El Paso

That's for me one of the best westerns from Paramount Pictures, just after SHANE of course, but it is an underrated film, using the Civil War element, as so many other westerns of this period, starring Randolph Scott, Brian Donlevy, Zachary Scott, from Warner Bros or RKO pictures. The story itself is not that new but the production design is splendid and John Payne still "in progress" in his career, already very promising for his further filmography. It looks very like a Warner Bros films, starring Errol Flynn. Lewis Foster's splendid movie, one of his most ambitious, but his favorite feature were adventure flicks taking place in South sea islands, Caribbean area. John Payne was for Lewis Foster the same John Wayne with John Ford. Check Payne's movies, you'll often find Foster as director. And beware, pay attention, that's as far as I know, the only film where Sterling Hayden is a villain; I mean a TRUE villain, against the lead hero; here John Payne. But of course Hayden played outlaws in his films, westerns - JOHNNY GUITAR - or gangsters - ASPHALT JUNGLE, only he was then question of the movies hero, lead character, and not a villain. See the difference?

This Cinecolor Western from 1949 boasts a terrific cast and an interesting storyline. John Payne stars as a gun-toting attorney who takes on the so-called "lawmen" of El Paso. Sterling Haytden and former singin'cowpoke Dick Foran have fun roles as the bad-guys running the town. With the help of a drunken Judge, they rule with an iron fist .... until Payne arrives !

Gabby Hayes has a featured role and is as endearing as ever. This film is fun and well-produced, but is a little long & drags a bit in the middle.

Those with patience and a 100+ minutes to spare should enjoy this old-fashioned cowboy movie.

I think El Paso started out to be a much more ambitious western than it eventually turned out. There was a lot more potential there than for what did eventually make it to the screen.

Except for a short subject he did at Warner Brothers in 1939 El Paso was the first western that John Payne did and he definitely seemed comfortable in the genre. He plays a lawyer and former Confederate veteran who goes west to El Paso from Charleston, South Carolina in search of an old friend of Payne's grandfather H.B. Warner.

That friend is Henry Hull who went west with his daughter Gail Russell for health reasons and is now a drunken pawn of town boss Sterling Hayden. With Hull as judge and sheriff Dick Foran to enforce some trumped up foreclosures, Hayden's grabbing all the real estate he can in and around El Paso from veterans who were not paying taxes while they were fighting in the Civil War.

Payne tries it the legal way, but he's learned a few things as well in those war years. When it doesn't work he finds himself leader of a guerrilla band who are exacting justice after a couple of murders of cast members sympathetic to Payne.

Editing was pretty botched in El Paso. There are references during the film to scenes that were obviously cut out. The film also seemed to be building to a terrific climax and the end was quite a let down. You'll see what I mean if you view the film.

El Paso was produced by Pine-Thomas Productions, two guys with the first name of William. William Pine was Cecil B. DeMille's associate producer on several of his earlier epics from the Thirties and I think he was expecting a DeMille like budget and didn't get it. So cuts were made that I think spoiled the overall quality of the film.

Still fans of the western and of John Payne will like it. Note the comic relief performances of Mary Beth Hughes as Stagecoach Nell and Gabby Hayes for once an Easterner in a western.

As kids we're always told to stand up to bullies; but try putting that into practise at work with your boss! Lawyer John Payne proves similarly naïve in thinking Sterling Hayden and his brutal henchman Dick Foran will be as easily dissuaded by due process; and after 80 rather garrulous and conventional minutes this film finally makes you sit up and take notice when Payne and the rest of the townsfolk at last take the law into their own hands and fight fire with gunfire.

But did anyone ever stand trial for the accidental lynching of the newly arrived minister?

In the immediate aftermath of the Civil War a Confederate officer by the name of "Clay Fletcher" (John Payne) returns to his home in Charleston, South Carolina, to restart his law profession. Upon hearing that a former sweetheart named "Susan Jeffers" (Gail Russell) and her father "Judge Henry Jeffers" (Henry Hull) have moved to El Paso, Texas, he volunteers to take some important legal papers to him. When he gets to El Paso he finds that a group of thugs have taken control of the small town and are manipulating the alcoholic judge to enforce their corrupt interests. Now, rather than detailing the entire story, I will just say that this film had a "Grade B" feel from start to finish. None of the actors distinguished themselves, the plot was shaky and some of the scenes seemed a bit corny at times. To be fair though, some of these criticisms can be attributed to the time-period in which this film was made. Even so, I thought it could have been better and so I have scored it as slightly below average.