The Walking Hills

In 1948 the blockbuster movie John Huston's "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" hit the big screen. This cinematic masterpiece took the entertainment world by storm and spawned several copies and variations including this early John Sturges flick. The same year 1949 saw a much better version on the same theme "Lust for Gold" starring Ida Lupino, Glenn Ford, and Gig Young, though neither reached the lofty peaks of Huston's classic. Coincidentally stalwart character actor Edgar Buchanan was in both films. Though "Lust for Gold" is better, "The Walking Hills" has its own merits. This thirst for hidden treasure is a recurring theme throughout mankind's existence on earth going all the way back to Soloman and before. During the post-World War II period when this film was released there was even a mad rush to find uranium because of the arms race involving the Cold War and the specter of the atomic bomb. Geiger counters became the rage. Hollywood hoped to cash in on this craze.

One facet of "The Walking Hills" that caught my attention was the role played by Randolph Scott(Would you believe Jim Carey?). Apparently a fairly well-to-do horse breeder who talks about the races, his energy and time centers more on his mare who is about to foal than on the gold or the attractive Chris Jackson, played with sexual magnetism by the lady with the hypnotic eyes Ella Raines. He comes across as somewhat selfish and even pushy when he assumes leadership of the group of fortune seekers who did not ask his assistance. Only Frazee (John Ireland), the apparent private dick, attempts to stand up to him to no avail. Naturally, his reason is as selfish as Carey's. Actually, this is one of the most complicated roles Scott ever played and he shines as the brilliant actor that he was.

Of the gold seekers, Arthur Kennedy is virtually wasted in a nondescript part. A face you seldom see on the big screen Jerome Courtland does a fine job in his part which is also somewhat mysterious. Willaim Bishop who tragically made too few films before his untimely death from cancer does well as the fugitive member of the gold seekers (Is he the only fugitive present?). Wily Edgar Buchanan as Old Willy talked the well-worn philosophy that he did so well. It's good to see the pop blues singer Josh White in a rare film appearance. One wonders why he didn't make more movies. His acting is almost as good as his singing and guitar playing. This is one of the few westerns (maybe the only one) that features the blues rather than country and western or Hollywood music. White was never quite the legend that Leadbelly was but some of his music was influential on the later folk revival in America.

The script by Alan LeMay who wrote the novel from which "The Searchers" was adapted, leaves a lot to the viewer's imagination. There is much that is hidden and esoteric. Some of it is revealed by director Sturges in flashbacks but much goes unanswered. This is a ploy used by Hitchcock in many of his films. Hitchcock believed that certain parts of a story should be left to the imagination. Apparently LeMay felt the same way.

There is much talk and conflict among the seekers that eventually leads to death for some of them. Nature intervenes in the form of a sandstorm, the highlight of this movie and not to be missed. Sturges shines as a director throughout with his innovative use of the camera, but the sandstorm is a treat to behold. The storm is also metaphorical. It washes away much and reveals much about human nature and the souls of the seekers. The Death Valley locale is appropriate for both story and character development.

The title "The Walking Hills" refers to the shifting sands that form dunes that seem to walk like humans. The sand dunes may also hide items mankind values and then suddenly make them reappear.

Excellent western ,where what is apparently the main subject (the search for gold) is actually of secondary importance in the end.The director is much more interested in his characters and the relationships that are formed between them.He superbly films the desert ,which has got something lunar ,disturbing ;the signals in the distance increases this feeling of mystery.Even the flashbacks are strange ,they seem completely out of place (Ella Raines could have told her story ) and they add to the threatening atmosphere.Most of the time,the viewer does not know who is searching who and almost all the action takes place in the same place (apart from the beginning) ,which is very rare in a western.Impressive sand-storm scene.

A nice little western drama from the early part of director John Sturges' career. Simple and straight to the point screenplay from Alan Le May. Randolph Scott leads a group of treasure hunters into the whispering, shifting sands of Death Valley's "walking hills". There's a wagon load of gold waiting to be found in the desert. Top notch camera work and a very good cast that also features: Edgar Buchanan, Arthur Kennedy, John Ireland and Ella Raines. Scott as usual is stoic and commanding. Seventy-eight minute escape.

It doesn't take $175 million to make a good movie. Hollywood just squandered $175 million on a stupid comedy called Evan Almighty, which garnered scant public attention. I doubt that John Sturges and Columbia Pictures spend as much as $175 THOUSAND making The Walking Hills; but people are still searching for it on eBay some 60 years later.

Sand dunes are "walking hills" as my family found out in North Carolina when I was 8 years old and we found our motel room at Nags Head 90% buried under the sand, following a gentle storm.

Eight men playing poker in a bar's back room meet a young guy who accidentally blurts out a king sized clue on the whereabouts of a gold carrying wagon train that legend says disappeared in the desert a hundred years earlier. Eight men and one woman (Ella Raines) band together and quietly head out into the desert --- just 8 miles from town --- looking for the gold. The men will battle Mother Nature and each other seeking the gold --- in a story which is relentlessly compelling. Find this movie and watch it.

This is a really interesting picture. In almost all respects it represents a transition from 1940's film noir to 1950's new age angst - in buckskin and boots.

It stars a diverse group of slightly shady characters who accidentally meet up in a Mexican border town and stumble across a possible fortune out in the desert. The supporting cast is first rate with John Ireland, Edgar Buchanan (as the grizzled old prospector), William Bishop, and Arthur Kennedy. The lead is Randolph Scott with the luscious Ella Raines as the love interest. Too many people underestimate Randolph Scott. They describe his acting as robotic or wooden. His range as microscopic. I even have a brother who questions his sexual orientation. I think he is underrated. He represents, to me, an all American hero in the mold of John Wayne. Whether he's in fatigues or in the saddle, his steely eyed, square jawed performance always adds something to the production. Ella Raines likewise managed to create a smoldering, sexy presence in way too many second rate movies.

This is a contemporary Western (1949) with a clearly modern twist. Not just a falling out between thieves, but an intricate, complicated plot with lots of flashbacks and character development. Most of the principal players spend valuable time beating themselves up for mistakes they made. For a bunch of coyoots, they seem to be mighty introspective. Yet, it doesn't seem to detract from the overall tension built in to the story.

I won't go into the finale, but if you liked Treasure of the Sierra Madre and you're fascinated by the legend of The Lost Dutchman Mine, tune in. You won't be disappointed.