Colorado Territory (1949)

Despite the misnomer of a title Warner Bros."Colorado Territory" remains a well liked and memorable forties western. Produced for Warners in 1949 by Anthony Villiers and tightly directed by Raoul Walsh this was the vintage director's reworking of his own classic 1941 Bogart gangster hit "High Sierra" as a western. The result turned out to be an exciting and top notch outdoor western adventure. However its somewhat hoary and clichéd title does tend to give the picture a cheap and dismissive B picture status which is totally unwarranted. They could just as easily have called it simply "Colorado" which not only would have been a title of greater dramatic impact but would also have made reference to the character in the story Calorado Carson as played by Virginia Mayo. Written for the screen by John Twist it was based on W.R. Burnett's novel "High Sierra" and crisply photographed in glorious Black & White by the great Sid Hickok.Outlaw Wes McQueen (Joel McCrea) is broken out of prison by an old accomplice and mentor (Basil Ruysdael) to plan and execute one last job - the robbery of $100,000 from the southbound Denver & Rio Grande train. But Reno Blake and Duke Harris (John Archer/James Mitchel) the two others he has to work with are a couple of mistrustful and devious characters who resent McQueen arriving at the hideout and starting to give orders. Along with the two - for some female company - is an attractive half-breed dance hall girl Calorado Carson (Virginia Mayo) who immediately takes a fancy to McQueen because he treats her with some respect. Eventually thwarting a double cross by Reno and Duke during the actual robbery on the speeding train McQueen and Colorado escape with the money on horseback hotly pursued by the US Marshal (Morris Ankrum) and his posse. The picture ends tragically with a wounded McQueen being boldly defended by Colorado in a fierce gun battle as she tries in vain, with two six guns, to stop the advancing posse. Together, hand in hand, Wes and Colorado perish.The acting is generally good from all concerned. In a rare instance of playing an outlaw McCrea gives his usual laconic and appealing performance. But better is Virginia Mayo who is very striking as the hard bitten half-breed who falls in love with the gentle fugitive. And not forgetting the powerful image she created for the blistering finale. Standing daringly and with trenchant resolve and determination she blasts away with two six guns in defense of her wounded man before being brought down in a hail of gunfire. It is a great cinematic moment!Besides the marvellous monochrome cinematography of Sid Hickock, filmed in and around Gallup New Mexico, the picture is also buoyed by a terrific score by the ever underrated David Buttolph featuring a sweeping and arching main theme and some great action music especially for the train chase sequence.A good western "Colorado Territory" was never available on DVD before but now thanks to the Warner Archives label it has just been released in a clean and sharp transfer.

In 1871, notorious outlaw Joel McCrea (as Wesley "Wes" McQueen) breaks out of jail with a hacksaw, and heads for the western "Colorado Territory" where he hopes to go straight. Along the way, Mr. McCrea (now calling himself "Chet Rogers") defends a stagecoach from some even nastier outlaws. Thus, he becomes a hero saving fellow passenger Henry Hull (as Fred Winslow) and his shapely dark-haired daughter, Dorothy Malone (as Julie Ann). McCrae and Ms. Malone look romantically inclined, but she is promised to another. Then, McCrea makes the decision to join fellow thieves John Archer (as Reno Blake) and James Mitchell (as Duke Harris) in one last heist… If you think the last train robbery for McCrea goes without a hitch, you'd be wrong.First thing McCrea finds problematic is pretty "half-breed" Virginia Mayo (as Colorado Carson), who hangs out with the gang. McCrea orders Ms. Mayo back to El Paso, but she refuses to budge. Mayo hikes up her skirt, whenever possible, to show off her legs - she also wears her blouse pulled down over one shoulder, so it always looks like it's going to slip down and expose her bosom. It never does, but McCrea falls in love. "Colorado Territory" is an great-looking picture, with beautiful black-and-white photography by Sid Hickox. In this westernized version of "High Sierra" (1941), director Raoul Walsh corralling the cast and crew through a rollicking train robbery and aftermath.****** Colorado Territory (6/11/49) Raoul Walsh ~ Joel McCrea, Virginia Mayo, Dorothy Malone, James Mitchell

Outlaw Wes McQueen (Joel McCrea) gets sprung from a Missouri jail on the day before he is to be transported to Leavenworth by his old gang who need him for a big train robbery somewhere out in the Colorado Territory. The characters couldn't be more different. McCrae plays the part of an outlaw struggling with his own moral scruples while his partners Duke (James Mitchell) and Reno (John Archer) compete to see who the meanest one is. The presence of Virginia Mayo in this group doesn't make a lot of sense, but her part increases as the film moves along. One of the film's best plot lines is the jealousy that comes to the surface of Reno's character as Mayo's Colorado Carson is clearly taken with the cool McQueen played by McCrae. On the other side of the law is a ruthless and relentless US Marshall played by Morris Ankrum who leads an impressively sized posse out to catch up with and either shoot or hang McQueen. The film zeroes in on treachery and deceit at every opportunity. Dorothy Malone's character is especially memorable.

Director Raoul Walsh's classic gangster film High Sierra, made in 1941, consolidated Humphrey Bogart's rising star after his breakthrough film The Maltese Falcon. Bogart's laconic but romantic portrayal of Roy Earle brought a particular poignancy to his tragic, flawed antihero who tries to go straight but is caught up in "one last job". Ida Lupino's vulnerable Marie provides a strong match for his powerhouse performance.Walsh remade High Sierra in 1949 as a western photographed like his previous outing in the genre (Pursued) in a distinct noir mood and style. If anything, Colorado Territory tops High Sierra in cumulative impact: McCrea and Mayo bring an intense, dark romanticism wholly befitting their rush to doom and Walsh's treatment of the landscapes that both dwarf them and swallow them up is outstanding. This has my vote as one of the genre's top 20.