The Light of Western Stars

Victor Jory who was so much better as a villain is the hero of this Paramount adaption of Zane Grey's classic western novel The Light Of Western Stars. Jory plays the hell raising foreman of a ranch who makes a bet with crooked sheriff Tom Tyler that he'll marry the next woman who arrives in town.

Which happens to be Ruth Rogers brother of Russell Hayden and they're the new owners of the ranch he's foreman of. Hayden is already there learning the ranch business from J. Farrell MacDonald.

Tyler provides protection for the gun running and smuggling activities of Morris Ankrum who sets up on the Hayden/Rogers spread. It all ends in a nasty shootout with Ankrum's bunch and still another showdown with Tyler.

Noah Beery, Jr. plays the Mexican sidekick of Jory in a role that I can only describe as gay. He's so singularly devoted to Jory you have to believe it's beyond friendship. Alan Ladd is seen briefly as one of the ranch hands and I doubt he could have imagined within two years he'd be ruling the roost over at Paramount.

Zane Grey fans should be pleased with this film. For others it's a rather routine shoot 'em up western with a rather unique angle on male bonding for a western. The most unique until Brokeback Mountain.

In his career, Victor Jory generally played villains or supporting characters. Here, however, he stars in a western--and that is VERY unusual. Unfortunately for him and his career, the film just isn't very good and I doubt if it did a thing to help him as a star. But, at least you can watch it if you'd like to see Alan Ladd before he was 'discovered' or if you'd like to see Noah Beery Junior embarrass himself.

When the film begins, Jory plays a nice-guy who seems to be equally concerned with protecting the town from a bully and his paid sheriff as he is about getting drunk. He is certainly no hero in this role--though eventually he reforms and finally does the right thing. In the process, he meets a stuck up rich lady and has a few not particularly interesting adventures.

So why did I give this one a 3? Well, there are many reasons--and the biggest is that the film never really gets very interesting. There are also some poorly written plot elements (such as the stuck up lady who almost instantly changes and the film never allows any realistic development of her character). Additionally, Noah Beery Jr. plays a horrible role as a Mexican--and seems completely out of place. Finally, the big showdown fizzles and makes little sense. All in all, perhaps a 3 is being a bit generous.

Victor Jory as a top-billed leading man! I just had to see this role reversal after years of seeing his commandingly villainous roles. Actually it's a shrewd bit of casting since Jory's Gene Stewart is a flawed hero, to say the least. He picks fights, makes stupid bets, and gets sodden drunk; that is, when he's not running guns to Mexico. In short, he's no Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, or even Lash LaRue. So will Stewart ever reform and deserve top-billing hero in an oater. Well, maybe if snobby easterner Majesty Hammond (Sayers) will get off her high horse and give him a job at her new ranch. Then maybe he'll have a chance. (Actually that "high horse" is the renowned Trigger of the popular Roy Rogers series.) But first Stewart will have to deal with baddie Hayworth (Ankrum) who also runs guns Mexico way. Good thing Stewart's got Mexican sidekick Poco (Beery Jr.) to fill-in the cracks.

Jory's adept in his conflicted role, but I'm especially impressed with the stately Sayers' range of subtle emotions. Too bad her career ended rather abruptly. The narrative's first part is mainly in town, but once the scenery moves out to the familiar Alabama Hills, things really pick up. Director Selander makes good use of the rock monoliths, while that impressive series of dynamite explosions looks real and not processed. After all, this is Paramount Studio, so they've got the bucks to back up even a 60-minute programmer like this. So, all in all, catch this rather unusual oater if you can.

A snooty rich Boston woman is dumped off unceremoniously in a small western town in the middle of the night at an unattended railroad station. A Mexican on horseback eyes her and she takes refuge in the station until morning.

Meanwhile at the local saloon a loud drunken cowboy has just made a bet with the corrupt local sheriff that he can get the next woman who comes to town to marry him, as so often happened in those days.

Turns out the Mexican is his comic-relief sidekick (played by an Anglo yet) who tells him about the lady stranded at the station. The two and a crooked minister descend on her and in what's almost a rape are about to force her into marriage until at the last minute the cowboy realizes she's his friend's sister and relents.

Sound like a spoiler? No, just the first few minutes of a story that has more plots and subplots in 62 minutes than seems possible. Not all of them are plausible or resolved but the whole thing has a head-spinning quality despite a few scenes where it slows down to a crawl.

I seldom watch westerns and watched this one because it featured Jo Ann Sayers, a forgotten actress whose looks and talent struck me in a Boris Karloff mad scientist move called The Man With Nine Lives. Her career never took off but she got to play in some bizarre films.

The cast might be the most impressive thing about the film, not only Sayers but Ruth Rogers, an even more obscure actress playing the love interest of Sayers' brother.

The drunken cowpoke is Victor Jory, whose career was spent mostly in Westerns although he could easily have been a leading man to match the best of them in mainstream films. Tom Tyler, the sheriff, who has the obligatory fight scene with Jory where they wreck the saloon while everyone else stands around and watches, was another cowboy star I was unfamiliar with, with looks and charisma to match Jory's.

Fans of Westerns don't seem too fond of this film but this non-Western fan found it surprising and enjoyable despite its flaws.

About the only thing resembling Zane Grey's wonderful novel is the names of the lead characters. This thing's plot was never clear--just a choppy mess. Don't waste your time.