Gun Lords of Stirrup Basin

My guess is George Plympton didn't have the last word among the writers of this exciting and violent Western, though this film has such an excellent title, he must have had lots of input.

But there is one big silly spot that just made and makes so little sense, it's hard to understand why everyone involved didn't complain. Watch and you'll see it. It is downright ridiculous, but doesn't really detract terribly from the overall plot. In fact, it does show one aspect of Wild West life that does not get emphasized enough. Call it chivalry.

Essentially the plot is another version of "Romeo and Juliet," but the enmity between the lovers' families is artificial and stirred up by a "shyster lawyer," excellently played by the under-valued Karl Hackett.

Bob Steele, whose acting just got better and better as he worked his way through nearly 250 roles, is this film's "Romeo." His "Juliet" is played by the very lovely, bright, and capable Louise Stanley, another terribly under-used actress who should have had, based on her looks and talent, many years of performances.

There is a too-dark version at YouTube. If you can find a better version, I hope you grab the chance to view it. If not, catch the one at YouTube. I hope you don't get all the commercial interruptions I did, but the film is a good one. Do see it.

This film essentially begins with a young rancher by the name of "Dan Stockton" (Bob Steele) falling in love with a young woman named "Gail Dawson" (Louise Stanley). For her part, Gail is also enamored of Dan as well. The problem, however, is that there has been a great deal of friction between the local ranchers and a sizeable group of homesteaders--a group for which Gail happens to belong. These issues are further inflamed by a lawyer in the area named "Gabe Bowdre" (Karl Hackett) who sees a hefty profit to be made by chasing the homesteaders off. To that end, he not only turns the ranchers against the homesteaders, but he also resorts to murder to achieve his agenda. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that, even though it was rather short (about 53 minutes) and quite dated, this turned out to be a solid Western movie, all the same. That being said, while it's certainly not a top-ranked Western by any means, it was sufficient for the time spent, and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

Karl Hackett wants all the local water rights. His plan means that the farmers on the Mesa will have to be cleared out, so he shoots one of them in the back, spreading word among his survivors that it was a cattleman, and does the same to rancher Frank Ball, convincing the riders it was a farmer. In the midst of this, Bob Steele, Ball's son, marries Louise Stanley, sister of the dead farmer. No one wants either of them. It's up to Steele to figure out what's going on and stop the war that's already hit the shooting stage in this randomly named B Western.

It's a good, if standard plot for westerns, and Steele, as always, looks good getting on or off a horse or beating up Hackett. Even his most fervent admirers will admit that his voice is not great, but that's not what people see westerns for. Miss Stanley is pretty, and Ernie Adams, who was in more than 450 movies, actually gets some lines and character. It's another pleasant B western.