Nevada (1944)

The studios were grinding out these B Westerns like SuperSonicBurgers all during the 30s and 40s. El Cheapo Studios produced nothing BUT low budget Westerns, often with the same cast and crew. In the period preceding television, if one can imagine that distance back into history, audiences had nothing else to watch except movies. There was an A feature, a B feature, a cartoon, a newsreel, and often a short documentary."Nevada" was clearly meant to fit into the B category. They were done quickly, recklessly, and minutes of shooting counted. Under the watchful eyes of hack directors like Lesley Selander or, here, Edward Killy, if an actor flubbed a line or his gun didn't fire when it should have, the cameras rolled philosophically on.Mitchum's career was just past its beginning. He was graduating from supporting roles, sometimes as a bearded henchman, to leads, and he was emerging from cheap Westerns. But he was ordered back to Lone Pine by the studio with which he'd sign a contract. He didn't care for the location, although it's rather pleasant. The landscape is filled with varied textures; the sun always shines; Mount Whitney in the background has veins of snow all year round. So many other features have been filmed there that the huge stucco rocks still show the cement and steel of previous sets. It's just off route 395. Visit it at once.Oh, the movie? Forget it. Mitchum is interchangeable with any other Western star of the period, except bigger than most. I must have missed the "smoldering sexuality" that some others noticed. The movie is plot driven. The values of the characters are made obvious at the beginning and they don't change. Any complexity or ambiguity is accidental. It's supposed to be from a Zane Grey novel but evidently the only element the writers borrowed was the author's name.

To the casual viewer, this loose, low-budget adaptation of a Zane Grey-story may not appear to be worthy of any particular attention, but NEVADA did have a significant impact on the career of a young "Bob Mitchum," as billed in the opening credits. Prior to this, Mitchum's later so iconic figure could only be glimpsed here and there in bit parts, but after four years of struggle, he had apparently impressed RKO enough to be considered a valid replacement for their B-western star Tim Holt, who'd just enlisted in the army. It's not hard to grasp just why the company sought Mitchum. Though some of my impression may be colored by his later output, he's definitely got a certain "something" about him also at this early point, charismatic even when the main focus is not on him in a scene. In private, Mitchum was by this time was a married man and a father, and must have been relieved that his career was finally going somewhere.Even so, it shouldn't be illegal to note that NEVADA proved a limited opportunity for Mitchum as far as showcasing the range of his talent was concerned. Granted, Mitchum may not have been quite confident as a leading actor himself at this point, so a ginger debut as this western was, perhaps, fitting in a sense. But one is almost tempted to encourage Mitchum, while watching the film, to go further with the role; as noted, some of the unfailing charisma is definitely present, but one finds little of the dry, ironic wit (or simply "coolness") which was to become a vital part of Mitchum's style and image. Then again, the script, which does not seem to regard Grey's original novel as much more than bare bone material for a story, hardly calls for nuanced characterization (the inevitable brevity of the film certainly contributes to this as well).However, it would be ridiculous to judge NEVADA out of context; if accepted as what it is, a low-budget western telling the tale of a not supremely law-abiding but honest cowboy, who is wrongly accused of murder, it works just fine. There's a smooth interaction between the suspense and the more humorous bits, typical for westerns of the era. Guinn Williams and Richard Martin appear as a sort of sweet comedy team (possibly in part to emphasize Mitchum's masculine appeal), and the scene involving young Harry McKim doing a terrible job at faking that he's in pains actually had me laugh out loud. Robert Mitchum would go to much greater heights than this, both in and outside the western genre, but NEVADA remains an entertaining enough way to spend an hour on a rainy day.

Once again a well-made RKO Radio Picture from yesteryear provides a fine entertainment in a summer when TV is a total washout and there are no movies at the multiplex for grown-ups over 13.This noteworthy formula western introduces Robert Mitchum in a story that moves along fast while focusing on the early days of the Comstock Lode in Gold Hill, CA. The story is good, the acting fine, the cinematography just great. They got the history straight and everything is on-the-level except that the real Gold Hill is on a steep grade, not flat; and that's the only flaw in the movie. Filming at Lone Pine, CA certainly fooled me, as the terrain is exactly the same as around Carson City, NV and Gold Hill.They knew how to make westerns in 1944; they don't in 2007. Unlike 3:10 to Yuma, this one doesn't turn stupid in the final 16 minutes.Look for NEVADA in recent DVD release. Then look around the house for an old $20 Gold Double Eagle minted from Comstock gold in 1870 at the mint in Carson City. It'll be worth $200,000 in poor condition; lots more if it still looks pretty.

Apart from westerns, Robert Mitchum always looks slick in these black and white films, particularly in the 40's. He has an arched lip which sometimes has an evil curve when he's angry. He's usually pushed to his limit, but it's always the tall, broad shoulders that surfaces in every film he's in.