West of the Pecos

West Of The Pecos was the second of two Zane Grey novels that Robert Mitchum starred in for RKO before being drafted. He took the place of Tim Holt as RKO's movie cowboy because Holt was in military service. He even inherited Holt's romantic sidekick Richard Martin whom we all know as the ever popular Chito Gonzalez Bustamante Rafferty.

Before Roy Bean went West Of The Pecos there was no law and order there and such that existed was in the hands of the infamous Sawtelle Brothers, Harry Woods and Perc Launders who head the vigilante committee. So these guys operate with impunity pretty much. But when they hold up the stagecoach and kill Bill Williams who is Mitchum's friend, Mitchum gets himself a mission.

In the meantime meatpacking tycoon Thurston Hall is told by his doctor to get out in the good country and do some real exercise even if it's in the form of manual labor. So he packs off his daughter Barbara Hale and her French maid Rita Corday and leaves his lawyer Bruce Edwards who is Hale's intended and they move to a piece of ranch property in that area West Of The Pecos.

Mitchum and Martin rescue the party when they're stranded in the desert and Hale has taken to wearing male drag the best to avoid unwanted attentions from the rough and ready and horny cowboys. A large part of the humor is due to Mitchum taking her for a man. A lot like some of the humor in Cary Grant/Katharine Hepburn film Sylvia Scarlett.

Of course Robert Mitchum went on to bigger and better things as he was shortly to be cast in The Story Of GI Joe and Tim Holt returned to making westerns with Richard Martin. West Of The Pecos is a nice B western with a good mix of action and humor.

But when I watch this and the film Nevada I often wonder if Mitchum had not gotten the big break for The Story Of GI Joe would he have continued as a B picture western star. Watch Nevada and West Of The Pecos and judge for yourself.

"West of the Pecos" is not to be confused with any of the great westerns of all time, or even of the 1940s. It is, nevertheless, a competently done little RKO-Radio Pictures western that reaches a surprisingly high level of quality considering its undeniable B-picture status.

First and foremost is the performance of the great Robert Mitchum in one of his earliest starring roles. I can't imagine how anyone would not be charmed by this seemingly laid-back, I-don't-give-a-dam young actor who offered viewers a persona pretty much unlike that of any other star. What was it about Mitchum that so many, me included, find so appealing? I guess it was his plain spoken, down-to-earth manner; totally unaffected, totally at ease regardless of whatever predicament he found himself in.

The plot is somewhat routine, that's true. But the actors are all more than competent, and we are also treated to some beautiful outdoor photography. The film was shot on location near Lone Pine, California, an area that has appeared in many, many movie productions over the years.

My only complaint, other than the fact that the script offers no surprises, is that there is almost too much comic relief, supplied mostly by Richard Martin, an actor who played a Mexican in many films despite the fact that he obviously never got beyond Spanish 1 in school. (I'm a Spanish teacher with over 30 years service, so take my word for it, the guy's Spanish accent is far from native.)

I suggest you take a look for yourself. "West of the Pecos" is not a bad way to spend a bit over an hour. Especially if you are a Mitchum fan.

A simple yet entertaining yarn, an old fashioned black and white film. West of the Pecos is another in the string of westerns Robert Mitchum. Rill Lambeth (Barbara Hale) drags her father, Colonel Lambeth (Thurston Hall) to Pecos, Texas to escape the pressures of the big city life of Chicago. Unfamiliar with the vigilante justice of 1800's rural America, they are in for a bit of culture shock. Rill is accustomed to the spoiled and sophisticated men of her upper class society. And,of course, she is smitten with the rugged Pecos Smith (Mitchum). Outlaws battle the good guys, and, as expected, Mitchum is on the ride side of the law. A few gun fights ensue, but with very little violence. This is not Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, but instead a g rated 1940's "picture." The film only runs sixty six minutes and I can highly recommend it. PS I still rank Tarantino as my favorite current director.

Superior B-Western with Bob Mitchum in his second starring film. Lots of action and plenty of plot as Barbara Hale, her father and their French maid relocate from Chicago to Texas, stumbling across Pecos Smith (Mitchum) as he exacts revenge on the crooked vigilantes who killed his best friend, then hides out, just trying to stay alive. Hale spends a good portion of the film cross-dressing, so if you've ever wanted to see Mitchum invite what he thinks is a teenage boy into his bed for a cuddle, then this is the film for you. Bob is laid back, compelling, sometimes cool, just a few months away from the first great characterisation of his career in The Story of G.I. Joe.

(3 out of 4)

Richard Martin made a career out of the character, Chito Jose Gonzalez Bustamonte Rafferty. Cracking jokes about his Irish-Mexican heritage in a very dated accent, and busting out his guitar in every movie, he's one of the most recognizable western sidekicks in the business. You've got thirty chances to catch his character, including 1945's West of the Pecos.

In this silly, humorous, escapism movie, Barbara Hale's father, Thurston Hall, has to get more exercise into his daily routine for his health. The family decides to pick up and move from Chicago to their ranch in Texas-but since it's the 1880s, the wild west is dangerous. In order to protect herself, and her French companion Rita Corday, Barbara dresses like a boy. But when she meets hunky Robert Mitchum on the road, maybe she'll want to trade in her trousers for a dress. . .

I actually really liked West of the Pecos, even though it's just a silly western. Barbara Hale does a great job in her dual-personality and getting in touch with her masculine side, and Thurston Hall is a wonderful Frank Morgan knockoff. Of course, my loyalties lie with Robert Mitchum, which is why I first rented this early movie. He's so incredibly adorable in this movie, treating Barbara like a kid brother as they travel together in the desert. At nighttime, she's expected to bunk up with him to conserve body heat, and he holds open the blanket: "Get in! Cuddle!" Seriously, how darling is that?