A Lawless Street

Classic western. A marshal(Randolph Scott)finds himself tired of taming the beast. A hired gunman(Michael Pate)is hired by businessmen(Warner Anderson and John Emery)to "take care of" the lawman so corruption can run the town. Plenty of action and strong supporting cast featuring: Jean Parker, Don Megowan, Wallace Ford and Angela Lansbury as the winsome showgirl. Pate as the gloved gunman practically steals the show. The stoic Scott proves why he has top billing.

No need to repeat the plot since it's a pretty standard one. Considering the talent involved, the results are more than a little disappointing. I agree with other critics—Scott looks tired and less motivated than his usual self. Plus, the unlikely pairing of him with an actress 30- years younger (Lansbury) only accentuates the problem.

It's also a talky indoor western, perhaps to accommodate the many veteran actors in the cast, with only Donnelly (old Molly) showing any real spark. Those many speaking parts also make for an unwieldy storyline. And for some reason, cult director Lewis shows little engagement as the rather flat performances and impersonal climax demonstrate.

Not everything is downside. Don Megowan's hulking gun-hater comes across as an interesting character, certainly no stereotype, in a role that should have been bigger. There're also a couple of unexpected twists that help spark interest. But, the overall results remain uneven, at best. Good thing for western fans that Scott soon hooked up with Buddy Boetticher and Ranown, a combo that knew how to get the most out of the aging actor in a series of memorable classics. But despite the presence here of Ranown's producer Harry Joe Brown, this is not one of them.

You might notice that Randolph Scott is trying very hard in this film and is committed to a good performance, and this is one of his best. He tried noticeably harder in movies that he produced (understandably) like this one versus the studio-contract films he endlessly tromped through for many years.

Scott, like many leading men, also noticeably worked well with respected superior actresses like Angela Lansbury here, as opposed to just random movie actresses and bimbos. Scott ups his game here and their scenes together are good.

Excellent supporting players are on hand including the avuncular Wallace Ford, perennially versatile and noted actor Michael Pate, and others. John Emery, almost unknown today but part of the Hollywood fabric for a long time, makes a too-rare Western villain appearance as a rotten saloon owner. Middle age and many years of sins are etched in Emery's face. He is perfect for this role. Some fans will undoubtedly remember Emery from the sci-fi classic "Kronos".

Angela Lansbury- what can I say but just note how she distinguishes and elevates this movie. You know what I mean- she's Angela Lansbury.

So the formula routine plotting and the clichés are uplifted in the end result of "A Lawless Street". I can recommend it for Western fans and for fans of the individual actors involved.

Was it just me, but after Randolph Scott's Rag nomination in 1954, did he seem happier and more confident? Maybe not, but he seems to have an extra spring in his step in 1955's A Lawless Street. Every time he goes downstairs in his boarding house and enjoys breakfast with the landlady, he charms and flirts with her with a huge grin on his face; it's adorable.

Scottie McScottie Pants plays a sheriff in this movie, but one with enemies. The story arc is actually really entertaining, even though it seems simple enough. The secrets, double crosses, and surprising twists reveal themselves in perfect pace as the town turns against him. Only one person seems to be on his side, and even she has a difficult time of it because of their troubled past: Angela Lansbury. She's a dance hall girl in town for a performance, and Scottie's ex-girlfriend!

Sometimes western movies don't bother with authenticity. I always pay attention to details, like cleanliness of clothing, the outside appearance of buildings, and whether or not respectable women have platinum hair and eye makeup. A Lawless Street features a realism worth noting: the saloon performance by Angela Lansbury. Many times, old west movies glamorize the entertainment industry, showing thin, beautiful chorus girls all perfectly in step dancing to a full orchestral sound. In this movie, Angela's backup dancers weren't all thin and pretty, nor were they all perfectly in step. There were only a few instruments in the pit, and the theater itself was quite small. How refreshing! If you like seeing Scottie defy the odds when they're all against him, check out this entertaining western.

Posters' reactions to A Lawless Street divide sharply between most who think it's a comfortable classic and a few who complain of its poor writing and flat acting. I'm a considerable Randolph Scott fan, and Angela Lansbury looks great in her tight period costumes, but there's little chemistry and their script doesn't help. The theme of civilizing the west is respectable, with the town as "beast" a fair metaphor, but aside from horses and drinking, the words don't become flesh as Columbia earns its rep as the cheap studio. The only interesting part of the writing is the names: Calem, Asaph, Harley. The score is strangely inappropriate, and the second half seems rushed compared to the building of character in the first half. The populous cast is of some talent and interest, but some characters look alike and appear after such long intervals that they're hard to tell apart. Still and all, Scott has the power of his generation to turn any part into his trademark character of integrity, and Angela seems like a visitor from another planet or studio.