Cattle Queen of Montana

Famed Western with a magnificent Barbara Stanwick and a splendid Ronald Regan who is ideal as a mysterious gunslinger . This Western movie produced by RKO , Radio Picture Inc , deals with confrontation between cattlemen and settlers . This exciting picture tells the story of the Jones family , formed by father , J.I. 'Pop' Jones (Morris Ankrum) , and his gutsy daughter (Barbara Stanwyck with the super name Sierra Nevada Jones) , both of them about to prove claim to prime Montana land . Then , they are attacked by rebel Indians led by Natchakoa (Anthony Caruso) in league with nasty neighbor McCord (Gene Evans) , the latter gets most of the stolen cattle and their lands . Nobody is willing to help them ; however , appearing a good guy , a college-educated chief's son called Colorados (Lance Fuller) and two survivors are helped by him . Later on , there appears a good-looking gunfighter , Farrell (Ronald Regan) , investigating weapon smuggling and livestock rustlings and with whom Nevada Jones falls in love . Now Sierra Nevada Jones must confront enemies , as villainous outlaws , as Indians raids .

This classic western is plenty of thrills and emotion as showdown approaches and the protagonists realize he must stand alone against impossible odds , while Nevada Jones attempts to clear her father's murder . The flick is of a higher than habitual calibre for a regular oater , filled with betrayals , hateful , ambition and Indian uprising. Montana prairies provide the backstage for a torrid love between Barbara Stanwyck and Ronald Regan . Western fans will enjoy the continuous pursuits and confrontations among a brave Stanwyck supported Reagan , being raided by Indians , and against ominous villains as Gene Evans , Jack Elam , Anthony Caruso . Furthermore, an exciting ending climax at the meadows in which the protagonists are besieged by Indians and cutthroats . Nice acting by Barbara Stanwyck , she stars an uncomplicated lady who fights for her land against legal technicalities and assorted villains . Barbara Stanwyck as usual did her own stuntwork , so impressing the local Blackfoot Indians that they named her Princess Many Victories and made her an honorary member of the tribe . Acceptable acting by Ronald Reagan , his role of Farrell was originally offered to Robert Mitchum, who turned it down because he didn't like the script , it was then offered to Ronald Reagan, who took it . Large support cast does well , full of known secondary actors as Gene Evans , Lance Fuller , Chubby Johnson , Anthony Caruso , Jack Elam , Morris Ankrum , many of them usual in Western . Although made in no much budget by the producer Benedict Bogeaus is a very efficient film and very entertaining . It packs a colorful cinematography print in Technicolor by John Alton who along with Nicholas Musuraca are considered to be two of the best cameraman specialized in Noir cinema . Marvelous scenario is really superb , shot on location in Glacier National Park, Montana, and Iverson Ranch , Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California . Thrilling as well as evocative musical score by Louis Forbes .

This middle budget movie was professionally directed by Allan Dwan , though has some flaws and gaps . Dwan was a good craftsman working from the silent cinema . He was Gloria Swanson's favorite director and after he began to work for Triangle in 1916 , he also won the respect of Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford , who were , at that time, the most powerful couple in the film business . Dwan directed over 1400 films , including one-reels, between his arrival in the industry (circa 1909) and his final film in 1961 . Among them some good Western as ¨ Restless breed¨, ¨The rivers edge¨, ¨Cattle Queen of Montana¨ and ¨Montana Belle¨ , being ¨Silver Lode¨ is his unqualified masterpiece . ¨Cattle queen Montana¨ results to be an acceptable and passable picture . Watchable and presentable results for this classic western movie .

If you already have seen MAVERICK QUEEN, FORTY GUNS, THE FURIES, also starring Barbara Stanwyck, then this western will look familiar to you. In all those movies, she plays strong lady, leading men, and admit that's not too usual in westerns, mostly macho oriented. And the most astounding is that she never loses her feminine touch. I was also excitied by the jawdropping natural settings, on locations. The story is also very touching and director Allan Dwann, one of the most prolific ever, gives here a terrific performance in one of his latest movies. Benedict Bogeaus production, who were in charge of those latest Dwann's stuff, is also on the level; nothing to do with a Sam Katzman production's film for instance.

"Cattle Queen of Montana" was one of those "tough old broad" westerns that Barbara Stanwyck made during the 1950s.

In this one Sierra Nevada Jones (Stanwyck), her father Pop Jones (Morris Ankrum) and their foreman Nat Collins (Chubby Johnson) have driven a herd of some 1,100 cattle up from Texas to settle in Montana. On their arrival, the herd is stampeded, Pop is killed and old Nat seriously wounded. The raid is led by renegade Blackfoot Natchakoa (Anthony Carouso) who is in league with local rancher McCloud (Gene Evans) to drive off any new ranchers arriving in the area.

Into the picture comes gunfighter Farrell (Ronald Reagan) who signs on with McCloud. In the meantime "good" Blackfoot, Colorados (Lance Fuller) rescues Sierra and Nat and takes them to his village to recover. Gradually Sierra and Colorados become allies much to the chagrin of Colorado's girlfriend Starfire (Yvette Duguay) and Natchakoa.

It turns out that Farrell is an army officer working under cover to discover who has been selling guns to the renegade Blackfeet. Well you knew that the clean cut Reagan would turn out to be a good guy didn't you? Anyway, Farrell aligns himself with Sierra and Colorados against the baddies and well, you know the rest.

Director Alan Dwan gives us a beautifully photographed outdoor western. The VCI DVD has been digitally remastered to its original technicolor brilliance and this alone makes this a must see.

Reagan is not very convincing as a ruthless gunfighter. He just doesn't come across as being mean enough. Stanwyck would play a number of similar roles in other westerns culminating with her long run on TV's "The Big Valley". She's supposed to be a "cattle queen" here but doesn't have any cattle to speak of through most of the picture. Lance Fuller looks about as much like an Blackfoot Indian as I do.

Also in the cast are Jack Elam and Myron Healey (who has a good scene with Stanwyck) as McCloud's henchmen, Hugh Sanders as Col. Carrington and a toothless Glenn Strange as the old Blackfoot Chief.

Oddly enough most of the featured players (and Reagan) in this film would turn up in "Tennessee's Partner" the following year.

Barbara Stanwyck and Ronald Reagan star together in this tale of the growing state of Montana, becoming a landowner, fighting for land, and making one's dreams into reality. It all sounds rather profound, important, or dramatic, doesn't it? Well, I probably make it sound more so than it really is. This is basically Indians vs. White Man, The Law vs. White Man Selling Ammunition to Indians, Indian Brother vs. Indian Brother, and Stanwyck vs. Reagan. The later sounds more interesting, doesn't it? Well, the viewer is led to believe that Reagan is hired as a gunslinger to get rid of Barbara when she won't leave "her" land, after White Man got Indians to raid her family settlement, which killed her father. They don't know Stanwyck. That only made her more determined to stay, and mad. Watch out! The presence of Stanwyck and Reagan elevates this otherwise generic film, which emphasizes the Indians too much in the first half. It does get better in its last 30 to 40 minutes with Stanwyck declaring war. But, there's too much of everyone's against everyone else and trying to keep up with who's on whose side and who's betraying whom, and the actors portraying the Indians slow down the film with their, to be frank, pretty lame acting. By the end of the film, you'll probably like it on the whole, due to the chemistry and flirting between Barbara and Ronnie and their being on the screen more together near the end of the film. But, you'll also wish they were in other better films than this.

Perhaps the most uncomplicated of America's classic directors, Dwan made a series of films in the fifties for producer Bogeaus that allowed him a degree of flexibility he'd been unused to since the silent days. Cattle Queen of Montana, the tale of Stanwyck's struggles to hold on to the property of her murdered father, is beautifully lit by cinematographer Alton, the great unsung Hollywood cameraman. It evokes a world of easeful innocence far removed from the cynicism and violence that was the norm in the Western of the fifties. Reagan is the mysterious gunman who comes to Stanwyck's rescue. Stanwyck, who did all her own stunts, so impressed the Blackfeet Indians hired as extras that they made her a blood sister, and gave her the Indian name of Princess Many Victories.

Phil Hardy