As with many older Westerns from the Fifties, this one is entertaining while viewing, but then when you think about the story, elements start cropping up that make you question what the writers were thinking about when they put it together. Take the character of Jeff Leffingwell/'Leff' (Robert Keith). You mean to tell me this guy lived his life the last twenty five years waiting to engineer a massive swindle by kidnapping a five year old, waiting for the kid to grow up, and then con an outlaw into pretending he was the man grown up? What?!?!
Now as this gets revealed to the viewer it all seems credible enough. Alan Ladd pulls off the impersonation believably, and one gets the impression that he's genuinely transformed his character by working with the Lavery family while assuming the role of long lost son. Even when he goes off to find the real missing Richard Lavery, it's with a genuine sense of purpose to redeem himself for duping the Lavery's after they've opened their hearts and home to him.
But here's where the resolution gets sticky? When Mateo Rubriz (Joseph Calleia) and his men arrive at the Lavery Ranch, where was loyal foreman Ransom (Tom Tully) and the rest of the hired hands? It was as if Rubriz had a free run of the place and just managed to show up in the room where Tonio was convalescing from his gunshot wound. Then, with both families patching things up between them, Ruth Lavery (Mona Freeman) hurries after Choya (Ladd) to take that proverbial ride into the sunset. But wait, she was a devoted daughter up to that point, but now she's just riding off without even saying good bye? See what I mean?
And yet, all in all it's a pretty good story even if not in the same league as Ladd's seminal Western film 'Shane". That point I think even the Fonz would agree on.
Now as this gets revealed to the viewer it all seems credible enough. Alan Ladd pulls off the impersonation believably, and one gets the impression that he's genuinely transformed his character by working with the Lavery family while assuming the role of long lost son. Even when he goes off to find the real missing Richard Lavery, it's with a genuine sense of purpose to redeem himself for duping the Lavery's after they've opened their hearts and home to him.
But here's where the resolution gets sticky? When Mateo Rubriz (Joseph Calleia) and his men arrive at the Lavery Ranch, where was loyal foreman Ransom (Tom Tully) and the rest of the hired hands? It was as if Rubriz had a free run of the place and just managed to show up in the room where Tonio was convalescing from his gunshot wound. Then, with both families patching things up between them, Ruth Lavery (Mona Freeman) hurries after Choya (Ladd) to take that proverbial ride into the sunset. But wait, she was a devoted daughter up to that point, but now she's just riding off without even saying good bye? See what I mean?
And yet, all in all it's a pretty good story even if not in the same league as Ladd's seminal Western film 'Shane". That point I think even the Fonz would agree on.