The Saga of Hemp Brown

An army officer (Rory Calhoun) is blamed and is dishonourably discharged from the army wrongly after gold from a stagecoach is robbed. He goes after the man really responsible.

An indistinguishable low budget western that looks cheap, but fairly mature material.

I know Richard Carlson better as an actor than as a director, and I am afraid THE SAGA OF HEMP BROWN does not explain why the thespian of solid performances in BEHIND LOCKED DOORS and THE SOUND OF FURY, for instance, should turn his hand to directing - an occupation at which he seems less gifted.

THE SAGA begins well enough, though Hemp Brown - anything to do with hemp, the drug? Nah, back in the 1850s they had never heard of it yet - begins his long list of stupid mistakes that allow Jed Givens (well played by John Larch) to turn the situation to his favor some three times during the flick.

So, believability is not THE SAGA's strongest asset - far from it, in fact - which reflects a poor screenplay by Bob Williams and Bernard Girard.

Cinematography by Philip Lathrop rates pedestrian at best, though occasionally you see some nice mountains in the background. Editing by Martinelli looks amateurish in the fisticuff sequences, where actors clearly avoid hurting each other.

Acting never rises above standard, though Beverly Garland is gorgeous, with a terrific pair of legs to boot.

Passable time waster oater. 6/10.

After a botched robbery, an ex-cavalry lieutenant struggles to regain his good name by catching the real robber.

The first part—the robbery and the cashiering—made me think this would be a superior western. But then Brown (Calhoun) meets up with Mona (Garland) who falls for him immediately Hollywood style, and it's murky time from there on, especially when it's trying to figure out who's on what side and why. One thing about these Universal oaters of the 50's—they're always well photographed in Technicolor. So when the story flounders, as it does here, there's still lots to look at. I'm just sorry that two of the best B-actors of the period, Garland and Larch, don't get to do more. I was looking forward to Garland's hoochie-koochie before she wrapped herself in a cloak. Anyhow, if you can figure out the latter part of the plot-line, you might enjoy this otherwise routine oater.

U. S. cavalry officer, Hemp Brown (Rory Calhoun), runs into some serious trouble when the party of civilians and troops he's bringing to a nearby Army fort is ambushed. A woman is killed during the gunfight, and money is stolen by the bandits. The leader of the gang, Jed Givens (John Larch), is an acquaintance of Brown, who implicates the fugitive during the subsequent trial. But Brown is court-martialed and booted from the Army. Brown tracks down Givens to restore honor to his name.

From cavalry officer Rory Calhoun's character becomes an outcast, one who has been wronged, and searches for the key that will grant him readmission into society, and the only way he could do that is by capturing John Larch. Larch is excellent as the villain of the piece, coming across quite psychotic. Calhoun does equally well as the man desperately trying to clear his name of cowardice. Beverley Garland add some colour as well as offering advice to our hero: that revenge can be self-defeating nature of it all and how it ends up inflicting more harm on the seeker than anyone else.

This western does lack some action, but it's plot driven and you get absorbed into the story with enough things happening. When I first watched this I found it a tad boring in parts, but on second viewing I liked it more. The pace can be a bit lumbering and there's some lack of excitement - but it's still a decent western with strong themes and performances.

Lieutenant Rory Calhoun is in charge of making sure the payroll and the wife of the commanding officer gets to the fort. He runs into ex-sergeant John Larch, who robs the payroll. Charges are brought for theft; Larch is believed dead. The only thing the court can make stick is cowardice, which gets him cashiered, of course, and infamy. So he goes in search of Larch to prove his innocence.

There are lots of nice details in this Shaky A western, one of many made by Calhoun in the 1950s. Director Richard Carlson seems particularly good in directing the women, particularly Beverly Garland, the star of a traveling show that succors him. But there's something about this movie that strikes me as odd. It seems to lack any subtext whatsoever, with all of its points lying on the surface, a story that is well told, but has nothing at all to say about anything else.

And it should. The direst B western has something to say about the coming of civilization. This seems to be a story about Calhoun's character and nothing more. Perhaps that's the subtext: things happen, and there's no meaning to them beyond the individuals involved. That's rather nihilistic, isn't it?