West of the Pecos (1945)

A simple yet entertaining yarn, an old fashioned black and white film. West of the Pecos is another in the string of westerns Robert Mitchum. Rill Lambeth (Barbara Hale) drags her father, Colonel Lambeth (Thurston Hall) to Pecos, Texas to escape the pressures of the big city life of Chicago. Unfamiliar with the vigilante justice of 1800's rural America, they are in for a bit of culture shock. Rill is accustomed to the spoiled and sophisticated men of her upper class society. And,of course, she is smitten with the rugged Pecos Smith (Mitchum). Outlaws battle the good guys, and, as expected, Mitchum is on the ride side of the law. A few gun fights ensue, but with very little violence. This is not Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, but instead a g rated 1940's "picture." The film only runs sixty six minutes and I can highly recommend it. PS I still rank Tarantino as my favorite current director.

Two-gun toting Robert Mitchum reunited with "Nevada" director Edward Killy for their second and last Zane Grey western "West of the Pecos," with Barbara Hale portraying Mitchum's leading lady. This rugged, black & white, RKO oater boasts solid production values despite being made during World War II when rationing of everything from food to lumber was the rule of the day in Hollywood. Of course, when the characters are in the desert, the scenery is stunning, but the outdoor scenes set in sound stages appear ersatz. Career conniver Harry Woods makes a despicable villain with a mustache who will do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. The flirtatious romance between Mitchum and Hale lurches off to an uneven start with Hale posing as a boy. Mitchum and Hale make a credible couple. Meanwhile, our Stetson clad hero struggles to corral the vicious varmint who liquidated his best friend during a stagecoach hold-up. "West of the Pecos" could be classified as another one of those young men who venture out west for medicinal purposes. The difference, however, is that the young man turns out actually to be an older gentlemen who plans to rehabilitate him in the climate of the old West. Since I haven't read Zane Grey's novel, I have no idea how closely "Stagecoach War" scenarist Norman Houston adhered to Grey's book. The story unfolds in Chicago in 1887 with Colonel Lambeth's physician, Doc Howard (Bryant Washburn), urging the meatpacking entrepreneur to alter his lifestyle or suffer the consequences. "You've got more lard around your middle," Howard observes, "than one of your own hogs." Lambeth says he hasn't exercised in 20 years. "You better take time. Use your arms and legs. Walk miles. Ride a horse. Get yourself a job as bricklayer if you have to." Lambeth dreads such activities. "Me?" Howard shrugs, "Anything to keep you from creaking in the middle," Howard asserts. Moments later the doctor advises Lambeth's daughter, "You must get him away from this city, far away, where he can be kept physically active." Rill decides to take her father out west to Texas to a ranch named the Ranch of the Oro. Lambeth's attorney Clyde Corbin explains the hacienda requires a lot of work to get it back up to snuff. The Colonel's headstrong daughter Rill (Barbara Hale of TV's "Perry Mason") goads him to travel to their sprawling hacienda in Texas. "You're going to Texas, father," she points out, "you need a change." It seems that the attorney and Rill have eyes for each other and plan to get married. "West of the Pecos is still a wild and lawless country," Clyde assures Rill, "I won't let you go." Killy superimposes a map over a long shot of the Lambeths riding through the arid southwest. Incidentally, the stagecoach is drawn by four horses. Pecos Smith (Robert Mitchum) rides up to the stagecoach and insists that shotgun guard Tex Evans (Bill Williams) pay him his salary and save him a trip into town. No sooner has Pecos ridden away with his loot than outlaws attack the stagecoach and kill Tex. The outlaws take the stagecoach strongbox, blast it open, and clean it out. No sooner have the robbers ridden away than Pecos and his hybrid Mexican sidekick Chito Rafferty (Richard Martin) ride up and tend to Tex. In town, the Colonel clashes verbally with evil Brad Sawtelle about vigilante justice. "This is no country for civilized people, let alone women," Lambeth bemoans the cruel nature of the west. Rill learns more about these cruelties later when two men accost her and mistake her for a prostitute. Meantime, before he dies, Tex tells Pecos that Sam Sawtelle (Perc Launders) shot him. After two men treat her like a whore, Rill adopts the western outfit of a young man. She masquerades as a boy during the trip that her father and she embark on to their remote ranch. When their wagon breaks down, stranding them in the middle of nowhere, the Lambeths and Suzanne, Rill's French Maid (Rita Corday) cross trails with Pecos Smith and his sidekick. The campfire scene when Pecos tries to persuade Rill to cuddle up with him in his bedroll so they can share their bodily warmth is hilarious as is the cigarette rolling scene. "I don't do what people expect me to," Pecos (Robert Mitchum) observes at one point to a villain. Mitchum and Hale make a believable couple, and their shenanigans before Pecos realizes Rill isn't a young man are amusing. He discovers quite by accident that she is a woman when they are crossing the river on horseback. The relationship between Pecos and Rill is uneven. She is an heiress and he is a $30 a month cowhand when he isn't riding the stage. Eventually, Sam Sawtelle confesses his crime, and Lambeth refuses to turn Pecos over to the authorities. Meanwhile, another gunfight erupts with the Colonel shooting it out with Brad Sawtelle's vigilantes. Pecos catches Brad before he can flee. Pecos winds up with Rill, while her former fiancé heads back to Chicago."West of the Pecos" amounts a mischievous, little B-horse opera with usually strong performances.

"West of the Pecos" is not to be confused with any of the great westerns of all time, or even of the 1940s. It is, nevertheless, a competently done little RKO-Radio Pictures western that reaches a surprisingly high level of quality considering its undeniable B-picture status.First and foremost is the performance of the great Robert Mitchum in one of his earliest starring roles. I can't imagine how anyone would not be charmed by this seemingly laid-back, I-don't-give-a-dam young actor who offered viewers a persona pretty much unlike that of any other star. What was it about Mitchum that so many, me included, find so appealing? I guess it was his plain spoken, down-to-earth manner; totally unaffected, totally at ease regardless of whatever predicament he found himself in.The plot is somewhat routine, that's true. But the actors are all more than competent, and we are also treated to some beautiful outdoor photography. The film was shot on location near Lone Pine, California, an area that has appeared in many, many movie productions over the years.My only complaint, other than the fact that the script offers no surprises, is that there is almost too much comic relief, supplied mostly by Richard Martin, an actor who played a Mexican in many films despite the fact that he obviously never got beyond Spanish 1 in school. (I'm a Spanish teacher with over 30 years service, so take my word for it, the guy's Spanish accent is far from native.)I suggest you take a look for yourself. "West of the Pecos" is not a bad way to spend a bit over an hour. Especially if you are a Mitchum fan.

I saw this film many years go at the local picture house in Birmingham. Can't wait until it comes back on television.I think Barbara Hale played her part very well. Also, her maid was also a good addition to the plot. I also think Pecos's side-kick gave a good backing.Hope they put it back on bbc soon.