Gangster der Prärie

In most ways, "Station West" plays like a B-western...which happens to have an A, or perhaps A- cast. It also reminds me of another Dick Powell film, "Murder My Sweet" (1944)...though instead of Powell playing a cynical and mouthy detective he plays a cynical and mouthy detective...in the old west.

When the film begins, undercover agent 'Haven' arrives in town and his cover is that of a hard-bitten jerk. Soon he picks a fight with the biggest and meanest guy in town...and after besting him, he's given entree into the local gang. And what sort of mischief is the gang up to? They're behind gold robberies...robbing not only the stage but the US Cavalry, when they killed two soldiers.

This movie has most things you'd see in a B, though I really liked seeing Powell in the lead instead of the usual B heros such as Roy Rogers or Hopaling Cassidy. On hand to support him are the likes of Jane Greer, Agnes Morehead and Burl Ives. Nothing really that special here, but a very good western with a very exciting leading man.

Sidney Lanfield was one of those very competent, but unsung directors who knew what they were about and could make a good western. The plot gets a bit tangled here and there; its an oater with a Raymond Chandler style wisecracking detective, but with boots on. And who better than Dick Powell to out-sass the bad guys. The young Jane Greer somehow pulls off a world-weary saloon owner named "Charlie". She was always astonishing and for 1947 runs circles around all the male characters including Powell. There's a good, well-staged fist fight between Powell and Guinn Williams, some Arizona landscapes worthy of John Ford and the uncredited Burl Ives as a sort of chorus to the action and philosophical hotel keeper. Olin Howland shows up as a cook with attitude. Raymond Burr as a craven lawyer and Regis Toomey makes his required appearance. Also, Agnes Moorhead as a nice lady for a change. A western with a twist. You almost expect the dudes in the saloon to be drinking martini's.

Good scenic Western that applies the 40's private eye premise to a frontier setting. Powell does his 40's hard case number effectively, while Greer does her slinky spider woman bit. In fact, you have to look twice to make sure this isn't a Spade or a Marlowe. Powell's an undercover investigator on the trail of whoever knocked over an army shipment and killed the guards. In town are a lot of suspicious characters, including Greer and Burr, but suspicion isn't enough.

Some good touches, especially the Sedona, AZ, locations, scenically filmed in b&w and lending an atmospheric note. And catch the middle-age romance between Powers and Moorehead, not exactly a staple of standard Westerns, especially for perennial spinster Moorehead. Also, there's nervous lawyer Burr, about as far away from lawyer Perry Mason as it gets. But what I really like is the way the movie works Burl Ives and his catchy tune into the narrative. It's very smoothly and pleasantly done.

I don't know that there's anything special here, although the story ends on an unconventionally downbeat note. In passing-- I gather from TCM that director Lanfield gave Greer a bad time because she wasn't the preferred Marlene Dietrich. Too bad because Greer manages in one package to be both conniving and poignant, no mean acting trick.

In the Films of Dick Powell, it's pointed out that Powell had done a western only twice before in his musical period. Cowboy from Brooklyn and Riding High had modern western settings.

Only Station West was done during Powell's time as a noir star and he brings the genre west with him. Done in the obligatory black and white photography, Station West is a moody atmospheric thriller.

It's not a mystery because you pretty much know who the bad guys are early on. But it does show Powell's dogged determination to find out who committed a gold robbery in which two soldiers were killed while guarding the shipment.

Powell gets good support from Jane Greer as town saloon owner, Agnes Moorehead as a mine owner, and Raymond Burr as a shyster attorney. Burr is a revelation. Usually the villains he did before doing Perry Mason are pretty strong characters. He's quite the weakling here.

Powell never made another western feature film, but his Four Star Productions produced Zane Grey Theatre in the Fifties on television and Powell himself appeared in many of the half hour stories.

In the first fifty years of cinema, the year of 1948 had to be the best for the western genre up to that time. For, in 1948, movie producers generated a number of very good features like "Fort Apache," "Yellow Sky," "Blood on the Moon," "Four Faces West," and "Red River." "Station West" was also one of the better westerns made that same year.

"Station West" features Dick Powell as John Haven, an undercover government agent assigned to investigate a gold robbery and the deaths of two guards, both US cavalrymen. Some have compared Powell's temperament to that of twentieth century detective Phillip Marlowe. He surely has both the sarcasm and self-assurance of the fictional private eye even though Powell is out of his normal character by appearing in a western. Anyway Haven takes the night stage to Rock Pass, a booming but also a corrupt town. The guitar-playing hotel manager (Burl Ives) immediately recognizes Haven as a stranger and lets him know that "Charlie" (Jane Greer) and her minions have their hands in nearly everything of importance. As Haven checks in, he discovers that he will have to make his own bed and that fresh towels will not be provided. "Thanks for the keys," he quips to the singing hotel manager.

Things happen fast in the town gambling house/saloon, where suspicious characters come and go. Haven is attracted to the attractive femme fatale Charlie (actually Charlene) as folks like gambling manager Prince (Gordon Oliver) and house bouncer Mick Marion (Guinn Williams) watch with scowling faces. Even the bartender (John Doucette) eyes the stranger with unfriendliness and suspicion. There is also the jellyfish attorney Mark Bristow (Raymond Burr). Before long, Haven secretly meets with Captain Iles (Tom Powers), Lt. Stellman (Steve Brodie), and Mrs. Caslon (Agnes Moorehead) to work on a plan of action for the investigation. It is obvious that Haven, who has a personality conflict with Iles, has his own methods for smoking out the bad folks. Back in the barroom, Haven – with difficulty – in an all-out brawl defeats Mick. But Charlie, impressed with Haven's victory and toughness, hires him as her transportation boss. In fact, Charlie seems to place much trust in Haven. And Haven obviously likes the attractive woman. So are these two – protagonist and antagonist – really falling in love with each other? Anyway, Charlie has set his plan in motion to get the evil ones, not quite realizing Charlie's role.

Along the way there are several odd scenes. For one, Haven is looking for the gold cache that he ditched when suddenly Mrs. Caslon sneaks up behind him holding two loaded pistols. She thinks he stole the gold. But since Caslon is wearing a nineteenth dress not conducive to riding one wonders how she happens to pop up unnoticed by Haven away from town in the wild. Another odd part involves James Goddard (Regis Toomey). We know immediately after his shooting that he was a Wells Fargo agent. But why did he want to ride the (unprotected) night stage along with Haven in the first place? Also, Haven as a junior officer should be able to recognize a button from a military coat right away. He had to be told the information by the hotel manager. Perhaps some minutes of the movie were inadvertently cut; the feature seen was about 80 minutes long, chopped down by 12 minutes from the original release. Nevertheless the three described situations do not detract too much from the storyline.

The acting is great all-around, while the script is at a high level. Burl Ives homespun folksy singing is excellent. And how about Harry Wild's filming of this feature in beautiful Sedona, Arizona, a personal favorite? So, despite its minor flaws and the fact that action is limited, this western is worth seeing.