Plot - A wilderness prospector discovers gold dust, but is undermined by a greedy partner, even as his faithful dog and orphaned boy try to defend their cabin and survive the partner's growing greed.
I can't quite fathom why this little adventure flick is so derided by critics. That may be because developments don't adhere to the usual benchmarks from the series as a whole. In fact, the storyline stands robustly on its own, departure or not, with a number of unexpected developments, plus great location photography and drama surrounding high peaks, soaring clouds, and drop-off cliffs. Then too, if there're studio backdrops to this scenery, I couldn't spot them. But then MGM was a big-budget studio, and it looks like they popped an expense even for this programmer. No, the acting won't get awards, but I do like the way the Native Americans are blended-in in humanizing fashion. Good also to see usual villain Paul Kelly playing a good guy for a change. And, of course, there's Shep (Lassie) as always winning more fans for our 4-footed friends. Anyway, in my little book, the flick's a grabber for both front-row kids and second-row adults, especially if you like scenic adventure. So give it a try.
