Fighting Man of the Plains

Randolph Scott plays a bit of a poacher-cum-gamekeeper in this western adventure. Here, he ("Dancer") starts off riding with the infamous Capt. Quantrill during the American Civil War. He is misled by his cohort "Yancey" (Paul Fix) into believing that an old man they encounter in Kansas killed his father, so he does for him too. It soon turns out, though, that it was the deceased man's brother that did the deed, and by now "Dancer" is being sought by the authorities. When he is apprehended, serendipity take a fateful hand as his captor is accentually killed and he assumes his identity, Next thing, he's a town marshal and a battle royal is shaping up between his new found friends and his old protagonist "Slocum" (Barry Kelley). The sequential nature of the story telling keeps the action coming thick and fast, and Scott does an adequate job. The rest of the cast are neither here nor there, though - especially the really rather lacklustre Jane Nigh ("Florence") and an oddly un-menacing "Tancred" (Bill Williams). Still, its almost bang on 90 minutes, and makes for a perfectly watchable western feature with plenty going on.

Renowned western novelist Frank Gruber wrote the script of FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS (1949) based on his own book. It tells the story of Jim Dancer (Randolph Scott), a fugitive outlaw who'd been part of Captain William Quantrill's infamous raid on Lawrence, Kansas on August 21, 1863. Dancer is apprehended by a "Pleasanton" (read: Pinkerton) detective who is then killed in an accident, allowing Dancer to take his identity and wind up in Lanyard, Kansas, where he's pressured into taking the job of Marshal after fearlessly subduing some rowdy cowboys. It's a fairly corrupt town, but the new Marshal does a good job of keeping the peace and gets aid from some unexpected quarters at the local gambling hall.

The script is awash in simmering undercurrents, including the fact that the man who owns the town, Slocum (Barry Kelley), had killed Dancer's brother during the war, and Dancer had killed Slocum's brother in response during the Lawrence raid. Slocum's niece (Joan Taylor), who'd witnessed the killing of her father a decade earlier, lives with her uncle but fails to recognize Dancer as the culprit and begins to fall for him. Meanwhile the gambling saloon owner, Oldham (Victor Jory), finds his voluptuous partner, Florence (Jane Nigh), falling for Dancer as well. Eventually, Slocum alienates both the local cattlemen and the railroad company through his efforts to control all the land around town and a showdown is inevitable. At one point, a detective from Chicago shows up, summoned by the suspicious Slocum, to see if "Marshal Cummings" (Dancer's new identity), is indeed his old detective buddy. To make matters worse, Slocum's got cocky young gunslinger Johnny Tancred (Bill Williams) in his pocket, ready to take over when the tide turns. Dancer has his own ace in the hole, however, thanks to his old wartime associations. The finale offers a clear violation of the Production Code, but I can see where the blurred lines between good and bad, lawman and lawbreaker, "respectable" and disreputable could have easily confused the censors.

Lots of stuff happens in the movie and the cast of characters is quite colorful. Things never slow down and surprises come at us pretty quickly. I had a great time watching this. I never felt it getting too far-fetched for me. The cast includes plenty of old hands at this kind of thing (Scott, Jory, Paul Fix, Douglas Kennedy) and a few new hands (Taylor, Nigh, Williams) and they're all good. Jory is particularly awesome. He comes off initially as his patented oily gambler, but he proudly defies our expectations. Future western star Dale Robertson appears as Jesse James in his first credited role. He has only two scenes—one good one and one great one. Film noir regulars Barry Kelley and Berry Kroeger are both on hand, one as a bad guy and one who'll surprise you.

I watched this on TCM, which showed a black-and-white print of a Cinecolor film. I hope someone finds a color print and releases it on DVD.

I was just 6 years old when I saw "Fighting Man of the Plains"...my parents took me and my sisters to a drive-in movie in Indianapolis, Indiana. We used to go to the drive-in about once a month, because it was the best way for a young family to get a night out. What I remember most about the film is that rather early-on Randolph Scott is under arrest, and he and the lawman are taking a small raft-like ferry across some water, when a horse rears-up and its hoof smashes the lawman in the face. The movie was in color, and the close-up of the bloody face was mesmerizing. Randolph Scott then assumed the lawman's identity and went on to bring law and order to a lawless Kansas town. I grew-up to become a successful television news anchor/reporter and video producer...but I would love to see "Fighting Man of the Plains" again. It was a seminal moment in my childhood, and forever marked Randolph Scott...and westerns...as some of my favorite movie fare.

One of the nice things about FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS is seeing VICTOR JORY in a role where he's playing the hero's friend rather than a villain. It's an above average RANDOLPH SCOTT western that was apparently filmed originally in Cinecolor but the TCM print is in B&W.

Scott is a man running from his past who is mistaken for the lawman who captured him but got killed along the way to bringing Scott to justice. We learn later that Scott was justified in killing a man in self-defense and did not deserve a reputation as a lawless outlaw.

He proves such a good shot when attacked by a town bully, that the townspeople appoint him sheriff of a small Kansas town, post-Civil War 1870s. He's able to keep that disguise for most of the story, until some of the crooked elements in town find out his true identity and make trouble for him before he can explain what happened.

The whole story has a pleasant Zane Grey feeling about it--although it's an original one written for the screen. BILL WILLIAMS is cast against type as a villain and JANE NIGH is the romantic interest as Jory's business partner.

Plenty of action and a colorful story combine to make a good Randolph Scott western worth catching. DALE ROBERTSON is introduced as Jesse James, a man who comes to Scott's rescue when the going gets tough.

This is a real humdinger of a western. The plot and dialogue move along quickly, with no time wasted on unlikely romance or saloon song. On the contrary, this tight little gem centers fully and solely on the great Randolph Scott. Here, Scott is at his lean, trim, handsomest best; the director senses this, and the film is noteworthy for featuring a number of lovely, soft, lingering close-ups of Randolph's grim face. To me, this is a wonderful touch and a delightful tribute to one the Westerns' greatest stars.

The co-stars are fine as well, but they definitely play second fiddle to Scott. One unexpected twist involves the town's "tinhorn" gambler, played by Victor Jory. Jory is the only member of the town to recognize Scott as a wanted outlaw, and is certainly in a position to blackmail him; however, in a quite unusual development, Jory chooses to befriend Scott, and remains his loyal friend to the end.

"Fighting Man on the Plains" is the perfect late-40's Western, a fully mature old-fashioned good-guys vs. bad-guys bit of adult theatre, a genre film crafted to its full potential; and it sets the stage nicely for the more psychologically complex Westerns of the 50's.

Highly recommended for lovers of Westerns.