Colt .45 (1950)

Randolph Scott stands tall and stately with a smile dancing on his lips throughout much of this semi-moving movie, even though it's not a comedy.Dapperly dressed, Scott pitches pistol features and benefits, befriends native Americans, and does his darnedest to make the old West a better place to sell repeating revolvers in this shoot-em-up flick.Some interesting points center around the other actors and characters in this two-and-a-half-star 1950 western extravaganza.Watching Alan Hale (Sr.) as the wayward sheriff is positively intriguing. There are a couple of scenes where his resemblance to his son is so apparent that it seems as though Gilligan's familiar cry of "Skipper" might pierce the dusty air of Bonanza City at any second.In one somewhat intense bad-guy scene, Zachary Scott's pinkish flower-sprouting pajama-esque shirt is accessorized oh so tastefully with a sandy brown neck scarf, and a deliciously dazzling silver belt with a sterling home-on-the-range flair. It doesn't necessarily detract from the scene, but this pastel ensemble worth raving about doesn't necessarily enhance the uber masculine character he portrays in this film. Maybe the wardrobe staff forgot the film was in color, and not in the more commonly used black-and-white format.Meanwhile, Ruth Roman learns the hard way why it's important to avoid marrying a guy who rides roughshod on the wrong side of the law. And speaking of odd couples, who would have guessed that she'd end up cinematically wed to Lloyd Bridges? All in all, this classic tale of the old west warrants one solid uninterrupted viewing as it is at least worth its weight in lead.

I have one major problem with this film. Set in the late 1840's or early 1850s, it highlights the introduction of the "Colt .45 revolver". Actually, the gun depicted in the film is a Colt's DRAGOON .44 cap & ball sixgun. I don't know why the title, "Colt .45" is stuck on this film, when "Colt .44" would have been just as sexy-sounding, and would have been historically accurate, as well. The introduction of a reliable, durable and accurate revolving pistol did really revolutionize things in the Old West, as depicted in the film but still, the name of the gun is wrong. I guess the film maker either didn't know or didn't care about the inaccuracy. All that being said, This is still a film worth watching. The reason is Randolph Scott, of course. I have been a huge fan since viewing "Ride the High Country" about 25 years ago. Over time I have seen most of his Westerns and while the films themselves vary in quality, the performance of Mr. Scott is almost always excellent. This is a lesser offering, granted, but the presence of Mr. Scott makes it worth the time. I'd rate it a 7.

Randolph Scott is a salesman for Colt Firearms traveling the west demonstrating his company's newest invention, the .45 revolver to law enforcement. At a police station a slimy weasel of a man makes off with his demonstration models and goes on a robbery and killing spree, aided by the superiority of the revolver to the average one shot pistols. Scott sets out to clear his name and retrieve his guns.Like all studio backed B-pictures, this looks good and is technically well made with good action sequences but with a somewhat forgettable script.However, this has some novelty as probably the only fifties western where all the lawmen are portrayed as crooked villains and/or stubborn dummies while the Indians are the good guys, saving the hero's bacon on more than one occasion!I particularly enjoyed the lighting and Technicolor in this.

In "Colt .45", Randolph Scott portrays military hero turned sales representative Steve Farrell who's employed by the Colt Firearm Company, a theme that will be picked up by the late 1950's classic TV Western of the same name. His nemesis in the film, Jason Brett (Zachary Scott) is a clever outlaw who manages to trick the local populace into believing that Farrell is the leader of the Colt .45 Gang, so named because of the crimes committed with a set of Farrell's own stolen handguns. The film hosts some rather big names, but somewhat fails to satisfy in it's uneven delivery and sometimes sloppy, and in at least one instance, comical editing.As Farrell pursues Brett's gang in an attempt to clear his name, he befriends Indian Chief Walking Bear (Chief Thundercloud), who now allies himself with Farrell, which is fortunate, as the Chief's tribe manages to show up just in the nick of time on a number of occasions to save Farrell's hide.Brett's gang includes Paul and Beth Donovan (Lloyd Bridges and Ruth Roman), but motivations and alliances change rather quickly in the film. Paul only plans to remain an outlaw until his big score, while Beth suffers pangs of conscience and decides she'll come clean. It won't help to seek aid from Sheriff Harris (Alan Hale), as he's one of the bad guys. Paul shoots Beth, but she's nursed back to health rather miraculously by an Indian squaw. In turn, Brett shoots Paul, who fancies himself an equal partner in the outlaw business.For his part, Steve Farrell takes his share of lumps in the film, getting framed by Brett more than once, getting knocked out with his own gun at the hand of Mrs. Donovan, and falling for the old rope across the trail trick. Perhaps he would have fared better if he hadn't changed into the all black outfit a third of the way through the movie.At one point, as Sheriff Harris' posse closes in on Farrell, the sheriff takes an arrow to the chest and goes down hard. So it seems rather odd that he makes it back into town just about as quick as Farrell and Walking Bear who are about to square off against the bad guys.Pay close attention as Farrell and Walking Bear lay in ambush behind a building for Brett's henchmen to walk by. As the last gang member walks past, Walking Bear lunges at his neck with both outstretched hands. All of a sudden, a rope appears ???, and the Indian proceeds to bring him down to the ground. I had to rewind and play the scene three times to believe what I was seeing.Having seen only a few of Randolph Scott's Westerns, I'm convinced this cannot be one of his better ones. "Ten Wanted Men", "The Stranger Wore a Gun", and "The Bounty Hunter" each appealed to me more, and even these are not among his best works.Chief Thundercloud cuts an imposing figure as Walking Bear, but he comes across as stiff and not as effective as you would expect a tribal leader to be. By 1950, he was nearing the end of his film career; my first introduction to the Chief was his rather fine portrayal of Tonto in the first two Lone Ranger serials of 1938 and 1939 (The Lone Ranger, and The Lone Ranger Rides Again). Trivia fans will either be surprised or disappointed to know that Thundercloud's real name was Victor Daniels.