classicsoncall Is it just me, or did anyone else have trouble following the convoluted relationship between Ned Britt (Randolph Scott) and Blair Lunsford (David Brian)? It didn't help when former Britt gal pal Amy Brooks (Helena Carter) showed up to throw a little gasoline on the fire at the Lunsford Ranch when she arrived for dinner with Britt. After that she wasn't even a factor in the story, so what gives with her showing up at all, other than to throw another monkey wrench into the works.As the story progresses, former gunslinger Britt intends to persuade his fellow citizens that the printing press is a thousand times more potent than gunpowder for settling disagreements and ridding the territory of thugs like the Clevenger (Ray Real) gang. I've seen Teal on both sides of the law in these old time Westerns, but it's still unusual to catch him in the role of a heel after all those Bonanza episodes in which he appeared as Sheriff Roy Coffee. It's akin to Paul Fix playing an outlaw before and after portraying Marshal Micah Torrance in the 'Rifleman' series.Even though Lunsford seems to be an on and off good guy/bad guy, it was still interesting to see him and Britt perform that gun flip distraction to the disadvantage of the Clevenger bunch. I don't think I'm buying that something like that could be pulled off for real, but it looked pretty cool in the execution. Seems like Lunsford pulled Britt's fat out of the fire more than enough times for Britt to come around.The topper for me was how quickly Miss Flora Talbot got over her romance with Lunsford when all was said and done. You would think there would have been a bit more angst over his demise, especially after she admitted shooting him, although that scene was cast in doubt with the appearance of Clevenger. Still and all, the new sheriff didn't waste any time making his mark in Fort Worth, finding just enough spare moments to welcome a new Toby on the way for Mrs. Britt to close out the story.

alexandre michel liberman (tmwest) What is exceptional in this western, is even not being that good, it leaves a strong mark because David Brian as Blair Lunsford gives a great performance and in spite of a weak screenplay his character comes out charismatic and real. It is surely naive to make the bad guys and the moviegoer accept they will headline the newspaper with the information the train is carrying a huge amount of gold to Dallas. There is a memorable action scene where Scott and Brian fight together against Clevenger's (Ray Teal) gang doing a trick with their guns. Any film that had Technicolor in the fifties was special and here, despite the stock footage from Dodge City, the cinematography is tops. Ray Teal overacts as the bad guy he is a kind of Ernest Borgnine, and overdoing in this case is positive, it blends with the film.

MartinHafer Randolph Scott was such a wonderful actor that his films were always at least a notch above the rest. While this is about average for a Scott film, it's clearly head and shoulders better than a typical western. Even with the overuse of old footage from another Warner Brothers western (DODGE CITY, 1939), the film still manages to shine. Most of the old footage works just fine, though some is indeed grainier and a few times actors from the second film change hat and clothes when they switch to actors from the old film!! Pretty sloppy...but it can be overlooked.Scott plays a tough newspaper man who moves back to his old home town of Fort Worth. The city is dying due to two men. One is an obvious bully and leader of a gang of thugs who break laws with impunity. The other, played by Film Noir favorite David Brian, is an opportunist who is buying up land right and left--at pennies on the dollar from people who are leaving the violent town in droves. While the first guy is an obvious baddie, Brian is a cypher. Scott thinks Brian is evil and a megalomaniac but again and again throughout the film Brian proves he really is interested in the town. Could Scott be wrong? And, can Scott print the truth without getting his head blown off instead?! The film does well because the plot is more original than most westerns. Also, Brian is a very good heavy--not as predictable and nasty as most. Overall, this is a must-see for Scott fans and would be enjoyable to most.

herbqedi Fort Worth is fast-moving, well cast, well acted, and well executed all the way around. Scott actually has two different mentors, one Phyllis Thaxter's late father and the other a high-minded newspaperman who is knifed by a thug. He uses both of them to build and transition his character in a more layered performance than typical of the normally stoic Scott. Thaxter is terrific in every scene she's in, but better still is Brian as the magnate who persuades former boyhood friend Scott to stay in Fort Worth. He is part-villain and part-hero and extremely interesting and credible throughout. The plot is atypically complex with many threads all woven together well and wrapped up in a satisfying manner. Dick Moore (former child actor Dickie) is terrific as Scott's newspaperman who helps Scott keep alive the spirit of Ben, their mentor publisher. The thugs are all convincingly ruthless and interesting, including Ray Teal as the leader, supported by Bob Steele, Paul Picerni, and Michael TOlan among others. The color cinematography and production values are also first-rate and the pacing is perfect.If you enjoy Randolph Scott westerns, don't miss this superior entry.