Although Joel McCrea, as Ross McEwen, plays a small town bank robber in NM, this is not a shoot 'em up type western. As others have noted, no bullets nor arrows are fired, nor brawls instigated. Also,there's no cattle stampede or drive. It's a remarkably peaceable story, although there are a couple of stick ups. It was shot in crisp B&W, and the mostly rocky or sandy terrain is photogenic. It was shot mostly in several NM locations, including Inscription Rock, or in Red Rock Canyon, CA.
Joel is his usual laconic self. So, what does this screenplay offer that's of interest? It tells the story of an atypical bank robbery by a lone gunman, in broad daylight, with lots of people gathered in the street to welcome the new Federal marshal, Pat Garret(Charles Bickford), of Billy the Kid fame. Initially, Joel asked for a $2000.loan,but when he needed collateral to secure this, he pulled out his gun and demanded the $2000., backed by an IOU signed by Jefferson Davis. He wanted to take or send this money to his father, who needed it soon. Joel left the banker out in the desert with no horse and no shoes. He was hopping mad and slapped a $3000. reward for Joel's capture or corpse. As one companion said, "It's more profitable to catch a thief than to be a thief"(at least in this case).
There's a mysterious man dressed in all black, including hat. We meet him on the train when Joel hops on after ditching his horse and saddle. This man, whom we later discover is the famous Mexican gambler Monte, takes an inordinate interest in Joel. In fact, he seems to end up wherever Joel wanders throughout the film, sometimes helping Joel. Eventually, he figures out that Joel must be the bank robber the wanted flier talks about. However, he makes no move to try to collect the $3000. reward. He even throws away the stack of reward fliers remaining for the next town on the mail buckboard. He gets a horse for Joel at one point, and agrees to win some gambling money to start Joel's payback of his 'loan'. We never do discover an apparent motivation for Monte's favoring of Joel. It appears he just decided to like him.
Joel also meets a nurse, Fay,(she claims the train nurse?) on the train, who looks after his rattlesnake bite wound.(Don't know how she could help?). She also is destined to keep bumping into Joel, wherever he wanders. She too eventually guesses that he is the bank robber, but he seems like too nice a guy to be a badman. In fact, they kiss and hug a couple of times, and she rides with him for a stretch when he's trying to lose Garrett and Deputy. Joel claims he plans to pay the 'loan' back gradually. But, at a cowhand's wages, that will take years.
Still trying to evade Garrett, at one point, Joel takes the saddle off his horse, sending it on it's way, and puts it on a steer to confuse Garrett. He eventually comes across a cabin containing Mexicans, who are all sick, apparently of diphtheria. He decides to stay and do what he can to help them, like feeding them. He tears strips of cloth and soak them in fuel for the lantern(probably, kerosene!), then stuff this in their mouths! Well, a doctor and nurse eventually show up and do what they can(probably, essentially nothing, as no modern antibiotics or anti-toxin was then available.) Guess who the nurse turns out to be? Yep, Fay, played by Joel's real wife: Frances Dee. Garrett wasn't fooled by Joel's steer act, and arrives at the cabin, seeing what Joel is doing to help. He acts rather friendly, but later he and Fay finally convince Joel that he should turn himself in, and probably the judge will be lenient, given his subsequent behavior.
See it on YouTube
Joel is his usual laconic self. So, what does this screenplay offer that's of interest? It tells the story of an atypical bank robbery by a lone gunman, in broad daylight, with lots of people gathered in the street to welcome the new Federal marshal, Pat Garret(Charles Bickford), of Billy the Kid fame. Initially, Joel asked for a $2000.loan,but when he needed collateral to secure this, he pulled out his gun and demanded the $2000., backed by an IOU signed by Jefferson Davis. He wanted to take or send this money to his father, who needed it soon. Joel left the banker out in the desert with no horse and no shoes. He was hopping mad and slapped a $3000. reward for Joel's capture or corpse. As one companion said, "It's more profitable to catch a thief than to be a thief"(at least in this case).
There's a mysterious man dressed in all black, including hat. We meet him on the train when Joel hops on after ditching his horse and saddle. This man, whom we later discover is the famous Mexican gambler Monte, takes an inordinate interest in Joel. In fact, he seems to end up wherever Joel wanders throughout the film, sometimes helping Joel. Eventually, he figures out that Joel must be the bank robber the wanted flier talks about. However, he makes no move to try to collect the $3000. reward. He even throws away the stack of reward fliers remaining for the next town on the mail buckboard. He gets a horse for Joel at one point, and agrees to win some gambling money to start Joel's payback of his 'loan'. We never do discover an apparent motivation for Monte's favoring of Joel. It appears he just decided to like him.
Joel also meets a nurse, Fay,(she claims the train nurse?) on the train, who looks after his rattlesnake bite wound.(Don't know how she could help?). She also is destined to keep bumping into Joel, wherever he wanders. She too eventually guesses that he is the bank robber, but he seems like too nice a guy to be a badman. In fact, they kiss and hug a couple of times, and she rides with him for a stretch when he's trying to lose Garrett and Deputy. Joel claims he plans to pay the 'loan' back gradually. But, at a cowhand's wages, that will take years.
Still trying to evade Garrett, at one point, Joel takes the saddle off his horse, sending it on it's way, and puts it on a steer to confuse Garrett. He eventually comes across a cabin containing Mexicans, who are all sick, apparently of diphtheria. He decides to stay and do what he can to help them, like feeding them. He tears strips of cloth and soak them in fuel for the lantern(probably, kerosene!), then stuff this in their mouths! Well, a doctor and nurse eventually show up and do what they can(probably, essentially nothing, as no modern antibiotics or anti-toxin was then available.) Guess who the nurse turns out to be? Yep, Fay, played by Joel's real wife: Frances Dee. Garrett wasn't fooled by Joel's steer act, and arrives at the cabin, seeing what Joel is doing to help. He acts rather friendly, but later he and Fay finally convince Joel that he should turn himself in, and probably the judge will be lenient, given his subsequent behavior.
See it on YouTube