Carson City (1952)

Carson City is a western that has an easy, but enjoyable story-line to follow. Randolph Scott pleases in his role as a engineer, taking on the assignment of constructing the railroad between Carson City and Viriginia City. However, he encounters plenty of objection and division from the residents of Carson City. Now add in the bad guys, a group of outlaws, dubbed the Champagne Bandits for their serving the bubbly drink to those they rob. Raymond Massey makes the most of his role as the gangs suave leader. Pretty actress Lucille Norman plays the girl with romantic feelings towards Scott. The film ends with a showdown between Scott and Massey. Carson City moves at a satisfying pace, with your typical saloon brawls and other action packed western activities. The color is not vivid as technicolor and the cinematography is average, but it does not distract from the performance of the actors. The combination of Scott and Massey in this film is superb, and Lucille Norman lights up the screen with her pretty blonde tresses. If you are a fan of Westerns from the early 1950s and Randolph Scott, I suggest Carson City is well worth watching.

There's absolutely no surprises in this little old Western but I enjoyed it immensely – in fact have done ever since I saw it as a youngster over 40 years ago. And it appeared as corny then as it did just now, it's nice returning to a simple story with black and white characters in Warnercolor. Simple pleasures indeed.Railroad is required to be constructed to connect Carson City with Virginia City and granite-like Randolph Scott is the only man who can engineer it through. Baddie Raymond Massey is grimly supported by James "Herb" Millican and his dozy gang of Champagne Bandits aiming to stop it ever coming to pass. There's an interesting assortment of alliances and oppositions in the town – there's always mixed feelings when people are faced with Progress after all; and a stuttering love affair between Scott, his old flame and his brother – Richard Webb replaying his petulant performance in Build My Gallows High from 5 years before. Favourite bits: The puzzling and wimpy opening robbery – even Robin Hood could never have behaved like that!; the well-intentioned barroom brawl that terrorised the town; the race to rescue the trapped miners and the high moral tone; the photography when Scott was rounding up the first of the baddies was especially excellent. Back then there was plenty for men, women, boys and girls to savour, nowadays sadly much more sex, violence and crudity is required to attain the status of Good Film.Everything in here was done better before by the likes of Flynn, Cooper and Wayne but it's still an entertaining, colourful and logical waste of time with no ethical or emotional loose-ends at the conclusion. Don't ask for anything more from any of Randolph Scott's films and they're great!

This is the earliest of Scott's films I've seen. The iconic Scott character is a Renaissance man- part engineer, miner, cowboy, gunfighter, bar-fighter and older brother. He's pretty good at every role and has time to land the leading lady. First time I've seen Scott land the leading lady, I was beginning to wonder. Raymond Massey here as the lead villain with a fondness for Champagne but without the prescription. Scott proves to be Dr. Kill Dare to Massey. I liked all the non cowboy action in this flick, but I'm not jumping into any mines. If I did, I'd take Scott with me, cause he's a never let em see you sweat guy even if the mine is set to give its occupants the shaft.Any fan of RS should enjoy this flick bridging the old & new West. There are some minor players with faces you'll remember from A&C, Superman or early TV.

"Carson City" is not your standard Western fare. Randolph Scott portrays engineer Jeff Kincaid, back in Nevada from a job in Panama and looking more or less for some action. When he learns of a businessman's plans to build a railroad leg through mountainous territory between Virginia City and Carson City, he fairly jumps at the opportunity to ramrod the project.There are opposing forces to the railroad in town, not the least of which is Carson City Clarion owner and publisher Zeke Mitchell (Don Beddoe). When Mitchell winds up murdered, the suspicion falls on Kincaid and his crew. Adding to the dramatic tension is Kincaid's relationship with his half brother Alan (Richard Webb), whose fiancé Susan (Lucille Norman) is Mitchell's daughter. She was only sixteen years old when she last saw Jeff Kincaid, and now that he's back in town, an early crush is about to develop into a wedge between the two brothers.The part of the crooked businessman is handled by Raymond Massey as Big Jack Davis, gang leader of the "Champagne Bandits", whose opposition to the railroad lasts long enough to plan a last big score of gold bullion on the train's maiden run between the two Nevada cities. By this time, Kincaid and his men have been rescued from a landslide that trapped them in tunnel one of their railroad project, with Kincaid beginning to uncover Davis' hand in the plot to rob the train. It's all wrapped up pretty neatly by film's end, with Randolph Scott even getting the girl, more of a feel good ending as there was really no romantic relationship to speak of in the film.For trivia buffs, this was the first Warner Brothers film to be produced in the Warner Color format. The rendition was good in the print I viewed, and shows off nicely Randolph Scott's rather frequent change of outfits which is characteristic for his films, highlighted by the signature all black outfit in the middle of the story.