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"Short Grass" is another "B" plus western from Allied Artists. It is essentially a two-part story.
In the opening we meet ambitious cattleman Hal Fenton (Morris Ankrum) and his gang which includes his brother Randy (Riley Hill), Sam Dreen (Harry Woods looking meaner than ever), the brutal Curley (Jeff York), Les McCambridge (Myron Healey) and Jack (Jack Ingram). Fenton has his eye on a piece of short grass grazing land and has his men fan out to inspect the property.
McCambridge and Jack plan to rob Charlie Bissel's (Jonathon Hale) General Store in order to get money enough to buy their own ranch. In the store is drifter Steve Llewellyn (Rod Cameron) who's back story is not known. Jack is killed by his partner McCambridge and Steve is unaware that the man has robbed Bissel's safe. Later on the trail McCambridge is killed by Steve although he is wounded in the process. He finds the proceeds of the robbery on the dead man unaware that the money is stolen.
Steve is found by the winsome Sharon Lynch (Cathy Downs) who with her father Pete (Stanley Andrews) nurse him back to health. Steve and Sharon become attracted to each other. Steve gives the money he has found to Pete to buy the tract of land that the Fenton gang has their eye on. As a partner in the venture, Steve tries to prevent the Fentons from driving their cattle onto it. In a confrontation with the gang Steve is forced to kill Randy Fenton. He then turns his guns into Bissel for safekeeping and leaves the territory.
On to part 2 which is five years later where Steve discovers that Sharon has married a boozy newspaper editor (Tristram Coffin) and Bissel has now become a prosperous saloon owner. It seems that the railroad is coming and Fenton has been buying up land around the proposed route. Sheriff Ord Keown (Johnny Mack Brown) is trying to keep the peace. A local rancher Jim Westfall (Rory Mallinson) is burned out by the Fentons. In a confrontation in the saloon both Westfall and Devons are killed. With the support of Doc McKenna and Bissel, Steve straps on his guns once more and.......................................................
The performances are uniformly good. Cameron as the mysterious stranger stands out. Brown is equally good as the Sheriff who helps Cameron clean up the town. Alan Hale Jr. is along as Cameron's neighbor and supporter. The diminutive Downs is forced to look up...way up to Cameron during their love scenes.
Budget constraints show up, particularly in the first half where supposedly big cattleman Ankrum is driving a "herd" of about a dozen head to the disputed land. And the Lynch "ranch" is a cheaply constructed "indoor exterior" complete with painted back drop. However all is forgiven when we are treated by Director Lesley Selander to a slam bang climatic shootout.
score 8/10
bsmith5552 15 June 2017
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3731145/ |
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6-3-2021 12:06:08