Westbound

Westbound finds Captain Randolph Scott of the Union Army headed in that direction to return to his civilian occupation, that of manager for the Overland Stage Company. As the main transporter of gold for the Union Treasury, Overland has had its share of holdups and other problems caused by Confederate raiders and the army puts Scott on detached duty to return to run Overland.

Scott's told to make his headquarters in Julesburg which is a hotbed of Confederate sympathy. The man Scott is replacing has absconded with all the horses and records of the company. While Scott's in the army, that man Andrew Duggan also absconded with the woman that Scott intended to marry. Virginia Mayo is now Mrs. Duggan.

Randy does what he can to cobble together Stagecoaches, horses, and people to drive them. But Duggan who is a Southern sympathizer has at his disposal a nasty pack of gunslingers headed by Michael Pate.

Westbound is an unusually short film, more in the tradition of those Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and other B cowboys from Republic. But the film does cram quite a lot into its 68 minute running time. This is one of the better Randolph Scott/Budd Boetticher collaborations. It also has a nice bouncy theme for when the stagecoach is running.

Definitely a film that will make one a Randolph Scott fan if you haven't been before.