The Yellow Mountain

This fairly light-hearted early Ross Hunter production is an everyday tale of competitive capitalism in the wild west, with a jaunty score, fisticuffs and a heroine with a drunken old father, who (SPOILER COMING:) for once makes it alive to the end. You'll have forgotten it all within five minutes, but it passes the time agreeably.

The Yellow Mountain is directed by Jesse Hibbs and collectively written by George Zuckerman, Russell Hughes, Robert Blees and Harold Channing Wire. It stars Lex Barker, Mala Powers, Howard Duff, William Demarest, John McIntire and Leo Gordon. Music is by Joseph Gershenson and cinematography by George Robinson.

The yellow mountain of the title is in Goldfield, Nevada, and there is gold up there in that thar mountain. There are two local factions in opposition for mining superiority, something is clearly going to have to give...

She thinks I'm a philanthropist.

Lovely tidy Oater this one, it's for the discerning Western fan who has a love for the 1950s boon of the genre. It begins with a fun punch - up as Barker's Andy Martin arrives in town and renews his fremeny relationship with Duff's Pete Menlo, and of course the presence of the gorgeous Nevada Wray (Powers) muddies the testosterone waters still further. Uneasy alliances will be formed and director Hibbs slots in some Western staples (chase/fights/stare-downs etc) as the story progresses, with some very nifty stunt work into the bargain.

Technical credits are way above average. Barker has left Tarzan behind and is playing cowboy, and he's OK, but more of a presence than a fleshy character. Main problem for Barker is the strength of the supporting cast who outshine him. McIntire and Gordon are the weasels, which is always a bonus for Western fans, while Duff and Demarest, the latter of which owns the film, give great character driven turns. With nice outdoor scenery photographed around the Mojave Desert and appealing costuming on show, production is as safe as a brick out-house.

Stoic fans of Westerns will know exactly where it's all going to end up, but formula is fine if the journey is fun and engaging, such is the case here. It isn't going to make anyone's top 100 Westerns list, but genre fans should catch it if they can. 7/10

Any movie about mining for gold will eventually include double-crossing con artists, and THE YELLOW MOUNTAIN starts right off with honest hero Lex Barker punching his former backstabbing friend in the office of a saloon that's the central location: until they venture into the titular mine with two different names on the claims...

There's the shifty fella Barker fought with in charming, unpredictable Howard Duff, with his eyes on the gorgeous daughter of unlucky lifelong gambling miner William Demarest, a kind of passive version of Walter Huston...

Yet the budding romance between stubborn scene-stealing beauty Mala Powers with a wooden yet dependably agile Barker has more initial suspense than the inevitable battle-for-riches, that also includes sophisticated villain John McIntire (who owns a neighboring saloon) along with his lead thug in genuine tough guy Leo Gordon...

Eventually becoming the most severe, palpable threat, as Barker battles both crooked partner Duff and Gordon's savage gunslinger in a Western aptly balancing unpredictable twist-and-turn action/adventure and competitive romance in a perfect programmer's length of 80 minutes -- that economically covers all that needs uncovering.

Watched a HDTV copy of it. It is a pretty decent b western with good action. Barker, Powers, Duff and supporting actors are fine. Recommend watching it if you're a fan of westerns.

Pete Menlo owns some gold claims in Nevada where he is joined by his old friend Andy Martin. Crooked mine-owner Bannon wants to merge their interests so they can create a monopoly but is turned down. Pete is interested in 'Nevada' Wray, daughter of mine-owner 'Jackpot' Wray, but she has eyes only for Andy. The rejected Pete joins forces with Bannon and they learn that, because of location, 'Jackpot' Wray may be the owner of all the gold in the respective veins. Bannon and his men try to get rid of Andy. ...

Yellow Mountain is a lively and colourful western that has a modicum of fisticuffs, stare downs, mine dynamiting and chases. The final shootout between Lex Barker and Leo Gordon and John McIntyre is well done with a good suspenseful buildup. It's a light fare all decked in Technicolor - the cinematography is great and so are the stars -Lex Barker, Howard Duff and the pretty Mala Powers. This is great fun.