"Uranium Boom" came at the height of the Atomic Age in the 50s and is a story from the Sam Katzman/William Castle shop shot in Black and White on their usual modest budget.
Brad Collins (Dennis Morgan) and Grady Mathews (William Talman) form a partnership to search for the valuable uranium used in the manufacture of Atomic Bombs. Mathews is a mining engineer and Collins is knowledgeable about the land. Along the way they pick up Navajo Charlie (Philip Van Zandt) who promises to make them rich.
They find the "yellow rock" and despite interference from competitor Joe McGinnis (Bill Henry) and his crew, manage to keep their find. Brad goes to town to register their claim and while there meets the comely Jean Williams (Patricia Medina) who unbeknownst to Brad is the apple of Grady's eye. The two have a whirlwind courtship and wind up getting married.
On returning to the claim with new bride in tow, Grady is shocked at the marriage and storms off and goes back east. Brad meanwhile becomes very rich and somewhat greedy by squeezing out rival miners. Grady signs over his share of the mine to Jean and then hatches a scheme to ruin Brad.
Grady hires two confidence operators, Floyd Gorman (Frank Wilcox) and the sultry Gail Windsor (Tina Carver) to convince Brad that a railroad spur is being planned to run through the middle of the uranium mines. Brad exercises his options on the various claims by borrowing the necessary funds. Grady then returns and tells Brad that he is now broke and...............................................................
Castle by this time had become a capable action picture director. As such, he keeps the story moving, throwing in a couple of fights between Morgan and Talman as well as, a brawl at the mining site. He does unfortunately, tack on a wishy washy ending that spoils the whole intent of the story.
Dennis Morgan had been a popular song and dance man for Warner Bros. in the 1940s. This would be effectively his final feature film. William Talman would go on to lasting fame as District Attorney Hamilton Berger in the long running TV series "Perry Mason". And then there was Patricia Medina with those big brown eyes. She was married to Joseph Cotton for many years. I have to admit that I didn't recognize veteran actor Phil Van Zandt as the Navajo Charlie. He steals the picture.
Brad Collins (Dennis Morgan) and Grady Mathews (William Talman) form a partnership to search for the valuable uranium used in the manufacture of Atomic Bombs. Mathews is a mining engineer and Collins is knowledgeable about the land. Along the way they pick up Navajo Charlie (Philip Van Zandt) who promises to make them rich.
They find the "yellow rock" and despite interference from competitor Joe McGinnis (Bill Henry) and his crew, manage to keep their find. Brad goes to town to register their claim and while there meets the comely Jean Williams (Patricia Medina) who unbeknownst to Brad is the apple of Grady's eye. The two have a whirlwind courtship and wind up getting married.
On returning to the claim with new bride in tow, Grady is shocked at the marriage and storms off and goes back east. Brad meanwhile becomes very rich and somewhat greedy by squeezing out rival miners. Grady signs over his share of the mine to Jean and then hatches a scheme to ruin Brad.
Grady hires two confidence operators, Floyd Gorman (Frank Wilcox) and the sultry Gail Windsor (Tina Carver) to convince Brad that a railroad spur is being planned to run through the middle of the uranium mines. Brad exercises his options on the various claims by borrowing the necessary funds. Grady then returns and tells Brad that he is now broke and...............................................................
Castle by this time had become a capable action picture director. As such, he keeps the story moving, throwing in a couple of fights between Morgan and Talman as well as, a brawl at the mining site. He does unfortunately, tack on a wishy washy ending that spoils the whole intent of the story.
Dennis Morgan had been a popular song and dance man for Warner Bros. in the 1940s. This would be effectively his final feature film. William Talman would go on to lasting fame as District Attorney Hamilton Berger in the long running TV series "Perry Mason". And then there was Patricia Medina with those big brown eyes. She was married to Joseph Cotton for many years. I have to admit that I didn't recognize veteran actor Phil Van Zandt as the Navajo Charlie. He steals the picture.