The movie is a semi-autobiography adding a love story with a standard eternal love triangle (Dekker-Claire Trevor-Sullivan), musical numbers and numerous shootouts . The movie is inspired on true events . Thus , Bartholomew ¨Bat¨ Masterson (1853-1921) spent the last twenty years of his life as a popular sports writer on New York newspaper . Previously he had taken part in the battle of Adobe Walls in 1874 in which a small party of hunters beat off a fierce attack by hundreds of Indians , events narrated in the meeting between Bat and the old man at the beginning of the film . In 1878 the marshal of Dodge City was shot by two cowboys , Bat (Albert Dekker) rushed to the scene and gunned down the killer . Bat was appointed as deputy U.S. marshal by the Mayor (Porter Hall) and shortly after captured noted outlaw (in the film King Kennedy featured by Barry Sullivan) . Along with Bat were hired to keep the peace as lawman Wyatt Earp and Bill Tilghman . In 1902 he settled in N.Y.City and became a successful sports writer on the Morning Telegraph (at the movie even appears working with Louella Parsons) , he died at his desk from a heart attack . Masterson said he has not killed as many men as was popularly supposed though he had experienced a great many difficulties . The picture is set in Dodge City , Kansas , the most celebrated of the cowboy cattle towns , became a major railhead cowtown for the cattle driven up from Texas over the long trails , during the cattle boom Dodge shipped more than 250.ooo head a year . The free-spending cowboys attracted professional gamblers , badmen , saloon and brothel keepers and became a rough town in the best traditions of the wild west . Dodge City reigned as ¨Queen of the Cowtowns¨ until final XIX century when the free range cattle industry came to an end . We also find the protagonists (Trevor and Dekker) at the town's cemetery , Boot Hill , it gained fame as the last resting place where gunmen , drifters or usually victims of gunfights or brawls were buried with their ¨boots on¨ and a little ceremony .
The film is an enjoyable western narrated in flashbacks and well written by Aeneas McKenzie . Agreeable musical score nominated for Academy Award by the classic composer Miklos Rozsa . Production is in charge of Harry Sherman , an usual western producer .The motion picture was rightly directed by George Archainbaud . The flick will appeal to western moviegoers.
