Man of the Forest

Randolph Scott who later became exclusively a western star got his first notice as a western in a series of Zane Grey films that were B films for Paramount his original studio. This is one of several Grey stories that Scott filmed at Paramount in the early Thirties.

It's not one of the best ones. He's a small land owner caught between two enemies, Harry Carey, Sr. and Noah Beery, Sr. They've had a feud going for a score of years. The beautiful niece of one of them comes west and the other sees an opportunity to finally grab the other's ranch.

Of course the niece falls for Scott, but he's got to do some shrew taming at first. And then Carey is killed and he's blamed for it.

Noah Beery the brother of Wallace Beery played a fine line of movie villains in mostly low budget stuff like this. Here's he's a villain in the Snidely Whiplash tradition with designs on the little Nell heroine. In fairness Beery isn't given all that much to work with as his Verna Hillie the heroine.

Of course this is a must for Randolph Scott fans who are a loyal bunch. It's a fine chance to see him in his younger days before those post World War II B westerns that he is now a screen legend for.

By the way Scott has a pet mountain lion who plays an interesting role in his rescue from the dastardly Beery.

This is a standard Western with all the proper elements: do-right hero (R. Scott), do-wrong villain (Noah Beery), henchmen and "characters", pretty scenery, and African lions (???).

It is interesting to see a youthful Randolph Scott with a face-altering mustache and spouting an odd aristocratic Southern dialect ("they ah coming hyeah") while masquerading as a woman-hating mountain man.

The "mountain lions" are of course African lions loaned out from Tarzan.

The scenery, wherever it is, is very nice: mountains and lonesome pines.

Noah Beery makes a nice villain, really very good at it, and Verna Hillie is attractive enough.

The plot and acting are no more absurd than a million other B-westerns.