River Lady

A passable but average Western with no much action, not shootouts, dealing with tough loggers and their violent facing off contenders in the upper Mississippi zone. It is set circa 1850s, ambitious businessman Beauvais, Dan Duryea attempts to take over the local mill whose owner is the reluctant Mulligan : John McIntire , but there comes Dan : Rod Cameron to help him, while he falls in love for Mulligan's daughter Stephanie : Helena Carter. There also arrives on her gambling riverboat, Sequin : gorgeous Yvonne De Carlo, to meet the lumberjack people who amuse themselves at the casino boat. Meantime , manipulating and seductive Sequin manages to Dan falls for her claws, causing the subsequent jeoulous of Stephanie.

A western drama with thrills, brawls, dramatic moments, romance, colorful cinematography and commendable musical score. This concerns the brawling story of the lusty Mississippi in which some lumbermen arrive in town causing mayhem and confrontation . Stars the always wonderful and sensual Yvonne De Carlo , the Technicolor queen, who performed several Westerns and adventure movies. Co-stars Rod Cameron as a two-fisted logger taking on crooked enemies, the tall and veteran actor playing Westerns through a long career from the 40s, as he acted in a lot of oaters, such as : The old Texas trail, The riders of Santa Fe, The Kansan, Brimstone, Runaround, Trigger trail, Panhandle, Dakota Lil, Belle Star's daughter, Renegades of the Rio Grande, The plunderers, Stampede and he even starred Spaghetti Westerns as Bullets and the flesh, Thunder at the border and Pistols don't argue.

It contains shimmer and glimmer cinematography in brilliant Technicolor by Irving Glassberg, Univetsal's regular. As well as evocative and rousing musical score by Paul Sawtell. The motion picture was uneven but professionally directed by George Sherman in B style, though it has some flaws. Sherman made reliable low budget fares for Columbia between 1945 to 48, then moved on to do the same at Universal for another 8 years, where he directed a lot of films. Sherman especialized almost exclusively in B westerns there, including The Three Musketeers series which featured a young John Wayne. As George directed westerns as The last of the fast guns, The lone hand, Santa Fe stampede, Red Skin, Chief Crazy Horse, Calamity Jane, Relentless, Comanche territory , among others. Rating 5, 5 out of 10, acceptable and passable western that will appeal to Yvonne De Carlo fans.

Journey back to an icy winter in the 1850s, when lumberjacks lived in isolated camps along the Mississippi River. The arrival of spring meant the men could finally move upriver to meet the New Orleans gambling boat, River Lady. Its proprietor is Sequin (De Carlo), a captivating and wealthy woman in love with a rugged, Irish logger... and willing to do almost anything to become his wife.

Rod Cameron is one sure lucky galoot with Yvonne DeCarlo and Helene Carter pawing over him. Who gets him in the end is quite suprising but it doesn't happen without some drama, adventure, fisticuffs and conflict. It's a colourful Timberjack western, lavishly filmed, has nice timber scenes, and a plot that flows smoothly. Dan Duryea adds some bite as the heel (what else!) and he ends up having a lively showdown with Cameron. Rod Cameron is excellent as always, here playing an independent-minded timber guy like his life run by someone. Which his flame DeCarlo does ... they split. He marries Helena Carter, but he isn't happy.

I was surprised to find in this "western" both Dan Durya and Rod Cameron; they did not work under contract with the same companies. Dan Durya was under contract at Universal Pictures and Rod Cameron at Republic Pictures, always co starring Forrest Tucker. So, I was surprised, because this is actually a false western, a lumberjack and river boat western. Not a outlaw and sheriff western, nor military fort western, nor possee western,nor Indian wars western.... But it is a charming movie, where our two leads co-star the gorgeous Yvonne De Carlo. Charming is the best word to describe this adventure flick.,

Usually films set on the Mississippi are concerned with the area south of St. Louis to the New Orleans area and the delta. But River Lady is set in the country north of Minneapolis/St.Paul and it deals with the men who chop down trees and some women who scheme to get them.

Such a woman is Yvonne DeCarlo riverboat gambling queen who sets up shop to take the logger's wages away and she's pretty good at it. She's got it bad for Rod Cameron, tough talking, two fisted logging man whom she thinks can do better. She buys into John McIntire's failing company on the condition that Cameron be made boss only he's not to know about her asking.

But also McIntire's daughter Helena Carter takes an interest in Cameron. All the while Dan Duryea another riverboat gambler who like DeCarlo is watching and waiting for a moment to move in on the logs and Yvonne. He gets his opportunity.

The characters are nicely developed though I think that Cameron was a bit of a lug. Although Duryea usually plays oily creatures in his films like this one, I can't believe DeCarlo didn't see he was far more suited to her.

Some nice logging sequences and a nasty fight with loggers for both Duryea and Camerone mixing it up at the end as Cameron tries to dynamite a log jam. Action fans should like this.