The Road to Denver

Several reasons to comment on this entertaining but otherwise pretty routine Western. Scope out the saloon at the beginning. It may be the only Western watering hole I've seen with actual pink accents for inside and outside decor. How the heck did that happen in a macho horse opera. Maybe Republic had a few gallons left over from a Vera Hruba Ralston flick. Also, note how those early scenes along the sagebrush trails resemble the wistful Frederick Remington paintings of the early West. They're subdued pastels and in my book, quite striking, especially with the light snow cover unusual for any Western. Then there's Skip Homeier creating another of his cocky young punk characters he was so expert at. Working at lowly Republic would never get you an Oscar in snooty Hollywood. But in my book, Homeier was as good at etching memorable characters as any of the higher-priced talent. Too bad he eventually matured out of these roles, but here he's near his peak as the hot- headed young Sam Mayhew.

The movie starts off fast, but sags somewhat in the middle—probably to accommodate the stagey skills of Broadway heavyweight Lee J. Cobb. (Notice that he has no outdoor scenes, holding forth instead from his saloon headquarters. That was probably in his contract so he wouldn't have to travel to Utah locations.) I was really impressed with the screen presence of Ray Middleton as the limping John Sutton. He's such a quietly imposing character that exudes integrity and strength. He certainly qualifies for a bigger career. Much of the movie's appeal comes from the cast, even Mona Freeman as the sweet young thing. She may be miscast, snuggling up with 43-year old Payne, but she does have a winning personality. All in all, it's a worthwhile little Western with a positive message of the sort that unfortunately they don't make anymore.

Skip Homeier is a young Texan with a temper. He and brother John Payne can't stay in one place for long before Homeier gets them in trouble. This time, he's in jail. Payne busts him out, and they asquatulate and part ways. Payne winds up in a town where he's working for ambitious businessman Ray Middleton, who has a pretty daughter who can cook in Mona Freeman. Along comes Homeier, who goes to work for the town's saloon owner and general no-goodnik Lee J Cobb. How long before the two brothers clash over money or jobs or Miss Freeman, and who will come out on top.

It's a very ahndsome shaky A western under the direction of the always reliable Joseph Kane. Kane doesn't waste much time in subtlety or subtext,but he does have his performers indulge in small business that lets you know he understands how to underline what's going on. Instead he tells his story, and it's a good one, performed by top actors.

Bill Mayhew is growing tired of bailing out his hot headed younger brother, Sam. After breaking him loose from a Texas jail he decides enough is enough and tells Sam they must go their separate ways. He heads towards Denver and sets up in Central City where he lands a job (and soon to be partnership) with kindly gent John Sutton, he also starts to fall for Sutton's pretty daughter Elizabeth. However it soon becomes apparent that the towns money mad crook, Jim Donovan has issues with Sutton's dealings, and after enlisting into his fold the newly arrived in town, Sam, sets up the scenario of the brothers being on opposing sides.

Simple yet executed with no little style, The Road To Denver is a hugely enjoyable Western. It's directed by Western specialist Joe Kane and stars John Payne (Bill Mayhew), Mona Freeman (Elizabeth Sutton), Lee J. Cobb (Jim Donovan), Ray Middleton (John Sutton), Skip Homeier (Sam Mayhew) & Lee Van Cleef (Pecos Larry). The tale of sibling rivalry amongst the fabulous Snow Canyon location is highly watchable stuff, where even though the sense of the inevitable is hard to get away from, a number of sequences delight and fully form the story. Homeier is particularly good at playing the loose cannon role of Sam, and the best scenes tend to land with him, but Lee J Cobb is always a solid performer, and when given a bad guy role such as here, he positively delivers with sneer in full effect.

One of Kane's better efforts in the genre, and certainly one that is either under seen or undervalued on internet sites, so if you get the chance have a look, because it's a very tidy little piece. 7/10

John Payne and Skip Homeier play brothers in this nifty western. One's a calm ex-gunfighter who wants to settle down and the other Is a hothead who ends up becoming a hired gun for Lee J Cobb ( the villain) and ends up against his brother. No guesses who plays the hotheaded brother. Skip homeir has carved a career playing hotheaded characters with twitchy trigger fingers. Well made western from Republic studios

This film essentially begins with two brothers from Texas with the first one named "Bill Mayhew" (John Payne) and the other one "Sam Mayhew" (Skip Homeier). Because Bill is older and more mature, he tries to mentor Sam as much as he can but finds great difficulty due to his younger brother's violent temper and selfish ways. As a result, they often find themselves drifting from one place to another either in search of jobs or simply trying to avoid the law. That said, after one particular incident, the two decide to take separate paths with Bill riding into the small town of Center City, Colorado looking for work. As luck would have it, he meets a cowboy by the name of "John Sutton" (Ray Middleton) who hires him to work in the local stable. And while this isn't a great job by any means, the pay is adequate and it has the added incentive in that he gets to socialize with John's attractive daughter "Elizabeth Sutton" (Mona Freeman) on a frequent basis. However, problems arise when Sam rides into town and not only becomes attracted to Elizabeth but also hires on as a gunman for a disreputable businessman named "Jim Donovan" (Lee J. Cobb) who seeks to move in on one of John Sutton's new ventures. Now, rather than reveal any more, let me just say that this turned out to be a decent Western due in large part to actors chosen for this film with Lee Van Cleef (as "Pecos Larry") performing in a secondary role. Be that as it may, while this certainly isn't a great Western by any means, I found it to be enjoyable enough and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.