Colt .45

"Colt 45" was one of series of fast paced little westerns that Randolph Scott turned out during the 1950s.

This one is centered around the introduction of the Colt 45 six shooter to the old west. Steve Farrell (Randolph Scott) is a Colt 45 salesman in the town of Red Rock pitching his wares to the local sheriff (Charles Evans). His prisoner, Jason Brett (Zachary Scott) escapes as he is being moved, steals Farrell's two colts and kills the sheriff. He implicates Farrell in the escape and the towns people arrest him for the murder of the sheriff.

Meanwhile Brett and his gang have embarked on a campaign of robbery and murder with the colts as the center piece of the crimes. After four months, Farrell is finally cleared and released by the new sheriff (Stanley Andrews). Farrell just happens to have a second set of Colt 45s and sets out to catch Brett.

Farrell comes upon a stagecoach holdup by Brett and his gang and boards the coach. Inside he finds Beth Donovan (Ruth Roman) the wife of the ambitious but spineless Paul Donovan (Lloyd Bridges) who is a member of Brett's gang. She is helping the gang in fear for her husband's life. Farrell with both guns a blazing foils the hold up attempt and takes the coach into the town of Bonanza.

Farrell meets the town sheriff Harris (Alan Hale Sr.) who appoints him as a deputy. Harris it turns out is in with the gang and goes to Brett to plot Farrell's downfall. At the persistent urging of Donovan (and amid the protests of Beth), Brett decides to take over the town. Brett cleverly fingers Farrell as the leader of the Colt 45 gang diverting suspicion from himself. Farrell manages to escape and Harris forms a posse to bring him in. With the help of Chief Walking Bear (Chief Thundercloud) Farrell plans his revenge on Brett. Meantime Brett takes over the town and................

Randolph Scott found a second career in these little 80 minute westerns appearing in them exclusively from about 1946 to the end of his career. As he aged some thought he began to resemble silent screen great William S. Hart and that the age lines added character to his face.

For Alan Hale Sr. the great character actor of the 30s and 40s, this was his second to last film. Zachary Scott plays the villain as a slightly mad ever dangerous cold blooded killer. Ruth Roman was a little young at the time to be taken seriously as a love interest for Randolph Scott. Lloyd Bridges is good as the cowardly Donovan. Chief Thundercloud (who's real name was Victor Daniels) is best remembered for playing "Tonto" in the Lone Ranger serials and "Geronimo" in the film of the same name. Also in the cast are Ian MacDonald as Miller and Hal Talliaferro as a stagecoach driver.

Randolph Scott, as jut jawed and heroic as he's ever been, is gun salesman Steve Farrell. One day, in a prison, he's showing off his pride and joy, and sadly this will assist outlaw Jason Brett (Zachary Scott) in a jailbreak. Wrongfully locked up when it's assumed that he must have been an accomplice, Steve is soon released, and sets out to bring the bad guy down. Brett, of course, is having the time of his life utilizing Steves' prized Colt .45s.

This is an okay, routine Western. It does benefit from some good action scenes, and the cast makes the most of the situation. The very pretty Ruth Roman is engaging in an under written role as Beth Donovan, the wife of Paul Donovan (Lloyd Bridges), one of Bretts' cohorts. Randolph Scott doesn't have to stretch himself at all, but he's in good form, while Zachary Scott commands a great deal of the attention as the thoroughly nasty, overconfident villain who feels emboldened by his new weapons. Bridges is fine as the weaselly Paul, who's not as degenerate as Brett, but is absolutely no rose, either. Alan Hale provides a rock steady presence as the morally compromised Sheriff Harris (this, unfortunately, was one of his final roles, as he died later the same year). Ian MacDonald, who later gained his greatest fame as the gang leader Miller in "High Noon", is also playing a character named Miller here. And Indian actor Chief Thundercloud is able to play his proud character Walking Bear with some dignity.

Direction (by Edwin L. Marin), production design, cinematography, and music are all handled capably, making this decent entertainment for 74 minutes.

Six out of 10.

Yes its just a routine B western. But its above average and worth your viewing time.

The villain is a rotten creep as portrayed by Zachary Scott. Randolph Scott is of course stalwart and solid in the lead role. Lloyd Bridges provides solid support.

But I really like this film because Ruth Roman is not your typical pretty b-western actress here. She is tough, forceful, physical and believable as well as very beautiful. She really pops in Technicolor wearing that fringe buckskin. Absolutely gorgeous and she out-acts every male in the movie.

The immortal Stanley Andrews, the stentorian-voiced ultimate Sheriff of all Western movies and later TV's Death Valley Days, contributes his dignified screen presence.

This film is a triumph of great casting over what could otherwise be routine.

Just watched this on TV. Title should have been: "Colt .44"! Every pistol or revolver in the movie, and there were plenty, were ALL cap & ball and not a single cartridge handgun. A Colt .45 is a cartridge introduced in 1873 and used in Colt SAA revolvers, not a one was seen in this film. Please do a little of your own research in order to verify my claim. Thank you.

Colt 45 is certainly a lite western for RS but nevertheless is worth a shot. What I found most interesting are how many familiar actors from later big movies make their lesser screen appearances here. Ruth Roman is the only female in the picture and has everybody's attention. She even manages to throw some dirt at and a knockout of RS. Probably the only time this has happened to Scott on screen. She is a few years ahead of Far Country with Jimmy Stewart. Walter Coy, Aaron Edwards in The Searchers, has an uncredited role here that you'd have to Search for. Lloyd Bridges predates his paranoid role in High Noon with a complete weasel of a character here. The catch of the day is Ian McDonald playing Miller here, a member of Zachary Scott's gang; later as Frank Miller in High Noon.

As for the flick, Scott looks clean shaven even after forty days of soft time in jail. Brother Zachary looks like a very light weight Clark Gable. The sexual symbolism is a little too obvious here but for young kids it was all surely missed. Just relieved that RS is clearly interested in Roman with Ruth more than his colts. This is one western where the Indians (unnnamed tribe) are the good guys. It's not The Tall T or Commanche Station but if you are a fan of RS, and I certainly am, you can't miss with a Colt 45.