Duello a Bitter Ridge

I am awarding this film 6/10 i.e. Somewhat above average. The first detail to catch my eye was the direction by Jack Arnold, far better known for his sci-fi exploits.

BITTER RIDGE posts some good sequences, a strong cast with Barker, McNally (one of my favorite supporting actors in Westerns), Dehner in fine form, generally effective cinematography and editing by Russell Metty and Milton Carruth, respectively - all that helps, even if some of the stunts are distinctly second rate.

Add to that the exceedingly beautiful Mara Corday, who any man would find tough not to love at first sight, as Barker confesses - and you know you won't be wasting your precious time with BITTER RIDGE.

Credible antagonisms among the male leads definitely help, even if the best scenes in the film involve the growing emotional ties between Barker and Corday.

The single major flaws reside in the repetitive script. BITTER RIDGE would have benefitted from 10-15 minutes less. At any rate, I enjoyed it.

Tense , amazing and suspenseful Western with a simple , standard story that engages the viewer until the last scene . In Tomahawk, the crooked Jackman brothers control the town, Sheriff Dunham (Trevor Bardette) is up for re-election, and the sheep growers are banned in town . A drifter called Jeff Carr (Lex Barker) arrives in Tomahawk and investigates stagecoach assaults and he attempts to catch the gang that regularly robs the stages . Along the way he is caught in the middle of a violent range war between cattlemen and sheep-men . Meanwhile, the sheep-men are harassed by their contenders led by a nasty land baron , Jackman (John Dehner) , and his brothers Linc Jackman (Warren Stevens) and Clem Jackman (Myron Healey) . Then , Carr helps Alec Black (Stephen McNally) suspected by the local population , although he is in love with the same woman as him, Holly (Mara Corday) . Flaming days of the Great Mountain Wars! The West's Last Lawless Years! ; the great mountain wars blaze with all their violence! The Roar Of Dynamite! The Thunder Of Stampede!

Entertaining Western including action , thrills , fights , shot'em up and a peculiar love story among Lex Barker , Mara Corday and Stephen McNally . And including a stirring final stand-off that results to be thrilling , charged and riveting .The story is plain and simple , a strong confrontation with a intrigue behind , including ordinary confrontation between Sheepmen and and cattlemen and our hero will manage to arrest the real culprits but not before the latter try to compromise him down . An agreeable and slight tale , almost rudimentary , though full of cliches , as the script lines too often settle for crude routine and paced in fits and starts ; however , packing some surprises . Bursting with appealing , charming characters, including decent filmmaking and interpretation .There is a strong feud between settlers and cattlemen all around the movie and our two-fisted private, undercover investigator has to contend with both , farmers and cattlemen . Pretty good and pleasant traditional Western with professional direction and flawlessly acted by Lex Barker , but all the action comes from Stephen McNally who did such yeoman service in countless Universal Pictures Westerns and , in addition , John Dehner as a nasty , powerful owner who steals the show as a treacherous villain . This ¨The man from bitter ridge¨ not the best Western ever,...but pretty darn close . The narration is perfectly adjusted , from the beginning , until the final showdown and being approximately developed in appropriate runtime : 80 min . Lex Barker gives an acceptable acting as a mysterious investigator who attempts to discover who has been holding up the local stagecoach and is guilty for a series of killings that terrorize the town . Lex Barker had a long career and his starts in brief roles .Though later signed by Fox and then Warner, he was too tall for supporting parts and too unknown for leads. Tarzán's magic fountain (1949) (RKO) provided his first starring role. After five Tarzans he went into other adventure films. After 16 non-Tarzan films, mostly westerns, Barker made only five Tarzan films, but he remains one of the actors best known for the role. His stardom as Tarzan led him to a variety of heroic roles in other films, primarily Westerns, and one interesting and quite non-heroic part in a World War II film, Away All Boats (1956). He went to Europe in 1957 , as he spoke various languages . He went on to make more than 50 more films all over the world: Brazil, Germany, Spain, Yugoslavia, Italy, Lebanon, France. In Italy he also had a short but compelling role as Anita Ekberg's fiancé, and in Federico Fellini's La dolce vita .He became very popular in Germany because of his role as "Old Shatterhand," "Kara Ben Nemsi," and "Dr. Karl Sternau" in the movies based on books written by Karl May .

Being colorfully photographed in Spectacular in Eastman color . This well-edited motion picture is compellingly directed by Jack Arnold in his best foray into the Western genre. He reigns supreme as one of the greatest filmmakers of 50s science , achieving an important cult popularity with classics as ¨The Incredible Shrinking Man¨, "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," and its follow-up titled "Revenge of the Creature" that was a nice sequel . "Tarantula" was likewise a lot of amusement . This "The Incredible Shrinking Man" attained his greatest enduring cult popularity , it's a thought-provoking and impressive classic that's lost none of its power throughout the years . Arnold's final two genre entries were the interesting "Monster on the Campus" and the outlandish "The Space Children¨ . Rating : 6/10 . Decent and acceptable Western . Well catching for Westen buffs .

Express company agent Lex Barker and sheepman Stephen McNally are reluctant allies and rivals for the hand of Mara Corday. Allies they have to be against three brothers John Dehner, Myron Healey, and Warren Stevens who not only are responsible for a whole lot of crimes, but Dehner is an ambitious man. He's embarked on a political career that has him running against local sheriff Trevor Bardette. A lot of what they're robbing is for his campaign expenditures, not for this, but because Dehner wants to be governor. Can't say he's not ambitious. Dehner's the brains and Healey and Stevens are the muscle end of the organization.

It's your average shoot 'em up western with an interesting political twist to the proceedings. The climax involves a shootout where the whole town seems to be involved. It's putting a real crimp into the scheduled election for sheriff.

Western fans should like this.

We already had many western movies where have a clash between Cattlemen and Sheep-farmers, what's hell its happened on old west I had a slight hint, the sheep harming the grassland, however they coming together in this picture starred by the personable and spotlessly well-dressed Lex Barker as Jeff Car after a long rider his horse is stolen by a gang member (Ray Teal) afterwards almost hanged by keen chasers, actually he has been accused to make part of a stagecoach's assault hours ago, witnessed at hill by the eye candy Mara Corday as Holly Kenton also on charming and clean outfits side by side her applicant Alec Black (Stephen McNally), they are sheep-farmers, when Jeff arrives at Tomahawk city the townsfolk wants a hanging, meanwhile Jeff has a robust alibi and introduces himself as owner stagecoach line's nephew and is there as research work to solve the recurrent robberies which ravage the enterprise, at dark alley Jeff was taken aback by the man with red branded boots, among the fray Cattlemen against Sheep men Jeff meets his most lethal enemy the Ranse Jackman (John Dehner) and his eager brothers, the Sheriff election will be in two days, Rance already spreading all around that all stagecoach's assault were done by the Sheep farmers, he is running for the charge to banish at once their contenders, meantime Jeff and Alec compete for Holly's love, guess will win? Well a standard B western, predicable although highly enjoyable directed by craftsman Jack Arnold!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2013 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7

The Man from Bitter Ridge is directed by Jack Arnold and collectively written by Lawrence Roman, Teddi Sherman and William MacLeod Raine. Cinematography is by Russell Metty. It stars Lex Barker, Mara Corday, Stephen McNally and John Dehner.

Jeff Carr (Barker) is a special investigator who arrives in Tomahawk to seek out who has been holding up the local stagecoach with murderous intent.

It's your standard rank and file "B" Oater of the 1950s, but one of worth to the discerning duster fanatic. Beautifully photographed by Metty out of Conejo Valley and Skeleton Canyon - in Eastman Color (check out those blues) - the pic never lacks for action (dynamite play, shoot-ups, rounds of knuckles) and mysterious political intrigue.

Characterisations are boosted by the presence of McNally and Dehner (as usual), and Corday is socko beautiful enough to off-set what is - and was - often a standard Western female role. There's some neat touches in the screenplay, such as a black sheep metaphor, the fact our hero quite often is easily disarmed! And some good old false imprisonment.

It doesn't shake your boots off but it does ruffle them regardless. Good fun. 6.5/10