Movies about the logging industry have always been very exciting to me because they take the usual western themes and move them up north. The sight of these huge trees being chopped down is both sad and thrilling, a necessary evil because they provide humanity with shelter and paper, providing thousands of jobs and give new trees a chance to grow. The vision of them falling as somebody yells "Timber!" is thrilling, and curiosity makes me wonder how they manage to get them to fall in the right direction as to not hit other trees or land on either the loggers themselves or other wild animals who happen to be there. From 1938's "Valley of the Giants", its 1951 remake "The Big Trees" and 1942's "The Forest Rangers" (which had a memorable scene of the three leads literally trying not to roll of turning logs), these films are cinematically gorgeous. Every one includes different elements, but usually, it focuses on the good guys versus somebody who is trying to take over the company or sabotage the work they are already doing.
In this case, the bad guy is Dan Duryea, the head of a syndicate out to take on the little guy who in this case is Rod Cameron. Once again, Rod is involved with the beautiful singer Yvonne de Carlo, and together they must fight to keep the scheming Duryea from taking over the company. Their involvement is threatened by the love of society girl Helena Carter and Cameron's determination to get in good with her father. This beautifully filmed color adventure takes place way up north on the Mississippi where De Carlo runs a gambling show boat ("The River Lady") and is just as tough as the men surrounding her. There's the usual eccentric supporting characters, including the delightfully comical Florence Bates, but fortunately, it is missing the gratuitous grizzled old sidekick that more often than not simply just are not funny.
De Carlo as usual is beautiful, and unlike some of her other Universal films, actually gets to use her own voice while singing. Rod Cameron is a strong hero and Duryea a great villain as always. However, the film is at its best when it shows what goes on behind the scenes in the logging industry, especially in the conclusion where a log jam keeps the good guys from nearly beating Duryea and his cartel. It's interesting to note that in this modern world of ours, many industries change, but when you're dealing with nature, obviously technology can't take over certain businesses.
In this case, the bad guy is Dan Duryea, the head of a syndicate out to take on the little guy who in this case is Rod Cameron. Once again, Rod is involved with the beautiful singer Yvonne de Carlo, and together they must fight to keep the scheming Duryea from taking over the company. Their involvement is threatened by the love of society girl Helena Carter and Cameron's determination to get in good with her father. This beautifully filmed color adventure takes place way up north on the Mississippi where De Carlo runs a gambling show boat ("The River Lady") and is just as tough as the men surrounding her. There's the usual eccentric supporting characters, including the delightfully comical Florence Bates, but fortunately, it is missing the gratuitous grizzled old sidekick that more often than not simply just are not funny.
De Carlo as usual is beautiful, and unlike some of her other Universal films, actually gets to use her own voice while singing. Rod Cameron is a strong hero and Duryea a great villain as always. However, the film is at its best when it shows what goes on behind the scenes in the logging industry, especially in the conclusion where a log jam keeps the good guys from nearly beating Duryea and his cartel. It's interesting to note that in this modern world of ours, many industries change, but when you're dealing with nature, obviously technology can't take over certain businesses.