Law and Order

Even with technicolor and location shooting, the remake of the classic western Law and Order with Walter Huston pales in comparison. Ronald Reagan just isn't Walter Huston, he doesn't create the singleminded purpose of Huston's Frame Johnson. Reagan's forte is affability, it doesn't translate well here.

Frame Johnson and his two brothers, played by Alex Nicol and Russell Johnson, leave Tombstone where Johnson is marshal because Johnson is tired of it. They go to Contention, but the problems of lawlessness are rampant there. Corrupt sheriff Barry Kelley and town boss Preston Foster pretty much run things their way. The decent citizens call on Reagan and the brothers to help out. Brother Alex Nicol does and is killed. You can figure the rest out.

The film does have the always lovely presence of Dorothy Malone, three years away from her Oscar in Written on the Wind. Dorothy was first noticed as the bookstore proprietess who catches Humphrey Bogart's eye in The Big Sleep. She did mostly westerns after that, usually as the nice girl in gingham that the hero gets. Good thing someone saw she had more going for her than that. Here she's a reluctant saloon owner, her old man left her the place and she runs it to earn a living. Girl's gotta do, what a girl's gotta do.

And of course you would have to be blind and ignorant of any kind of western history not to notice the obvious parallels between this film and any and all films with Wyatt Earp as the central character.

I had never heard of Director Nathan Juran until I saw LAW AND ORDER, and I doubt I'll remember him for any significant amount of time. He doesn't do a bad job of this B pic... simply not good enough: photography is weak, script predictable and tame, and what really saves it is the presence of the late former President Ronald Reagan and incredibly beautiful Dorothy Malone.

In the end, this is another retelling of the Wyatt Earp and bros story, with different names and against differently named foes.

Some good fighting sequences involving RR, too.

Ronald Reagan quits his job as sheriff of Tombstone (No, he's not Wyatt Earp.) and heads for greener pastures in an attempt to start a new calmer life for himself and his brothers, only to find out that his new home is run with an iron hand, both figuratively and literally, by old foe Preston Foster and his sniveling sons.

A solid studio B-western, this looks like a million bucks in gorgeous Technicolor and has a script that really knows what buttons to push.

One of Reagan's better roles, he strikes all the right notes and is definitely well cast.

This is also a great showcase for up and coming future stars Russell Johnson (the professor on Gilligan's Island) and an almost unrecognizable Dennis Weaver, who really makes the best out of his role as one of Foster's sadistic sons.

The final fist-fight between Reagan and Foster is well staged, exciting, and immensely satisfying.

Universal western a solid adaptation of William Burnett's novel "Saint Johnson"--also a follow-up to (or rehashing of) 1932's "Law and Order". Ronald Reagan is very good as the marshal of Tombstone in the 1880s, tired of being a "hired killer", who quits his job for a rancher's life on the outskirts of Cottonwood; unfortunately, he finds the townsfolk there much tougher than the people of Tombstone, including a scurrilous family who has tangled with the marshal before. It's never made clear how the marshal managed to get on the bad side of the Tombstone residents (they seem to want a no-nonsense approach to the law--and they've got it with Reagan--so what is their beef?). Dorothy Malone is wasted in a frivolous role as Ronnie's girl (she always seems to be saying, "I'll be here when you come back"), while the (blonde) actors playing Reagan's brothers are poor choices--they don't look or act anything like him. Still, there's a few evil, grinning sonsofbitches in the lineup who give the narrative dramatic flavor, and Reagan has a terrific scene early on protecting a prisoner from a lynch mob. Most of "Law and Order" (terrible title!) is strictly rote from a western formula, but the Red Rock Canyon locations are good and the finale very satisfying. **1/2 from ****

I am a western fanatic with over 200 top western titles in my personal collection, many of which are in my IMDb database. This film made in 1953 is very enjoyable to watch. If you are a fan of Westerns you will absolutely want to watch this film. Law and Order reminds me of the Stewart-Mann Westerns of the same era with the same attention to detail and plot development.Juran like Anthony Mann brings out the best in his actors. Ronald Reagan is tough and believable, the color adds to the excellent filming, and the acting is quite good. Dorthy Malone is very beautiful and charming. Apart from a bit of predictability this film combines, action, horse riding, gun fights, and a beautiful girl into a good enjoyable film.

DB