La meticcia di Sacramento

THE MAN BEHIND THE GUN (listed as 1952 in Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide) is a Warner Bros. western starring Randolph Scott and set in Los Angeles, California in the early 1850s. The script is okay, the pace is fast and it has a large, colorful cast. There are a number of interesting elements in it that are worth noting. The Southern California setting enables the script to name-check landmarks in the area: San Pedro, Santa Monica and the LaBrea Tar Pits—which two characters visit at one point. (No sightings of woolly mammoths, though.) They even mention San Luis Obispo, which is further up the coast. The plot involves manipulation of the water supply to L.A. with a corrupt politician trying to take control of it. As such, it looks forward to Roman Polanski's CHINATOWN (1974), 22 years later. There's even a direct casting connection. The actor who plays a California senator here, Roy Roberts, plays L.A.'s mayor in CHINATOWN.

There are two significant Latino characters. One is female nightclub owner Chona Degnon, played by singer Lina Romay. She's the film's resident femme fatale and she tries to recruit Scott to help out with her gun-running sideline. She sings a couple of numbers, too. Some of you may remember her from her delightful live-action cameo in Tex Avery's cartoon, "Señor Droopy" (1950). The other Latino character is famed California bandit and folk hero Joaquin Murietta, well played by Robert Cabal, an actor I'm otherwise unfamiliar with. Other movies have been made about Murietta, including the TV movie, "Desperate Mission" (1971), starring Ricardo Montalban. Murietta is seen here on the cusp of his outlaw career and he becomes an ally of the hero. He's quite handy with both guns and knives and kills seven opponents, often quite casually.

The cast includes Patrice Wymore (looking quite beautiful) as the fiancée of a military officer (Philip Carey) assigned to work with Scott. She soon finds herself falling for Scott, an undercover officer sent by Washington to put down a planned secessionist revolt. Wymore and Romay have a pretty convincing catfight at one point. Dick Wesson and Alan Hale Jr. (taking up where his dad, a longtime Warners contract player, left off) play ex-soldiers who'd served with Scott in the Mexican War and who act as his reluctant sidekicks here. They provide much of the (forced) comic relief. Dependable heavy Morris Ankrum has too small a part as a die-hard secessionist. Other dependable heavies in the cast include Douglas Fowley and Anthony Caruso.

It's all mostly shot on studio sets, with location work saved for the action finale—a spectacular raid on the water pirates' camp. In a few sequences, the film uses stock footage culled from an earlier Warner Technicolor western. IMDb says it was SAN ANTONIO (1945). I'm more inclined to say it was DODGE CITY (1939)—and it's quite possible that the footage used in SAN ANTONIO was indeed taken from DODGE CITY as well. If anyone wants to watch all three of these films back-to-back just to get this straight, be my guest.

This isn't the best Randolph Scott western I've ever seen, but it's certainly above average for him.

All the things that made the Scott movies the most agreeable matine fare are present - an opening shoot out in foggy San Francisco streets, a stage hold up, historical plotting about stealing the L.A. water supply (well before CHINATOWN), false identity, opening an empty grave and hard riding and shoot outs in the great out of doors. On top of that it's delivered in Technicolor by some of Warners' most assured technicians, complete with stock shots from the Flynn movies and snatches of earlier Warner scores.

The reason it's so mechanical must be the routine direction of Felix Feist who fades away as Scott takes on sure hands Andre de Toth and Budd Boetticher as directors. The scene with Lina Ronay against the studio sky is particularly lack lustre. Randy grins his way through events and is doubled in the final river punch out while villain Roy Roberts does his own stunts - like I mean - really!

It is good action entertainment for those who like their westerns action filled. An Easy-Going Gent with Deadly Guns...and a Reputation to Match! This undemanding western in which a counterespionage agent attempts to discover who's behind a Southern conspiracy , as it is plenty of suspense as the dreaded final attack . This exciting picture tells the story of an upright officer , Randolph Scott , who gives a perfect acting in his usual stoic style . A nice Western with frantic action , intrigues , thrills , fights , crossfire , suspense , wonderful outdoors , all of them keep things lively . Here Randolph Scott goes undercover to find a ring of treacherous rebels who are working in cahoots with the Confederacy and posing as a schoolteacher . As undercover government agent Ransome Callicut (Randolph Scott) arrives in 1850's South California . As he gradually gains trust the townsfolks to uncover their plans and reveal the dark objectives ; then he discovers a hidden cache of rifles . Aided by his underlings : Monk Walker (Dick Wesson) and Olaf Swenson (Alan Hale Jr) he fights political assassination and other adventures to unmask the ringleader of the plot and keep the Golden State in the Union . Along the way , he falls in love for a gorgeous woman , Lora Roberts (Patrice Wymore), who is already engaged with a cavalry officer , Capt. Roy Giles (Philip Carey) .

Well made film, though not outstanding , I loved the scenery and the cinematography by expert director of photography Bert Glennon is beautiful. It also has strong direction, a charming music score from David Buttolph that compliments the film perfectly, an attractive story with an interesting structure and themes and sharp dialogue. However, while it is not an exceptional movie it is a very acceptable and enjoyable one, and I also think overrrated . Not that it's a bad film, but a fairly routine western which even kind of gives away who the inside man is way too early in the film. This agreeable tale is almost rudimentary though a few clichés , containing an interesting as well as stirring screenplay by John Twist , based on a story by Robert Buckner . Being breathtakingly photographed in Technicolor ; In addition , good pacing is also at hand, and the cast are great . Randolph Scott has done better work perhaps, but still gives an engaging performance. Randolph Scott gives a decent acting in his usual style as the undercover army officer to gather intelligence about an insurrectionist plot to have the southern part of the state secede to become a slave state , subsequently revealing his true identity and assuming command of the local army post. Nice supporting actors largely hang around waiting for something to do , and with plenty of familiar faces , such as : Dick Wesson , Philip Carey , Lina Romay , Roy Roberts , Alan Hale Jr , Morris Ankrum , Douglas Fowley , Katherine Warren and Anthony Caruso.

Furthermore , a moving and rousing musical score by the classical composer David Buttolph . As well as glimmering and shimmering photography by Bert Glennon , shot in studios and exteriors from Bell Ranch, Santa Susana, California . This thrilling chronicle of espionage and counter-espionage during the American Civil War was decently directed by Felix F. Feist . It is a typical Western professionally directed with lavish production design and enough budget . At his beginning Felix Feist entered the Hollywood film industry, obtaining work as a writer, and producer , before finally becoming a director , filmmaking several Shorts and documentary . His first feature films were : All by Myself and You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith . After that , he made a lot of films of all kinds of genres , getting hits and flops ; such as : ¨Deluge¨, ¨George White's scandals¨, ¨The Winner's Circle¨ , ¨The reckless age¨, ¨The devil thumbs a ride¨, ¨The Golden Gloves Story¨, ¨The threat¨, ¨Guilty of treason¨ , ¨The Basketball Fix ¨, ¨Tomorrow is another day¨, ¨The Man Who Cheated Himself¨. And his two greatest successes : ¨Big trees¨and ¨Donovan's brain¨.

Supposed killer and Army deserter Randolph Scott heads to Los Angeles sometime before the Civil War. Posing as a schoolteacher who can't shoot straight, he gets knee-deep in some intrigue involving a group of separatists, the assassination of a US senator, and their attempts to split California into free and slave states.

Costumes and sets are lavish and there's lots of great old-California atmosphere. However, The Man Behind The Gun is disappointingly routine. It's really too bad, because this is really one handsome production!

The actors are game and some of their characters are quite colorful. The filmmakers should have pumped a little more action and suspense into the script, or trimmed the final product to about an hour.

Randy is an army deserter (or is he?--not terribly original plot point but workable)involved with separatist gun runners out to control the water supply & thereby the whole of Southern California. The exact time frame is uncertain: after the Mexican War & before California became a state, General Zachary Taylor is mentioned (his picture hangs in Phil Carey's office) in the present tense but not his being president--so who knows & who cares. This isn't a history lesson; it's a Randolph Scott western where everybody carries a six-gun (even if at that time--most did not) and the Cavalry are wearing the completely wrong uniforms. Anyway, the first half sets up a decent premise and is pretty entertaining but once a certain cat is out of the bag so to speak it devolves into a very standard a rather dull outing for Randy. Patricia Wymore is very attractive & a decent actress. Phil Carey, Roy Roberts, Alan Hale, Jr., Douglas Fowley, Morris Ankrum and Anthony Caruso lend good support but the less said about Dick Wesson's more or less comedy relief role, the better. The script by John Twist has giant plot holes & is very clunky and Felix Feist's direction is alternately pedestrian and sloppy. Oh well, the Techincolor is quite nice. All I really ask from a Randy Scott western is to be entertained, this one only got me halfway there.