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With lesser performers and a less-capable director, probably this would have been a lesser movie.

But with the terribly under-rated Audie Murphy, the veteran and versatile character actor Chill Wills, the lovely Lori Nelson, and the later-in-his-life-wildly-popular Lee Van Cleef, among many others, "Tumbleweed" earns high praise.

Oh, and the title character himself? No credit is given for the superlative horse actor. Which is a shame, especially considering how many movies have the performing horse's name above the title, even when he doesn't show as much talent as this one.

This story is involved, although I figured out the bad guy early on. Still, even if you know pretty quickly, you will be on edge wondering how he finally gets caught and, more important, how the hero manages to clear his name -- IF either ever happens.

"Tumbleweed" is a movie I never had heard of before seeing it at YouTube on 13 April 2016.

That print is out of sync for much of the presentation, and another print is too dark to watch.

Still, never mind: It's a good movie. I recommend it.

Celebrated War Hero Audie Murphy followed His WWII Exploits with an Underrated Movie Career (mostly Westerns) with usually Above Average Films.

For some Reason Murph's Movies were Ignored, Dismissed and Not Regarded much by Critics, but Not so with the Public.

The 1950s Unleashed an Enormous amount of Westerns on the Big and Little Screen.

He Soldiered through these Stories Never giving a Bad Performance. He once said..."Acting was a battle I didn't win".

But Modesty aside, He was and Still is a Screen Star and His Professionalism and Boyish Appeal is Resonant, even Today.

This one has Plenty of Action and Charm. He shares the Star Power with the Titular Horse who Captivates and Sides the Action with Abilities Far Beyond the Normal.

Other Humans who Impress are Chill Wills who gives an Atypical No-Comedy-Relief Role a Certain Down-Home Rendition of the Sheriff. Lee Van Cleef in Yet another Edgy Good-Bad Guy Character also makes His Presence Known.

Lori Nelson is a Beauty who Looks Great in Technicolor but Doesn't have Much to do Except be Beautiful and Stand By Her Man.

Overall an Above Average Western with Wide Open Spaces, a Goodly Amount of Gun-Play and the Indians are Given a Fair Shake.

It's Stunningly Attractive in all the Glory that is the Hollywood Hey-Day of the Western, and Audie Murphy and All Involved can be Proud.

An Audie Murphy Western from 1953. Murphy is an escort shuttling a family to a town when their party is besieged by a band of Yaqui Indians. Fending off the first wave of attack, Murphy fears a larger force is on the horizon so he decides to intercede hoping him having saved the chief's son (seen in the film's opening) will spare his party further harm. Not believing him, the chief leaves Murphy pegged to the ground only to be saved by the chief's wife but when he finally arrives at his destination, the survivors of the massacre accuse him of abandonment which prompts the sheriff (played by western stalwart Chill Wills) to jail him for his own safety. Soon enough Murphy is sprung from the hoosegow by the chief's son who tells him the initial attack was set up by someone which spurs Murphy to find the person who wronged him before the ensuing posse catches up to him. A little busier than Murphy's usual fare but his steadfastness & determination makes you root for him even when the odds aren't so good. Russell Johnson & Lee Van Cleef also appear in supporting roles.

I feel the Summary misses the real point. True Jim Harvey has to right a wrong against him, but when making his getaway he is given what he thinks is a broken down nag. Tumbleweed turns out to be anything but broken down. The horse steals the movie and saves the hero over and over. It really seemed the plot of the movie was there just to show off the ability of Tumbleweed. As Nick Buckley tells him "I told you it was the best horse I have". I hope to get a copy of this movie just to show it to my grand kids so they can see a great example of not judging someone just by looks.

The best horse in a movie next to Trigger.

In Tumbleweed Audie Murphy plays a young scout of a wagon train which is massacred leaving only Audie and two women, K.T. Stevens and Lori Nelson as survivors. The women hid in a cave, but Audie had gone out to parley with the Yaquis and they held him instead.

When Murphy gets back to the white settlement he's a most unpopular man. His only chance at regaining popularity and keeping his right to walk and breathe permanently is to find which white man gave the location of the train to the Yaquis for his own venal purposes.

Tumbleweed is also the name of a horse that Audie gets from sympathetic rancher Roy Roberts for his flight. The horse kind of marches to his own beat, but his brand of horse sense proves invaluable to Murphy.

There's a nice climax of an Indian fight with the Yaquis before the dying chief Ralph Moody reveals all. All in all a good western with Audie Murphy giving a good characterization of a wrongly accused man.