Roughshod

Unfortunately, this was the only Western directed by the talented Mark Robson. It has an excellent, tight screenplay by Daniel Mainwaring (aka Geoffrey Homes) and Hugo Butler, from a story by Peter Viertel. Most surprisingly it boasts unusual violence for the Genre, thus making ROUGHSHOD hold up the test of time so well. Uniformly outstanding performances by a very young and luminous Gloria Grahame, Claude Jarman Jr, Myrna Dell, John Ireland and Jeff Donnell. Character actors James Bell, Jeff Corey and Sara Haden were very good in small roles and it must be said that the usually dull leading man Robert Sterling here proved he could act.

It has impeccable photography by Joe Biroc, an evocative score by the underrated Roy Webb and remarkable women costumes by Renie. Unfortunately, as with so many RKO Titles, WarnerVideo never released it on VHS and the first DVD Edition (Made on order) came out as late as January 2016!. Fans of Westerns should not miss ROUGHSHOD, unavailabilty pushed it into oblivion but definitely is worth of a reappraisal.

Usually, westerns have a lot more action than "Roughshod". This one, however, is a character study starring Robert Sterling and Gloria Grahame and is a likable, well made picture. Peculiar storyline has Sterling and his younger brother trying to herd some horses to another town. Along the way they encounter Grahame and 3 other dance hall girls with a broken-down wagon enroute elsewhere, having been deemed morally bankrupt and driven out of a neighboring town. Sterling is also being chased by a vengeful John Ireland and 2 other escaped cons for some payback.

The story is mainly about a budding -or not- romance between Sterling and Grahame which Sterling is trying to fight off. He is trying to maintain a righteous front for his younger brother played by Claude Jarman, Jr. in an excellent performance. As noted by other users, Gloria Grahame fans will enjoy seeing her in an admittedly routine role, but she has never looked prettier than here.

The action is all in the last 10 minutes in an exciting finale. It is an unremarkable, ultimately satisfying film that grows on you and lasts only 88 minutes. It almost makes you forget that is mostly a talking picture that could have used a little more energy and maybe some second unit stuff.

Gloria Grahame elevates this old western and makes it worth seeing, and John Ireland is also strong as the leader of the bad guys. The story-telling from director Mark Robson teeters at times a little too much on the overly wholesome side because of the presence of the boy, but overall it's well-balanced and doesn't overstay its welcome at 88 minutes. I also liked how he left the fate of one of the dancehall/working girls (Myrna Dell) to our imagination in a chilling moment, maybe the film's best. I'm not sure I can imagine liking the film without Grahame though, she's just stunning.

Gloria Grahame is Roughshod's major attraction, but bonuses are Jeff Corey in a small role, John Ireland as a lean young killer, and Claude Jarman Jr. carrying as serious a teenage role as a western may offer. Robert Sterling honestly manages the male lead. All the supporting roles are a testament to the kind of dependable quality the studios were delivering in the mid-20th century.

The most pleasant surprise may be the number of women's roles--the four bar girls, each of whom has her own denouement, including the accidental reunion of one with her decently grieving parents. As other posters have noted, the movie handles such scenes with minimal sentimentality or chatter, so that the strong feminine presence operates within the proper western decorum.

As a student of plot, I felt continually (if mildly) impressed by the story's layers and crossings. The bad guys' journey interweaves with the good guys' journey, which involves driving 10 free horses and assuming responsibility for the bar girls who break down on their path. One genre hallmark of a western is the story's geography or landscape. The good guys take another trail to avoid the bad guys, which leads the brassiest of the saloon-girls to hitch up with a gold prospector. The only wince-factor is the dependence on Gloria Grahame's character's reckless driving, but when that results in some of her clothes spilling in the river, those clothes float downstream and signal to the bad guys where the good guys are.

A lot happens in about 90 minutes, but it's all a bit subdued like its male lead. Director Mark Robson worked with Orson Welles and Val Lewton, so the quality-floor is high throughout. The best visuals are the long shots through the landscape where the different parties see each other; otherwise the film's composition, in keeping with its feminine content, is tight, personal, and intimate. The final gunfight is modest but, again, honest in its way, like the whole movie.

Brothers Robert Sterling (Clay) and Claude Jarman Jr ((Steve) are heading to Sonora with 9 horses to start up ranch life. On the way they pick up 4 ladies of ill-repute who are heading the same way – Gloria Grahame (Mary), Myrna Dell (Helen), Jeff Donnell (Elaine) and Martha Hyer (Marcia). Sterling also has John Ireland (Lednov) and two other escaped outlaws after him for revenge. We follow Sterling and his merry band as they follow their dreams to Sonora. Not all of them make it there, though.

This engaging western is easy to watch as the fates of the 2 brothers and 4 women is revealed. The end shoot-out scene is well done with a degree of tension that sustains itself throughout. The cast are all good with particular mention to John Ireland, Gloria Grahame and Myrna Dell. Robert Sterling in the lead isn't as memorable as these three. John Ireland makes the most of his screen time and he is definitely not a good guy. The fate of Myrna Dell is the most unfortunate and is dealt with in, what was for me, the film's most powerful segment. It will leave you asking yourself what happened.

I usually find children in films quite annoying, especially if they run around saying "swell". Well, Claude Jarman Jr is the exception to this rule and he adds some nice moments to the developing relationship between Sterling and Grahame. I would have liked to see some Indian trouble as well but you can't have everything! And there is no need for it, really. It's an enjoyable character-driven western.