Scalplock

Scalplock was a TV western that Dale Robertson starred in that turned out to be a pilot for his Iron Horse series that ran for two seasons. Not as successful for Robertson as Tales Of Wells Fargo it still has its devoted fans.

Robertson is playing a character and playing it well of the type that James Garner was normally cast in. He's a frontier gambler who won a railroad and a ton of cash in the highest stakes poker game he was ever in. Beat a full house aces over tens with 4 queens. The man has guts and nerve and the pilot shows him trying to complete the railroad from Buffalo Pass to Scalplock.

He'll need all the nerve he can summon as he tries to best Lloyd Bochner who was originally going to buy the BP,S&D as it is always referred.

Returning for the series run is young Bob Random who plays a young telegrapher who leaves his job because he's enthralled with Robertson's nerve and charm.

Scalplock is a good western for Dale Robertson. Hopefully the Iron Horse is available on DVD or YouTube. '

Dale Robertson was the star of TV's Tales of Wells Fargo and made a number of westerns of varying quality thru the years. With his amiable,determined demeanor he caused many a bad guy to see the error of his ways. In this film from later in his career, Robertson ends up "saddled" with a railroad won in a poker game.

Robertson takes on the greed, corruption and misunderstanding of the community as he gets the fledgling enterprise off the ground. Diana Hyland appears also in an interesting role , the same year that she appeared in Smoky with Fess Parker.

Dale Robertson always reminded me of Clark Gable, with his likable rogue persona. This is an average film though, with a few above-average performances.