Utah Blaine

Like I have with most of the Western movies I've seen, I watched the preview for this film on the Westerns Channel and decided that since it was on next and I had nothing else to do, I watched it. Rory Calhoun leads the screen and he did a fine job as Mike 'Utah' Blaine. This movie has the same kind of plot you'd expect from the old 50s B-grade Westerns, however, I say that this one is better than some of the others. The actors are a little bit better than some I've seen in other movies like this. And also, this movie has some pretty decent gunfights for its age. I found this movie to be a pretty enjoyable black-and-white Western.

Decent programmer from the six-gun soaked 1950's. Utah Blaine's helping big ranchers keep their spreads from predatory small ranchers. What the big ranchers need is an organized town government to provide proper law enforcement. So Blaine's got his work cut out. Needless to say, the plot's an inversion of the usual big guy versus little. There's some pretty good expansive scenery even if it's limited to greater LA. The shootouts, however, are sloppily staged, but then that's par for most B-oaters where no one really aims yet the bodies always fall. And catch Calhoun decking ex-heavyweight champ Baer. Now we know why the movies are called "make believe". For guys, there's the fetching Susan Cummings with a pronounced bustline in solid, or should I say huggable, 50's fashion. Nothing special here, just a standard entry in the 50's oater sweepstakes.

I love Rory Calhoun. Especially the guns he wears in this movie. I love Westerns. Especially when it comes to the Christian values that are long gone in this country today. Two of my favorites were The Rifleman and Bonanza where you would hear frequent and "liberal" (pun intended) mentions of "God", "prayer" and "the Bible".

And when it comes to the background music in Utah Blaine, isn't that the same as what was in a Glenn Ford movie? I can't remember the name.

When the story begins, Utah (Rory Calhoun) comes upon a lynching party hanging Joe Neal. Although Utah has no idea what's going on, such 'justice' disgusts him and he saves the dying man as soon as the would-be killers leave. That is when Neal informs Utah that local jerks are trying to force out the various ranchers by using a 'vigilante committee' to enforce the law....though there is no law...just greed.

Inexplicably, although Utah Blaine has a infamous reputation as a gunman, he's the guy trying to restore law and order to this town. And, this means he needs to face down the baddies...possibly all on his own...possibly with some help if he can make some friends in this awful town.

This plot is about the most common you'll find in old westerns, particularly B-westerns. I am not so much complaining as saying it is all very familiar. After all, although familiar, Calhoun is very good in the film and I think his westerns tend to be underrated. In other words, they took an ordinary sort of plot but made it just a bit better due to the acting. Worth seeing.

By the way, if you do watch, note the final big battle in the streets of the town. Somehow with 3824 shots fired at the men on horseback, not a single horse was shot...even by the guy firing a shotgun at the men on horseback! Also note that the during Blaine's shootout at the end with the big baddie, neither apparently need to re-load their revolvers!

The drab black & white photography looks more redolent of a couple of TV episodes pasted together than a cinema film in this harsh, strangely underpopulated Louis L'Amour adaptation starring Rory Calhoun with a robust female presence in the form of Susan Cummings and Angela Stevens (the former mainly a TV actress but with one striking big screen credit a couple of years later in the form of Sam Fuller's 'Verboten!').