Tim Holt or Roy Rogers make a lot more sense than this one.I won't give away the plot or the incidents involved, but Kirk should have died on the desert and Walter Brennan should have made it to Mexico.