Cattle Queen of Montana (1954) User Reviews

A Private Scheme

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 8 November 2005]

An unusual alliance is operating in the film Cattle Queen of Montana. Cattle baron Gene Evans and dissident Blackfoot chieftain Anthony Caruso have an arrangement of convenience. Evans provides whiskey and arms and in return Caruso makes sure the braves under his command raid and kill any settlers who come into the Montana valley that Evans wants to keep all to himself.

Of course they pick on the wrong party when they attack Barbara Stanwyck's party. She and father Morris Ankrum have staked a claim on a piece of the valley. Her father is killed, but Stanwyck survives and his taken to the camp of Lance Fuller, Caruso's rival in the Blackfeet nation.

So we have some unusual white/Indian alliances forming here and lurking through it all is a mysterious stranger played by Ronald Reagan who is not quite what he seems to be at all.

It's a good, but routine western, helped considerably by good location photography and crisp direction by Allan Dwan. Stanwyck looks very much like she's in preparation for her role as Victoria Barkley in The Big Valley. And Ronald Reagan who while he doesn't do mysterious real well, does look right at home on the range.

Beautifully Photographed Technicolor Western!

[bsmith5552 · 5/10 · 9 June 2004]

"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.

Newcomer Texas cattlewoman fights with backstabbing established Montana cattleman and his Blackfoot allies

[weezeralfalfa · 7/10 · 8 June 2013]

Complicated Technicolor western, mostly filmed in the scenic foothills of Glacier National Park. Blackfoot 'Indians', both real and manufactured, are prominent in the story. The Blackfoot reservation adjacent to the Park was a convenient source of 'Indian' extras. As was common at the time, the main 'Indian' roles went to Hollywood actors who spoke Hollywood 'Indian' pigeon English: very stilted, for the most part. Reagan seems out of place as a famed gunslinger.

The complicated formulistic plot includes rivalries among both the Europeans and Blackfoot, both men and women, with some alliances of convenience included. Tom McCord(Gene Evans) is the thoroughly evil, backstabbing, cattle baron of this 'Buffalo Valley' region of apparently west central Montana. 'Pop'Jones and his matronly daughter Sierra Nevada(Barbara Stanwyck, age 46)headed a leisurely 7 month cattle drive from Texas to this well-watered grazing land, with only a preliminary claim on it, unaware of how criminal their well-established neighbor was. McCord is determined to scare off or dispose of these new land claimants, as he has previous ones. He utilizes the European -hating war chief Natchakoa to engineer a nocturnal stampede of their cattle, while dispatching their minimal cowhands. Initially, it is thought that all the Jones outfit died in this incident. But Sierra and her foreman Nat(Chubby Johnson) survived and were taken by friendly Blackfoot leader Colorados to a Blackfoot village to recuperate.

Meanwhile, army undercover agent Farrell (Ron Reagan) signs as a hired gun for McCord and is given the assignment of dispatching the stampede survivors. He pretends to agree, but is captured by Blackfoot, who now realize that it's bad for them to be involved in the planned murders. Meanwhile, McCord has filed a claim to the land Sierra assumed would be hers, as well as a claim on her cattle brand, thinking her dead. When he discovers his error, he sends Farrell to offer to buy her cattle, on the condition she return to Texas. At one point, she agrees, but then discovers that McCord was behind the stampede. Farrell discovers that McCord has been the source of the illegal rifles being supplied the Blackfoot, which is his main purpose here. Farrel gradually shifts his allegiance from McCord to Sierra, who has lost her companion Nat to a Natchakoa arrow.

The old Blackfoot chief Powhani dies. Rivals to replace him, Colorados and Natchakoa have a hand to hand duel, which Colorados wins, but declines to dispatch Natchakoa, to his later regret. We are now ready for the final confrontation between the 'good' and 'bad' elements. Blackfoot princess Starfire, jealous of Colorados' friendship with Sierra, leads her and Farrell into an ambush by Natchakoa's forces, but is accidentally killed herself. McCord's and Colorados' bunches now show up for a complicated 4 team shootout, and all the baddies are killed. Sierra and Farrell hint at a possible future together.

According to the stone property marker, this story took place in 1888, very close to the end of the open range period on the Western Plains. However, we have the anachronism of Colonel Carrington: Farrell's boss. This is a historically relevant name, as Colonel Carrington headed the effort to control Sioux raids on immigrants going to southwest Montana along the Bozeman Trail in the mid-1860s. But, he left this region after only a rather brief stay, and never made it past WY. Interestingly, the first significant drive of Texas Longhorns from Texas to Montana occurred during this same period, as dramatized in the '55 Clark Gable-starring "The Tall Men".

Barbara was not the first, nor most impressive, Hollywood Montana 'cattle queen'. For example, a much younger, more glamorous- looking Alexis Smith posed as an established 'cattle queen' a few years earlier in the Technicolor "Montana", with a more charismatic adversary/love interest in Errol Flynn.

The plot of this film appears to owe much to the historic story of 'Cattle Kate', which includes an established southwestern WY cattle baron named Boswell: a character very similar to that of McCord in this story. Unfortunately, newcomer 'Cattle Kate' didn't fare as well as Sierra, being framed as a cattle rustler herself, resulting in her execution.

Strange that the great cattle die off in the 1886-7 Montana winter wasn't mentioned. Many herds were decimated and ranchers ruined by the extreme cold and lack of winter feed. This is just prior to when this story supposedly takes place.

The whites-friendly Blackfoot leader Colorados supposedly had studied at a college. Most likely, this was actually the Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, PA, established just a few years earlier. Neighboring Sioux were among the prominent early students.

Horse opera in which Barbara Stanwyck fights renegade Indians as well as villainous rustlers

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 23 June 2015]

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 .

Queen Barbara

[jarrodmcdonald-1 · 25 February 2014]

This is a robust Technicolor western from RKO that displays the gorgeous scenery of Glacier National Park. Yes, outdoor photography may be most suited to the western genre. And this film proves it.

Barbara Stanwyck plays the title character who is a bit of a tomboy and has an interesting name-- Sierra Nevada Jones. One almost imagines a mountain girl with windswept hair. Instead Miss Stanwyck sports a perm that she was given just before she stepped out of her dressing room and appeared on camera.

The early scenes in the picture focus on her character's special bond with Pop Jones (Morris Ankrum). It's clear how much she worships her father, and that she's the "son" he never had. Unfortunately, he's killed a short time later, which is devastating for her.

Mr. Ankrum is one of those skillful character actors who does a lot with limited screen time. He seems well-suited to this particular story, since he is able to elicit a vulnerability in Stanwyck that she seldom if ever displays in her other motion pictures. After Ankrum bites the dust, Stanwyck is left on her own. But she still has one of his best rifles and knows how to use it...so she is more than capable of fending for herself.

She blames a land baron (Gene Evans) for pop's death and decides to get revenge. While this is going on, Stanwyck meets an undercover agent (Ronald Reagan) who is in the area investigating a series of crimes. He is attracted to her, and it's obvious that he will gradually fill the void left since pop died. However, she is not initially sure what side of the law he's on.

Fortunately the film doesn't bog down too much with romance added into the mix. Reagan and Stanwyck keep things moving along and bring out the best in each other. It was said that Reagan enjoyed working with Stanwyck immensely. She had previously costarred with his wife Nancy in EAST SIDE WEST SIDE (1949).

Stanwyck and her ex-husband Robert Taylor were close pals of the Reagans and shared similar political views. Apparently, when Reagan was about to leave the White House, the last film he screened as president during his final week in office in January 1989, was CATTLE QUEEN OF MONTANA.

One of the subplots in CATTLE QUEEN involves a group of natives led by a guy named Colorados (Lance Fuller) who befriends Stanwyck's character. This relationship in the film is rather progressive...the idea is to show their friendship go beyond the lines...that neither side is a species separate from the other. Of course, most of the natives we see are still presented a bit stereotypically in the movie, speaking broken English and showing off nice suntans.

In some regards, the unusual friendship between Stanwyck and Fuller is a plot device, so that she has a strong ally when she stands up to Evans. We watch her feud with Evans escalate, since she still holds him responsible for her father being slaughtered and for her land being taken away from her.

Of course we know Stanwyck will win her fight against Evans-- or else she won't be the queen of Montana. She will eventually settle down to a life of happiness...but there are still several issues to be resolved. One of the more interesting ones is how Stanwyck's character is perceived as rebellious and as a non-conformist by the local townspeople.

When she and her native pal go into town, the residents are nearly scandalized to see them together. These scenes give us a much-needed break from the land war occurring out on the range. It's interesting to see how Stanwyck lacks support from the other women in her community, which only reinforces her determination to be one of the boys in order to succeed.

A solid western that has its moments

[NewEnglandPat · 7/10 · 14 July 2005]

Barbara Stanwyck stars as hard-riding redhead who is out to reclaim land and cattle stolen from her by an unscrupulous rancher in cahoots with hostile Indians. Many of the standard western movie clichés make up the story so there isn't anything new here. Ronald Reagan appears as an undercover government agent investigating unlawful distribution of rifles to the Indians and has trouble keeping Stanwyck out of harm's way. Lance Fuller is a college-educated Indian who wants his people to walk in the ways of the white man. Anthony Caruso, who was great at portraying villains, is on target as a bad Indian who's in cahoots with Gene Evans who conspires to drive Jones off her rightful claim to the valley. The picture also has a wealth of great character actors such as Myron Healy, Jack Elam, Morris Ankrum, Chubby Johnson and Rod Redwing. The film has fine technicolor lensing and an okay music score.

Death to Natchakoa

[hitchcockthelegend · 3/10 · 12 February 2011]

Out of RKO Radio Pictures comes Cattle Queen of Montana, directed by Allan Dwan and written by Robert Blees, Howard Estabrook (screenplay) & Thomas Blackburn (story). It stars Barbara Stanwyck, Ronald Reagan, Gene Adams, Lance Fuller, Anthony Caruso, Jack Elam & Yvette Duguay. The music is scored by Louis Forbes and it's a Technicolor production with John Alton on photography. Locations used for the film are Glacier National Park, Montana & Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, California.

Stanwyck plays Sierra Nevada Jones, a tough cowgirl who along with her father, drive the family herd up from Texas to Montana. Planning to build a ranch to set themselves up, tragedy strikes when they are attacked by some renegade Blackfoot Indians. However, all is not as it seems, just what has shifty Tom McCord (Evans) got to do with things? Why is gunslinger Farrell (Reagan) working for McCord? And can war between the Blackfoot and the white man be averted?

Standard formulaic stuff that is only really of interest for the photography of Alton. Cowboys and Indians, good and bad on each side, go head to head in a cliché riddled movie bogged down by a pretty turgid script. Not even the normally classy Stanwyck can lift herself to a performance capable of saving the piece. There's some credit due for making the lead protagonist a strong willed woman, and even tho it's a bit late in the cycle of topic, depicting the Indians as not all savages-as the white man encroaches onto their land-is a bonus. But with American character actors Fuller & Caruso playing the in fighting leaders of the Blackfoot tribe, it just comes across as corny and wholly unbelievable, while Dwan was indeed a more than capable director, here the action lacks zip and the film gasps for some dramatic air as the narrative goes around in circles.

The story off screen is more entertaining than the film itself, where Reagan was constantly at odds with producer Benedict Bogeaus. The future President of the United States of America took one look at the script and voiced concerns, suggesting many changes, all of which were ignored. Royalty status was afforded Stanwyck while Reagan got next to no help from the producer, this perhaps goes someway to explaining his limp performance. Tho, again, the script calls for him to be part of one of the most lukewarm and pointless romances in 1950s Oaters, he got no help either way on this picture. Still, there's Alton's photography of the Glacier National Park to hold the attention, even if the "new" scrubbed up print of the film is far from doing it justice.

That its claim to fame is being the film playing at the theater in Hill Valley in the film Back to the Future, says volumes, this is poor all told, and not even worthy of recommending to those after a time filling Cowboys & Indians no brainer. 3/10

good cattle film

[garyldibert · 7/10 · 27 January 2007]

Title: Cattle Queen of Montana opened in theaters on November 18, 1954 and it was 88 minutes long. Cattle Queen of Montana is an American Western film starring Barbara Stanwyck and Ronald Reagan. The supporting cast includes Jack Elam, Chubby Johnson, and Morris Ankrum, and Allan Dwan directed the movie.

Summary: Filmed on location at Montana's Glacier National Park, Cattle Queen of Montana makes excellent use of the diverse talents of Barbara Stanwyck and Ronald Reagan. Stanwyck is cast as Sierra Nevada Jones... read more, who hopes to stake her claim in the cattle business despite opposition from hostile land barons. Government agent Farrell helps her along, even though he's officially on hand to find out who's been inciting the local Indian tribes into attacking the whites. Lance Fuller delivers a well-balanced performance as Colorados, a college-educated Indian chief who hopes to bring peace to the land. Long a fixture of TV's Late Shows, Cattle Queen of Montana was briefly reissued theatrically when Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

My thoughts: Based on the scenery and the cattle I give this movie 7 weasel stars.

No wonder Marlon Brando turned down the Oscar....

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 9 September 2014]

While this allegedly featured some real Blackfoot Native Americans in extra roles, very few of them are noticeable on screen, making this colorful western shot on its real settings a major let-down. Beautifully photographed but filled with Native American stereotypes and one dimensional supporting characters, this is only noteworthy for the strong performance of Barbara Stanwyck as Sierra Nevada Jones, the daughter of a Texas rancher who has brought her up to Montana to create a new cattle ranch on the open plains. They have only just started to set up when the Blackfoot Indians attack, leaving papa dead and Stanwyck at the mercy of the chief's kind-hearted, university educated son (a very non-native Lance Fuller). He's rivals with brother Anthony Caruso, the stereotypical white man hating native who is in cahoots with sinister rancher Gene Evans to keep infiltrators like Stanwyck off of the land he wants for himself.

While the film is certainly watchable, the elements of how the natives are treated here is beyond reproach and the presence of that emotionally absent actor turned politician Ronald Reagen adds more laughability to it as a secret agent working to expose Evans. Yvette Duguay plays a native maiden jealous of Stanwyck's friendship with Fuller who betrays him to his brother. A retread of already stereotypical types roles played by Myrna Loy in the late 1920's and early 30's and Rita Moreno earlier in the 1950's, the fate of this character is obvious from the moment she is introduced.

If it wasn't for Stanwyck and the beautiful color location photography, I would rank this as a total bore not worth wasting time on. But with her incredible feisty performance and ability to do her own stunts, Stanwyck makes every mediocre action film she ever made worth seeing. Just forget about the presence of a future Republican president (then supposedly democrat) and focus on the toughest legendary movie star ever to ride over the range.

Stanwyck vs. Reagan!

[JLRMovieReviews · 7/10 · 25 February 2011]

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.

Dwan let her down

[OldieMovieFan · 4/10 · 18 November 2023]

This director is unbelievable, a true paradox of brilliance and folly. The film work itself is marvelous, camera and outdoor scenery, the tone and the balance. But the acting and script is some of the worst ever seen in an A picture. It isn't Stanwyck and Reagan, who give fine performances; it's everyone else. It really does seem like they took the various mannerisms and tropes of John Ford's Stock Company and handed out the parts to people they pulled off the street. "Here. You take the Carey Jr. Part. And you'll have the J. Farrell MacDonald part." Just awful performances from the character actors, one and all.

Compare this with a couple of fine Westerns from that year: "The Bounty Hunter" with Randolph Scott or "Black Horse Canyon" with Joel McCrea. We can see that Stanwyck dominates the screen just like those two quintessential Western stars did. Greatness.

The part played by Reagan was offered to Mitchum but he turned it down, wisely preferring "River of No Return" and "Track of the Cat."

This movie regularly played late nights for many years; ladies of a certain age no doubt remember it playing in the background at slumber parties when they were children. Stanwyck could be seen as a role model for those girls, in a way; powerful, active, direct, and bluntly honest both in her performances and in her life. She was loved throughout the industry, an absolute survivor who triumphed over an appalling youth as an orphan, rose through burlesque and vaudeville and stood on her own feet. Like her lifelong friends Joel McCrea and Ginger Rogers, and of course her husband of many years, Robert Taylor, she was a very successful rancher, and like them she lived a quiet life away from celebrity. Her best friend, Joan Crawford, admired her above all other actresses, and Rogers and McCrea held her in the highest professional regard.

But even an actress of that caliber, surrounded by a great crew and a fine leading man, can't rescue acting as bad as seen from this cast. Director Dwan should have been running the second unit and left the supervision of the performances to someone else on this one.

Stanwyck's Indian Name: 'Princess Many Victories'

[discount1957 · 8/10 · 5 May 2012]

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

Barbara Stanwyck Rides Tall!!!

[zardoz-13 · 7/10 · 26 June 2012]

Barbara Stanwyck doesn't take adversity laying down in director Allan Dwan's "Cattle Queen of Montana" as the eponymous, pistol-packing, lead-slinging, red-headed Sierra Nevada Jones. This adventurous horse opera features future U.S. President Ronald Reagan playing second fiddle to Stanwyck as a hired gun on her side in an Indian war. This is the kind of western that has good Indians and bad Indians. "Magnificent Obsession" scenarist Robert Blees and "Hell's Angels" scribe Howard Estabrook let Barbara kill her quota of guys, while Reagan gets to blast his six-gun out of her fist in one scene. The Glacier National Valley scenery makes the perfect backdrop to this larger-than-life oater. Basically, "Cattle Queen of Montana" is a revenge western with the heroine searching for the men who ambushed her dad. The villain is ambitious, but he seems a little short-handed when it comes to having dependable help. Stanwyck, her father 'Pop' Jones (Morris Ankrum), and their foreman move a herd of over a thousand cattle into the territory to lay stake to a ranch in the middle of the wilderness. Renegade Native Americans bushwhack Jones and her family. Jones' father bites the dust and their friend Nat is laid up while our heroine tries to absorb what has happened. She is surprised when good Indians arrive to help them. The Indians are Blackfeet, and two of them are vying to lead the tribe after their ailing father migrates to the Happy Hunting Ground in the sky. Colorados (Lance Fuller) is an educated Indian who asks questions before he fires his weapon. His volatile brother Natchakoa (Anthony Caruso) is an uneducated, liquor-swilling brave who shoots first and asks questions afterward. Colorados allows Sierra and Nat to recuperate in his village. The villain is greedy cattleman named Tom McCord (Gene Evans) who wants Natchakoa to scare off the settlers so he can buy their land up cheaply. Neither Natchakoa nor McCord are prepared to tangle with Sierra. She has no problem packing a pistol and putting lead into people. A wandering gunman, Farrell (Ronald Reagan), rides into the country, too, and takes a job as one of McCord's minions.

Cheesy B-western

[HotToastyRag · 4/10 · 30 March 2021]

I'll admit that I only watched this movie because of Ronald Reagan. I know he's not the best actor in the world, but I love to look at him, and sometimes his cheesy movies are just what I need on a weekend afternoon. This movie really isn't good, and if even I can admit that, it speaks volumes.

Barbara Stanwyck takes the lead (with a very unflattering red wig) as she crosses the wide open plains with her father, Morris Ankrum. As women always do when they could be ambushed by bad guys in the middle of nowhere, Barbara takes a bath in a local watering hole. There she meets Reagan (who's not bathing), and he gives her the adorable nickname of Jonesie. From then on, their banter is the cutest part of the movie. But that's what you're watching it for, right?

This is your regular ol' B western, so don't expect great things to come out of it. One interesting scene, though, was when Barbara tries to escape the romantic advances of a known villain. Most women in the movies would have called the guy a pig and made him mad, but Barbara simply says she has to leave the abandoned shack (in the middle of nowhere) because she's expected elsewhere. "Fifteen minutes won't make much difference," he says, drawing her closer. Barbara is very smart, squirming away after one kiss and suggesting she meet him for more the following day. If you think any Barbara Stanwyck is better than none, you can rent his one; but if you like to see her in good movies, feel free to skip this one.

Feisty Barbara Stanwyck wins her land, befriends the Indians (and gains a husband)

[ruthwashbrook · 7 October 2001]

Barbara Stanwyck is the Cattle Queen of the title, Sierra Nevada Jones who fights for her land against a rival land owner who has the local Indians on the payroll. Stanwyck befriends Chief Colorados who helps in her fight, together with a very weak Ronald Reagan who is so cardboard he could blow over in a breeze. Stanwyck is tough, determined and tenacious. She knows what she wants and she gets it. The only pity is that because of Hollywood's conventional Western formula, the narrative won't allow Stanwyck to be active without having her feminised place reasserted at the end of the film.

Humanizing the Blackfoot...somewhat.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 18 May 2021]

"Cattle Queen" is a somewhat frustrating film to watch. While I applaud Warner Brothers for hiring a lot of Blackfoot Indians to play Blackfoot, it does what most western films of the era did...all the major American Indian roles are played by white guys in dark makeup...such as Anthony Caruso and. Lance Fuller. On the other hand, I applaud the film for not showing all the tribesmen for being savages who hate white folks. American Indians, like anyone else, have good and bad...and this goes the same for the white characters in the movie.

When the story begins, Sierra (Barbara Stanwyck) and her father arrive with their men back in Montana after a long cattle drive to Texas. However, there is a scumbag who has moved in and he wants their property...and uses his confederates, a group of nasty Blackfoot Indians, to do his bidding. They kill most of Sierra's men...leaving only her and an injured friend. But another Blackfoot, the son of the local chief, is a nice guy and rescues the two and treats their wounds.

Much of the film consists of Sierra trying to prove the link between evil Tom McCord (Gene Evans) and the renegade leader (Anthony Caruso) and she is aided by a mysterious man. And, it all leads to a big battle at the end where it's either good or evil which will reign supreme.

This is an enjoyable western...not great, but very good. The acting is good, the location beautiful and I enjoyed the movie. However, the print I saw (on YouTube) was badly faded and the gorgeous Technicolor was badly in need of restoration.

Stanwyck and Reagan partner up!!

[coltras35 · 9/10 · 25 May 2021]

Set in the rugged Montana Territory of the 1880s, a woman vows vengeance for her father's murder and is determined to regain the land and cattle stolen from her by a villainous rancher and renegade Indians.

Barbara Stanwyck plays the title character with her usual no-nonsense aplomb, but as the great actress she is, she's equally great in the emotional scenes, however she spends most of the film ridin' shootin', and eventually teams up with the underrated Ronald Reagan, who is quite the enigmatic character- he works with the bad guys, but is he really a bad hombre or an undercover agent? You have to watch this Allan Dwan directed film to find out..

Devoid of any cynicism that was showing in 50's western, Cattle Queen of Montana is a thoroughly entertaining, action-packed western with great locations, and an energetic plot which has some good twist and turns - there's some suspense too. A fine film if you want something light and entertaining.

Charming Barbara Stanwyck's vehicle

[searchanddestroy-1 · 9 April 2023]

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.

Pastoral western

[dbdumonteil · 10 February 2008]

A story about this movie goes like this:

THe production hired some Indians for a few measly dollars a day.But in the meantime,oil was found on their territory and they became millionaires But they had to honor their contract:so they came to the set in limos.

Some viewers have complained about a certain racism.I do not think it is so;there are villains among the Indian tribe and among the Whites.For Stanwyck,the film looks like a blueprint for her "Forty guns" (Fuller,1957),although it's less violent and less inventive.But Dwan makes us feel his love for nature