Wyoming Mail

It was amusing to discover that the Director of this pleasant little diversion directed it apparently between two Joe Palooka movies. Now they are tough films to watch. However, although this story line is a bit weak,the film does have a couple of things going for it. Alexis Smith is an attractive heroine. Her character has a life changing decision to make and it works well. The film also attempts to flesh out the role of the Railroad in small communities in the west. The Railroad Club comes off as another saloon but the very fact that its a club is an interesting historical footnote. Much of the exterior scenery is beautifully presented, although the hideout left something to be desired. A good wet Sunday amusement.

Stephen McNally plays Steve Davis, who's working undercover for the U. S. government, trying to infiltrate and bring down a gang robbing brand-new mail trains. Congress is threatening to cut off funding for the trains if the rampant theft cannot be stopped.

Alexis Smith is a glamorous saloon singer Steve falls for, but she isn't just a mere romantic addition; she has a major role in the film.

A thoroughly entertaining Universal western that successfully mixes western genre with a crime thriller, has fantastic scenery, and telegraphing, and leaping off the pole and into a river! (Great scene). The mystery big boss behind the fiendish gang is revealed at the end, and though you would probably guess who it is, the suspense and the breakneck pace just sucks you in. There's a fantastic bad guy hideout. And there's the fantastic looking trains, all captured in gorgeous technicolour.

And Alexis sings a nice song, and looks fetching in her gowns (No wonder Errol married her).

Pretty good Western that gets better as it goes along. Railroad agent Steve Davis (McNally) goes undercover to catch an elaborate gang of train robbers. Along the way, he meets lovely songstress Mary Williams (Smith), but much worse, has to go to prison to establish his outlaw cover. The gang, it turns out, has respectable confederates but we can't be sure who they are.

There're several good surprises, plus some nice touches from director LeBorg— e. g. a wounded Indian Joe trying to hook on the train, the final scene that hits the right notes, a frantic outlaw (Jaeckle) atop an exploding baggage car. Also, that rock formation of the gang's hideout is impressive as heck, with its spindly ladders to the caves at the top. Then there's a splash or two of great blue sky scenery.

The supporting cast is also notable—Begley, DaSilva, Evans and Jaeckle, plus a young, curly-haired James Arness and-- look quickly—Richard Egan as a prison guard. Universal Studio did a number of these Technicolor Westerns at the time, using solid performers and location filming. None that I've seen reach the first rank, but do remain solid entertainment for horse opera fans, including this one.

I watched it because it was from Universal studios and also directed by Reginald LeBorg, whom I did not comment so many films from him so far. It is a good effective western starring Stephen McNally for once in a good guy character, an undrcover agent to nail a gang of outlaws. As you see, nothing exceptional here. No surprise at all. I would have prefered Mc Nally as a gang leader, but Howard De Silva could not be an undercover agent. It would not have matched at all. I don't even speak of Ed Begley. Good sequences though, good production design, this western was a small budget one, OK, but not PRC or Monogram either, so the lack of budget did not justify some flaws explained by a lack of care from the director and not the production.

I have never heard of Director Reginald LeBorg but from a quick glance at his IMDB bio, I surmise that he did not do anything particularly memorable.

Exactly the same description for the screenplay by Essex and Lee: no dialogue to remember for too long.

The things that stayed on my mind: Stephen McNally, a very fine supporting thespian, here a lead who delivers credibly, especially in the company of lovely Alexis Smith; and Armando Silvestre as Indian Joe, wearing moccasins that change from white to near black and back to white all in the same run on the mountain.

Howard da Silva also stands out as one of the baddies, though not the kingpin, and James Arness for once plays a villain instead of goody two shoes Dillon.

Competent cinematography by Russell Metty, unobtrusive landscapes here and there, some gripping bits of action in between slower stretches. Not a waste of time, though - as indicated at the start - nothing to remember for long. 7/10.