Budd Boetticher's "Comanche Station" isn't as entertaining as "Ride Lonesome." Randolph Scott's stalwart hero rescues the wife of a white man, Nancy Lowe (Nancy Gates of "Hitler's Children"), abducted by Indians. Later, three mangy owl-hoots join him at the stagecoach swing station, Comanche Station, that gives the place its name. Later, Ben Lane (Claude Atkins of "Rio Bravo") and two younger gunslingers, Frank (Skip Homeier of "Day of the Badman") and Dobie (Richard Rust of "The Great Gundown"), ride along with Jefferson Cody (Randolph Scott) as he escorts the woman back to her husband. Burt Kennedy penned the "Ride Lonesome" screenplay and he seems to have recycled the basic elements for "Comanche Station." Like "Ride Lonesome," the Scott hero in "Comanche Station is taking somebody to a far-off destination, just as he was taking a captive outlaw to a noose in the former film. Predictably, the Native Americans are on the warpath, and they are determined to kill the protagonist Cody as is his old adversary, Ben Lane, who lets nothing stand in his way. Along the way, the Native Americans kill Frank with an arrow, while Ben Lane dreams up an idea that he can take Cody. The rugged scenery is a plus for this dusty horse opera. Claude Akins makes a great villain, while Scott is his usual, straightforward knight in denim armor. The characters aren't as interesting, and the narrative plods and is often predictable.
Review of Comanche Station
