Roughshod (1949)

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

Hugo Butler (writer)
Daniel Mainwaring (writer)

Release Date:

11 May 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

Wrangler Clay Phillips and his young brother are taking horses to Sonora when they come across four dancehall girls heading the same way...

Plot Keywords:

Brother | Horse | Beautiful Woman | Cowboy

Cast

Robert Sterling	...	Clay Phillips
Gloria Grahame	...	Mary Wells
Claude Jarman Jr.	...	Steve Phillips
John Ireland	...	Lednov
Jeff Donnell	...	Elaine Wyatt
Myrna Dell	...	Helen Carter
Martha Hyer	...	Marcia
George Cooper	...	Jim Clayton
Jeff Corey	...	Jed Graham
Sara Haden	...	Ma Wyatt
James Bell	...	Pa (Ed) Wyatt
Sean McClory	...	Fowler (as Shawn McGlory)
Robert Williams	...	McCall (as Robert B. Williams)
Steve Savage	...	Peters
Ed Cassidy	...	Sheriff Gardner (as Edward Cassidy)

Runtime:

USA:88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Spain:13 | USA:Approved (PCA #12566)

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Quotes:

Clay Phillips: Where are you going?
Mary Wells: To the other side of the street.

Likable Western

Unusually adult Western for its time. Brothers Sterling and Jarman have to drive their horse herd over a dangerous mountain pass so they can start a ranch on the other side. Along the way, however, they encounter four stranded dance hall girls (Production Code euphemism for hookers). Now the brothers are torn between helping the women or getting their herd safely across. And, oh yes, there are the three baddies chasing Sterling, but they're in the movie mainly to provide action and not to drive the plot.

Now, Robert Sterling doesn't exactly fit my image of a cowboy lead. He seems a shade too boyish and perhaps a little soft looking (likely why the unshaven stubble was added). However, he does well with the part, being convincingly tough when he needs to be. In fact, acting skill means more in this Western than in most because of the emotional interplay between the three principals, Sterling, Jarman, and Grahame. And, as it turns out, the chemistry between Jarman and Sterling is outstandingly unforced. There seems to be a genuine rapport between the brothers. Grahame, of course, specialized in this kind of compromised role in her all-too-brief and exotic career. Having her teach the skeptical Jarman to read amounts to an interesting character sidelight. In my book, however, the youthful Jarman walks off with the movie since he manages to be genuinely appealing without piling it on.

For Sterling the challenge is whether to follow conventional morality and reject Grahame's overtures or to follow instinct and see the real potential in her. Jarman sees such inner qualities immediately since he has not yet learned to judge others according to stereotype. Fortunately the screenplay avoids getting sentimental over the conflict, and in fact handles the whole risky theme quite intelligently.

The mountain shootout is scenic and well-staged. I wish I had a nickel for every nasty heavy John Ireland played during this period. But then, he was so very good at it. For a Western with a strong human interest side, director Robson avoids the usual pitfall of too much talk by moving things along nicely. All in all. the movie's an entertaining and satisfying 90 minutes with a genuinely humane message.