Cow Country

"Cow Country" ends up being a pretty good western but I'm not sure I'm going to remember it for very long. It has a good story and a strong cast but it don't have enough to separate it from all of the other B-westerns made around that time. I enjoy a lot of those westerns but some of them don't really standout. "Cow Country" doesn't really standout. Edmond O'Brien does a nice job. His supporting cast is fine including the dreamy Peggie Castle. "Cow Country" was an enjoyable enough movie but with the exception of a great whip beatdown, there's nothing that memorable about it. (IMDB has a 600 character minimum.)

As Monogram Pictures morphed into Allied Artists, they tried to raise the quality of their projects. As the demand for their B westerns disappeared, they hired some good actors -- among them the incomparable Edmond O'Brien -- and produced this western, directed by long-time Western director Lesley Selander.

I wasn't expecting O'Brien to be convincing as a cowboy, but he is astonishingly good as an ex-cowpoke who is building an express business -- and given a huge oversupply of cattle, he's shipping an awful lot of tallow and hide, all the scrubs are good for. There's a lot more history intelligently explained here than is usual for a B western, the photography is crisp and clean and there are fine supporting actors carrying the roles -- John Millicam is particularly affecting in, for him, a large role.

Selander directs very efficiently -- you can tell that villain Barton Maclane shot his interiors in a block and the action sequences near Lone Pine, where Selander spent most of his professional career are handled to advantage.

The net effect is that everything is much better than a B western, yet the obvious economies make it at best a shaky A. Still, overall it is a superior effort and worthwhile for western fans and a surprisingly unexpected sidetrack for Edmond O'Brien.

It Takes Imaginative Flourishes to Make a B-Movie Different from the Overwhelming Herd of "Oaters" from the '50's...God Knows there were so Many.

Here the Plot, at its Center, is a Black-Hole Hardly Mentioned in the Genre.

Instead of the "Cow-Pokes" Job of Herding and Working as Their Moniker Implies, the "Business" is in an Arena of Angst as the Demand for "Beef-On-The Hoof" is No-Longer Lucrative, with $$$$ Value Plummeting.

That's the "Some-Thing Different" Offered Here...

Along with the Recognizable, Prolific B-Movie Actors Riding the Range, which was a Main-Stay at the Bijou and its Saturday Matinee Throughout the 1950's. Flip-Flopping with its Popular Rival Alternative...the Sci-Fi Movie.

Leslie Selander was a B-Movie Specialist with a Proclivity for the Western and Crime Flicks, Compiling a Filmography of Near 150 Credits.

The Aforementioned Twist of the Recession in "Cow Country" (a memorable Title), also had an "Ace" Up its Sleeve...

Gorgeous Peggy Castle is Done-Wrong by the Overly-Handsome Robert Lowery (a Clark Gable look-alike), and Peggy's Vengeful Wrath-Whipping is a Sight-to-Behold as She makes Her Mark All Over His Face. An Extended-Scene that is Hard to Forget, especially circa 1953.

That Particular Piece of Business, Alone, Makes This...

Worth a Watch.

Period piece. It's the 1870s, and the market for cattle prices is dropping like crazy. The people of garnet basin meet to come up with a plan. Unfortunately, everyone is still looking out for their own best interest. The banker, the shipper, the farmer, the cattle men. When things escalate, people start turning up dead. Someone is rustling cattle and selling the hides on the sly. Ed o'brien is ben, who's willing to take on the rustlers. If only someone will help him stand up to the thugs. We know there's going to be a big showdown at some point. The sound and picture quality are quite excellent. After the big grand start, this ends up as just another western. It's good, with no hokey, drunk sheriff that never goes after the bad guys. From allied artists. It's your typical western, but a little better. Story by curtis bishop. Directed by les selander, king of the westerns. O'brien was part of some pretty big films.. liberty valence, barefoot contessa, white heat. He won the oscar for contessa!

1875 crash in meat market usual cliché--the hidden (but obvious) baddie trying to take over; also the familiar cliché of the hot-headed boss and the loyal guy for no discernible reason.

This film is set in 1875 and apparently the market for beef has crashed. All the ranchers are in dire financial straights because of this. And, like about 75% of the westerns of the era, there is an evil boss-man who is trying EVERYTHING to destroy the ranchers. And, typical of this far over-used cliché, he has a private little army of thugs who steal cattle and kill in. Heck, before any of this occurred, I KNEW what was going on, as the baddie is Barton MacLane--who is almost ALWAYS the evil boss!!

"Cow Country" also has another cliché--not as over-used but still too familiar. There is the strong-willed rancher who won't listen to anyone (Robert Barrat). And, typical of this cliché, there is a nice guy who, in spite of this rancher's pig-headedness, is still very loyal and will do anything to help him (Edmond O'Brien).

Now if you haven't seen hundreds of westerns before, you may not notice these as very familiar characters. In this case, the film will probably be a lot better. All I could think was that I've seen most of this before (apart from the crash in the beef market). It's a shame, as O'Brien and Barrat were fine actors and were, frankly, better than the material they were given.