Rogue River

I had hoped this might prove to be a decent movie but it wasn't. The production values and sound effects and staging of this movie are at about the level of an early 1950's Superman TV program - only the color (at least in the print I watched) has shifted to a nice shade of yellow-orange. Maybe this film could have been better if it didn't shriek 'cheap! cheap! cheap!' at every turn, but it does. Save your time and watch something else. It does have one interesting aspect, though - this is one of the very few movies I have ever seen where the opening credits say 'and introducing... (someone - in this case, Peter Graves)' where you actually heard from the person again later. Usually, when a movie credit says "... and introducing..." you never hear from the person again. It's a miracle that this movie didn't turn Peter Graves into a truck driver.

Well told tale of conflicts that arise between members of an extended family in a small Oregon lumber town. Story unravels very effectively via flashback, as Graves journeys by boat down the treacherous Rogue River. Significant as an early effort by both Graves and Calhoun, both of whom do credit to their characters. 'Tis a shame this one is seldom seen!

I can't agree with the other comment. This movie may not have a lot of money behind it, but it's not studio bound. It has plenty of location shooting in the Pacific northwest. It also has a nifty plot point that elevates the production above the standard second feature level. Its protagonist is the sober, stolid chief law enforcement officer of a small community, a man whose reputation is his most cherished asset. When the town bank is robbed and the thieves make off with a hefty chunk of dough, he focuses his investigation on an old prospector, a sort of village eyesore with few friends, who protests his innocence despite the large haul of cash that is unexpectedly found among his effects. Without revealing too much of the plot, I'll just say that the scuzzy old prospector contrives a delicious revenge for the discomfiture he's subjected to. If you approach this movie with grandiose expectations you'll definitely be disappointed. It's not terribly special and can't sustain any sort of cult following. And from what the other comment implies, the only available print is inferior. But it has enough touches of character, along with some clever story construction, to keep you interested.

Pete (Graves) returns to small mountain town to reacquaint with adopted brother Ownie (Calhoun) and police chief father (Fenton). While there, the bank is robbed under puzzling circumstances.

Reviewer hschmoo is right—this is a solid outdoor film, with scenic river locations, an unpredictable narrative, and some effective characterizations. The rapport between the brothers (Calhoun & Graves) appears genuine; at the same time, Fenton is excellent as the hardened cop father. The shifting dynamic between the three makes up the story's crux. We also get a flavor of a small town as the townspeople are drawn into the local bank robbery. Frankly, I had some trouble following who was in on what and why, but maybe I'm just slow. Much of the story is told in flashback while Graves hurtles down the roaring river and we wonder why he's chasing after his cop dad.

Director Rawlins and Ventura Productions were responsible the following year for an excellent little Western, Fort Defiance (1951), also with Peter Graves. Apparently, River was Graves' first movie, but you'd never guess it. It also looks like he did his own boating down the rapids, nor, for that matter, could I spot any of the usual Hollywood process shots. I suspect the unusually despairing final scene was due to this being an independent production made a long way from Hollywood and it's conventional endings. The narrative is definitely not a series of studio clichés, which makes this gritty little oddity doubly worth watching.