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The film is set in 1870 , post civil war , in Abilene ( a biblical name meaning city of the plains ), the pattern of the other celebrated cow towns of the Old west . Randolph Scott is the brave sheriff of Abilene along with Edgar Buchanan , they are fighting to stifle the conflicts between homesteaders ( led by a young Lloyd Bridges ) and cattlemen who hire gunfighters ( Jack Lambert ) . Meanwhile he develops a loving triangle between a Saloon girl ( Ann Dvorak ) and a good girl ( Rhonda Fleming ).

The picture gets action Western , shootouts , a love story , musical numbers ( in charge of a gorgeous Anne Dvorak ) and is quite entertaining . It's a medium budget film with good actors , technicians, production values and pleasing results . The film is totally set in Abilene ( Kansas )which was the first of the major railhead cattle towns . From 1867 to 1872 it was a booming depot , shipping some one million Texas Longhorns by railroad to Kansas City and Chicago and meat markets in the East . The place was selected as a terminus for Texas cattle drives in 1867 . Then the long drives began from Texas over the Chisholm trail . At trail's end in Abilene the rowdy,free-spending cowboys attracted saloon keepers, gamblers , brothels and all types of frontier riff-raff , the town became notorious for its lawlessness . Gunmen were hired for a time to keep the peace in Abilene ( in the film the peacemaker results to be Randolph Scott and actually Wild Bill Hickok ) . With the numerous presence of homesteaders the town prospered , stabilized and grew , its lawabiding citizens decided to discourage the troublesome cattle trade with his transient cowboys and early requested the Texas cattlemen to drive their herds elsewhere , which they soon did and Abilene's role as a wild cow town came to an abrupt ending.

The motion picture is directed in sure visual eye by Edwin L. Marin . He realized a variety films of all kind of genres , though especially Western , the best are starred by Scott , all well screen-written ( as Abilene , Canadian Pacific , Cariboo trail , Fighting man of the plains ). In fact his last films were Westerns until his early death at 52 .

Abilene, Kansas is at a critical watershed moment in its history and only town marshal Randolph Scott seems to realize it. That is Scott and a bunch of homesteaders led by Lloyd Bridges. They're the future of the place if they settle there permanently and grow their crops. The homesteader has it over the cowboy. He's raising families for the future, not cain at the end of the trail drive.

In a trend that seemed to start with Destry Rides Again in westerns, Scott has two girls after him in this film. Saloon singer Ann Dvorak and storekeeper's daughter Rhonda Fleming. You figure out who the marshal winds up with.

Abilene Town doesn't lack for anything any western fan could hope for. Lots of gunplay and fist fights and the triangular conflict of cattlemen, townspeople, and homesteaders. And it has a scene stealing performance by Edgar Buchanan as the county sheriff who becomes a hero in spite of his less than honorable ways.

At the time that Abilene Town came out, Abilene, Kansas had one of the most famous people in the world calling it his home town. I don't know how they did it because Howard Hughes didn't own RKO yet, but for the premier of the film in Abilene, Kansas, General Dwight D. Eisenhower showed up himself with Randolph Scott and some of the rest of the cast. A red letter day in the history of RKO studios. To be fair Ike never missed an opportunity to be a booster for the place he grew up in.

Hey if the architect of D-Day gave his seal of approval to this film, how could any of you go wrong in seeing it?

Edwin L. Marin had a very varied directorial career. His first film was the excellent "movie" crime drama "The Death Kiss" (1932), he then directed "A Study in Scarlet" (1933). From "Sequoia" (1934) to "Listen Darling" (1938) there wasn't a genre he didn't tackle. He also directed some memorable westerns including "Abilene Town" . It stars reliable Randolph Scott as Deputy Marshall Dan Mitchell and beautiful Ann Dvorak.

Ann makes a great entrance putting her musical talents to good use. She plays Rita, the dance hall songbird who sings "I Love it Out Here in the West". She also sings "All You Gotta Do" and "Everytime I Give My Heart" during the film. She runs foul of town Marshall Dan Mitchell for singing and carousing on a Sunday (firearms have to be checked in on entering the town).

There is bad blood between the homesteaders and the cattlemen. The homesteaders have come to settle the land but the cattlemen want them out - they want the land for their cattle. Mitchell thinks the home- steaders will be there long after the ranchers are gone. After the farmers settlement is burned war is declared but the cattlemen are not the only ones with an interest in keeping the farmers out. The dance hall is secretly on the cattlemen's side but the general store does some mathematics and realise that keeping the homesteaders happy will be very good for business. Hostilities come to a head when Sherry (Rhonda Fleming in a thankless part) sells barbed wire to a very young Lloyd Bridges as Henry. He is one of the young farmers and after Sherry has a vocal showdown with Mitchell, the way is paved for Sherry and Henry to form a romantic pair. Mitchell, of course has had eyes only for Rita from the start. Edgar Buchanan plays the dithering Sheriff "Bravo" Trimble.

Recommended.

There's a good Western buried somewhere in this meandering screenplay. Someone in production apparently decided it was not a movie for the audience to take seriously. Thus, Edgar Buchanan's county sheriff provides more than just comedy relief, coming perilously close to acting the buffoon. Ann Dvorak's dance hall entertainer shows spunk, but the overproduced musical numbers are obviously there to build up her star billing. Between the comedy, the music and the romance, not a lot is left for plot development.

And that's too bad, because the clash between Texas trail herders, and newly arriving homesteaders is nicely set up. Naturally the two sides are in conflict over land use; however, the focus here is on the commercial effect each side has on the town's prosperity. On one hand, the cowboys keep the saloons and bordellos busy (this latter, of course, is just hinted at), but they also shoot up the town and bring little business to the merchants. On the other hand, homesteaders offer the prospect of steady trade with the merchants and are peaceable, but they don't patronize the saloons or carouse in the bordellos. Thus the town's business interests split into two competing factions based on commercial self-interest.

Now, this amounts to an interesting approach to the usual farmer vs. rancher conflict and provides a lot of plot potential. But this potential goes largely unrealized because of digressions with Buchanan, the unnecessary Scott-Fleming romance, and the overlong musical numbers. Note, as an indicator of the poorly disciplined script, its treatment of tallying up the potential profit numbers. Merchants are shown switching sides once the profit margins favoring homesteaders are calculated. But the script can't resist continuing this with a brief comedic follow-up which turns a serious and revealing point into an unnecessary laugh line. In a matinée Western, this might be forgivable, but Abilene Town is not a cheap production-- note all the extras in the crowd scenes.

Anyway, Scott makes a very believable town marshal, ditto Dvorak as a musical performer, but glamorous Fleming looks out of place in the unglamorous role of a merchant's daughter. As a virile homesteader, Lloyd Bridges really shows more energy and ability than the part calls for and is obviously on his way to a bigger career. And when Scott says at the end something like-- This is the way towns change-- after facing down the cowboys, I expect he was uttering a genuine frontier truth. Even then, towns went where the money is. Nonetheless, the movie wastes a lot of that kind of potential, but may still please those who like to mix comedy, music, dance, and romance into their shoot-em-up's.

A righteous sheriff finds himself in the pinch when there is hostility against homesteaders. He urges his fellow villagers to choose sides and to help him end the conflict.

Decent old-school western. Every cliché is there: from the fierce shootouts to the merry can-can dancers; from the stubborn but righteous sheriff to the crooks stirring up things in town. It's not as harsh as we're used to since Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinah and the boundary between right and wrong is pretty clear from the start. But I liked it as a fan of the western. It's not a classic in any way, but still a decent flick to see if you like the genre.

Uncompromising town Marshall Randolph Scott attempts to get to the bottom of a terror campaign against peaceful homesteaders who've settled on government land used by cattlemen in the plains around Abiline, Kansas.

Scott gives an appropriately stern performance in this low-budget independent production, but this just isn't as good as his color studio westerns he made in the following decade.

The script is intelligent but a bit too talky, failing to ignite any real fireworks until near the end.

Cowardly Sheriff Edger Buchanan and Lloyd Bridges as a heroic farmer give adequate support, but villainous Jack Lambert is a real standout.

Ann Dvorak's incredibly leggy costumes are a real treat.

Five years after the US Civil War, western folk are more concerned with the age old war between homesteaders and cattle ranchers. The cattlemen herd their wares, from Texas to the trail town of Abilene, Kansas. There, the cowboys find not only big money, but also big confrontation, with homesteaders. Tall in the saddle Marshal Randolph Scott (as Dan Mitchell) tries to keep peace in the town. Mr. Scott has experience mediating between trail hands and saloon patrons. He also juggles the town's finest looking women: sexy saloon singer Ann Dvorak (as Rita) and pretty church lady Rhonda Fleming (as Sherry). Boozy county Sheriff Edgar Buchanan (as Bravo Trimble) offers more comic relief than sharp-shooting assistance.

"Abilene Town" begins with some promising symbolism and contrast: gunshots interrupt Scott and Ms. Fleming singing a hymn in Church; then, the camera switches to Ms. Dvorak sexily singing her saloon number, which causes a man to fire his gun in pleasure. After that, it really becomes quite a standard western; it is somehow duller than it should be, but not quite awful. Young Lloyd Bridges appears as one of the homesteaders. Dvorak's leggy costume is the film's greatest asset; in it, she is a real mover.

**** Abilene Town (1/11/46) Edwin L. Marin ~ Randolph Scott, Ann Dvorak, Edgar Buchanan

Five years after the end of the Civil War the town of Abilene, Kansas serves as the end of the trail for the cattle drives from Texas and is dependent upon them for their economic well-being. However, times are changing and farmers are moving in from the East to start new lives in this area. Randolph Scott, as the town marshal named "Dan Mitchell" realizes that the cattlemen and the farmers cannot mutually coexist and trouble is about to start. He also has another problem (which most men would envy) which is that two beautiful women are in love with him. The first is a saloon dancer by the name of "Rita" (Ann Dvorek) and the other is the daughter of one of the town merchants named "Sherry Balder" (Rhonda Fleming). Neither wants him to risk his life by getting involved in the violence that is likely to occur. At any rate, rather than divulging what happens next I will just say that this is a fairly good western which manages to entertain for the most part. Now, normally I don't mind a film in black and white, but there was a reason Rhonda Fleming was nicknamed "the Queen of Cinemascope" and although she still looked great, black and white just doesn't do her any justice. But that's just my opinion.

In the years following the Civil War, the town of Abilene, Kansas is poised on the brink of an explosive confrontation.

A line has been drawn down the center of the town where the homesteaders and the cattlemen have come to a very uneasy truce.

The delicate peace is inadvertently shattered when a group of new homesteaders lay down their stakes on the cattlemen's side of town.

They upset the delicate balance that had existed thus far and spark an all-out war between the farmers, who want the land tamed and property lines drawn, and the cowboys, who want the prairies to be open for their cattle to roam.

Watchable despite the poor print and that Lloyd bridges was better under the water than on a horse.

Excellent, under-appreciated movie, which I suspect fell into public domain because only cheap copies from original prints seem to be available. Randolph Scott is rock solid in the unassuming characterization of a modest but moral man acting as a moderating influence between three distinct groups, the cattlemen, the homesteaders and the tradesmen in a frontier town. Each have their own agendas, and the most alluring enticement for Scott on the bad side of town is the brassy but captivating dance hall singer, Ann Dvorak, in one of the best performances of her career, who is so fresh and sexy in her several numbers that I can well believe a whole roomful of cowboys would just sit there, stone silent with their mouths open, staring at her as she dances and flirts through her songs. I don't know if her voice was her own or dubbed, but she could sure deliver those lyrics!

There's not a dull or extraneous scene in the movie, with many well cast characters, fistfights, gunfights, a cattle stampede, romance, comedy and first-rate film noir lighting and dialogue for those who care. And besides all that, I didn't notice until about the third time I'd watched it, Scott's horse follows him around when he's on foot like a pet dog. Very subtle, never made a focus of attention by the director, one of the old-timers who had the sense to let audiences find their own points of interest. I think it's a classic.

"Abilene Town" is a good ol' 1946 Western with Randolph Scott, Ann Dvorak, Edgar Buchanan, Rhonda Fleming, and Lloyd Bridges. The movie is supposedly based on the novel "Trail Town" by Ernest Haycox. I enjoyed the movie, but about all it has to do with the novel is that the names of some of the characters and their occupations are the same as in the book, which is too bad. Haycox's novel is much more complex and would make an excellent film, if someone were actually to produce it as written.

this western/musical/comedy is not one of the best of the genre i have seen.i found it much too slow.it just plodded along to the inevitable end.i also found it disjointed.i couldn't wait for it to be over.Randolph Scott is the headliner here,and Lloyd Bridges also stars.but for my money money Edgar Buchanan is the best of the bunch.Buchanan appeared in many westerns in his day,many times providing comic relief,as he does in this picture.i also liked Ann Dvorak as Rita.otherwise,though,i can't think of much to recommend this movie.the movie is based on a novel by Ernest Haycock,who also wrote the novel Stagecoach,which was mad into a movie of the same name in 1939,and remade in 1966 and again in 1986.The 1939 version of Stagecoach,is in my mind,one of the best movies ever made.anyway.as for Abilene town,my vote is a 3/10

Randolph Scott (1898-1987) plays the Marshall Dan Mitchell who tries to keep things peaceful in town.Edgar Buchanan (1903-1979) plays the sheriff Bravo Trimble who rather gambles than shoots. Lloyd Bridges (1913-1998) can be seen as Henry Dreiser.And sure there are also some pretty ladies involved.Abilene Town from 1946 is a nice old western with great actors.There are some brilliant scenes in the movie.I recommend Abilene Town for all of you who like old black and white western movies.Or if you just don't have anything better to do.

It's 1870 in the town of Abilene, Kansas. Rowdy cattlemen have arrived and Marshall Dan Mitchell (Randolph Scott) has a difficult job keeping the peace. Rita is the dance hall girl with a heart of gold. Cowboy Ryker vows to tear the town apart. Ed Balder is the store owner who wants Mitchell to compromise. Ed's daughter Sherry supports the Marshall. Sheriff Bravo Trimble who is responsible for the county is unwilling to do much. The arrival of new homesteaders led by Henry Deiser (Lloyd Bridges) only adds to the troubles.

This is an old fashion western that has every bit of traditional western clichés. Ranolph Scott is the king of the westerns and is a rock in the movie. There isn't anything especially original but it all works. All that is missing are the Indians.

Randolph Scott was an amazing guy. His Westerns, though relatively modest in budget, were some of the very best and most consistent ever made. For the life of me, I can't think of another actor who made so many exceptional films in this genre and whenever I know a Scott film is coming on television, I try to see it. They are the essence of classy and intelligent entertainment. With this in mind, though, I was disappointed by ABILENE TOWN. Now this isn't to say that it was a bad Western--heck, it was a bit better than average. But for a Randolph Scott film that means it's sub-par.

The biggest problem with the film is that the film begins with Scott playing a very wimpy and relatively ineffective sheriff, Dan Mitchell. It isn't that he's a wimp, but he's 100% bought and paid for by men who only want him to keep order--not enforce the law unless it is absolutely unavoidable. This is because many of the hell-raisers who come to this town are cattlemen and the business owners want their business--at almost any cost. This is a very wussy sort of role for Scott, though it's not nearly as unlikable (but funny) as the role played by Edgar Buchanan, who is the Marshall of the territory. Buchanan is the laziest and least effective lawman I have ever seen in a Western. Unlike Scott, who generally is passive when the businessmen demand it, Buchanan is a coward through and through.

Another problem for Scott's character is the nasty singer in the local bar. She seems like a real.., well IMDb won't let me use words like this, but she's just horrid. Whenever Scott is about, she kicks him hard in the shins and voices her contempt for the law. He never arrests her and I guess this supposed to be funny...which it isn't. What's worse is that although a nice lady in town loves Scott (and he's quite a hottie as well), by the end of the film Scott and this surly "lady" are together! This is just stupid and makes Scott seem even more wussified.

Fortunately, the plot, though familiar, is pretty good and is a pretty typical battle between cattle men and farmers. Look for Lloyd Bridges are a particularly scrappy farmer.

1st watched 10/20/2000 - 5 out of 10 (Dir-Edwin L. Mitrin): Flat, typical western with unemotional Scott trying to play the hardcore part of marshall. Silly sheriff played by Edgar Buchanon is the best part.

Being more familiar with Scott's 1950s westerns, I realised I hadn't seen this one. 'Ablaze with guns, guts and glory!' spouts the blurb, and certainly at least two of those apply. It's the old cattlemen v homesteaders routine again with the town of Abilene in the middle, or in the way. The main street has businesses on one side and saloons and gambling joints on the other. The shopkeepers despise the saloons, but welcome the income that they pick up from the visiting cowboys. The arrival of more and more homesteaders puts this arrangement in jeopardy. Town marshal Dan Mitchell (Scott) has to tread an uncompromising line in order to keep the peace. These movies usually portray the cattlemen as bullies, and this one is no exception. Trail boss Ryker rides rough-shod (literally) through the farmers' lands and starts to tear the town apart. However, the townsfolk and homesteaders eventually come together and in solidarity force the rowdy element out to make a new start for Abilene. The movie also provides a couple of romantic subplots. The marshal is sweet on store owner's daughter Sherry (Rhonda Fleming,) but is more attracted to saloon entertainer Rita (Ann Dvorak). Feminists will take offence at Mitchell's stated desire to get Rita into a bonnet and apron. Perhaps less at farmer Lloyd Bridges request to Sherry to join him as his wife in making the country a better place. On an irksome note, there are too many songs by Rita. Dvorak seems to be an average singer and she wears a rather daring outfit, cut high on the thigh. Unfortunately she doesn't have the legs for it, and neither do the chorus girls. (For legs, see Jane Russell in Son of Paleface!). In lighter tone we have a comic turn from the ever present Edgar Buchanan as county sheriff Bravo Trimble, whose method of dealing with criminals us simply to avoid them! An old fashioned horse opera.

What Edge there is in this Mid-1940's Western is Constantly being Smoothed Over with Comedy and Music.

Randolph Scott mostly Stays in Stoic Hard-Boiled Mode but the Rest of the Movie is Dancing All Over the Town with Songs, Sentiment, and Comedy.

Edgar Buchanan in His Typical Drunken-Cowardly Mood is the Pits.

Ann Dvorak is Never Seen Dressed and Always Prancing around the Stage and Prancing around Off-Stage Kicking the Marshall, Shouting, and Wreaking Havoc and Complaining about Everything.

What Scott Sees in Her, who knows?

Oh those Legs!

Rhonda Fleming is the "Good Girl" who falls for the Bit-Part Lloyd Bridges, but Not Before She makes a Play for Randy, who seems Interested and then Not.

There are some Good Action Sequences with Stampeding Cattle, and Stampeding Cattle-Men Breaking Up the Town.

Randolph Scott is Involved with some Good Gun-Play and a Brutal Fight with Jack Lambert.

Overall Not-Bad but Over-Done in some Respects and that Keeps this in the Mid-Range of Mid-Forties Westerns.

Director Edwin Marin is a complete unknown to me and, after watching this mediocre B Western, I certainly hope not to see much more from him.

I like supporting actor Ed Buchanan very much but in this film his part is just too small and he keeps saying the same cowardly things, so by the end he had me successfully annoyed and wishing that a stray bullet killed his part.

Randy Scott doesn't do badly at all - in fact, he made me jealous for French-kissing the delectable Ann Dvorak (lovely legs!) Ann steals the show with more than her sparkling beauty - the scene where she breaks everything in her dressing room is spectacular and presages the saloons getting torn asunder toward the end.

As much as I tried to ignore it, I just didn't like Scott's kinda biblical quotation about the tame always winning. His tame sheriff just kills the baddie and flees the bullets. How tame is that?

The screenplay would have you believe that a town of businessmen would link up with commoners and poor people to stand up to a rowdy bunch of stampeders who thought nothing of killing a few innocents. The whole plot is resolved in such a preposterous manner that naif Llloyd Bridges even finds his match in beautiful Rhonda Fleming, who equally naively sells him 400 spools of barbed wire (no doubt Abilene beat the world to the Industrial Revolution and churned out barbed wire like there was no tomorrow, that's how the West was won!)

Laughably incredible script, lazy photography not helped by archive shots of cattle on the run. Unfortunately, some of the footage looks fake, especially the segment where the elderly homesteader and his wife are trampled inside the wooden house they were building.

Middling B pic.