L'ultima sfida

With Warner Brothers having done a western entitled Dallas a year earlier with Gary Cooper it only seemed right that it produce another western with the title of that other Texas twin city, Fort Worth. Starring in this one is Randolph Scott and directing it is Edwin L. Marin who collaborated with Scott on a few other previous films. This was Marin's last film as a director. Not a noteworthy stylist, Marin nevertheless was able to do a competent and entertaining product.

Scott's in a strange occupation for him in a western, he's a newspaper editor, a partner with Emerson Treacy with Dick Jones working for them. They're picking up stakes and going to Texas and decide to settle in the city of Fort Worth which is having problems with a lawless element led by cattle trail boss Ray Teal. An old friend of Scott's, David Brian is the big mover and shaker in Fort Worth and he'd like to see a railroad come through and a meat packing plant right in the town like Chicago. That would eliminate folks like Teal and he's not about to see that happen.

Scott has an interesting character, he's become pacifistic after war service and thinks that the power of the pen will do more than the six gun. But when law and order breaks down Randy straps on the six guns like Jimmy Stewart in Destry Rides Again to restore it as surely as Stewart did in Bottleneck.

Brian though has a strange character, even after the end of the film you don't know quite what to make of him. He says he wants law and order, but tolerates an ineffectual sheriff in Chubby Johnson and allows Teal to run roughshod. Many in the cast want to know just what is his game and in the end we never really find out. Makes for an interesting piece of cinema.

Fort Worth is an interesting western with far more plot than most of these six gun shoot 'em ups have. It is one of Randolph Scott's best westerns from the Fifties, you'll become a fan of Randolph Scott after seeing Fort Worth.

Randolph Scott was such a wonderful actor that his films were always at least a notch above the rest. While this is about average for a Scott film, it's clearly head and shoulders better than a typical western. Even with the overuse of old footage from another Warner Brothers western (DODGE CITY, 1939), the film still manages to shine. Most of the old footage works just fine, though some is indeed grainier and a few times actors from the second film change hat and clothes when they switch to actors from the old film!! Pretty sloppy...but it can be overlooked.

Scott plays a tough newspaper man who moves back to his old home town of Fort Worth. The city is dying due to two men. One is an obvious bully and leader of a gang of thugs who break laws with impunity. The other, played by Film Noir favorite David Brian, is an opportunist who is buying up land right and left--at pennies on the dollar from people who are leaving the violent town in droves. While the first guy is an obvious baddie, Brian is a cypher. Scott thinks Brian is evil and a megalomaniac but again and again throughout the film Brian proves he really is interested in the town. Could Scott be wrong? And, can Scott print the truth without getting his head blown off instead?! The film does well because the plot is more original than most westerns. Also, Brian is a very good heavy--not as predictable and nasty as most. Overall, this is a must-see for Scott fans and would be enjoyable to most.

Fort Worth is a well turned out Technicolor Western that packs a full load of action, colorful dialog, robust character studies, and engaging plot twists into 80 minutes of running time. The formidable entertainment value of this unpretentious B-plus oater gets a considerable boost from the charismatic screen presence of second lead David Brian. Tall, brawny, and blond, the steely-eyed, gravel-voiced Brian dominated virtually every picture he was in, and this one is no exception. Michael Curtiz once said that Randolph Scott was the only gentleman he had ever known in the movie business. It is to be hoped that top-billed Scott was a good sport during the filming of Ft. Worth, because Brian almost completely stole the spotlight as the swaggering empire builder who is the old friend, sometimes adversary, sometimes ally of crusading newspaperman Scott. The screen seems to simply come alive every time Brian steps in front of the camera. The dynamic Brian was the perfect foil for the mild-mannered Scott, and their alternately tense, cordial interaction is the great asset of this picture.

But not the only one. A fine supporting cast is led by Ray Teal, as a smirking villain, and Phillis Thaxter, the wholesome love interest over whose affections Scott and Brian inevitably clash. Cinematography in gorgeous three-strip Technicolor by Sid Hickox, sets, and costumes all have a first rate look. John Twist's original screenplay is complex and intelligent. His colorful dialog is disarmingly amusing as his characters spout such rustic metaphors as, "You've knocked a hole in my fence all right, but you may tear your britches if you jump through it too quick!" and "Don't swing on the gate too long, or you may get a belly full of horns!" Edwin L. Marin's direction is tight and on target with nary a camera shot wasted. Marin made a career of turning out medium budget pictures, equally at home with Philo Vance mystery thrillers or Ann Sothern's light comedies. He turned to Westerns, for which he seemed to have a special touch, late in his career, beginning with John Wyane favorite Tall In The Saddle (1944). Two years later he directed Randolph Scott for the first time in the tough, "noirish" Western Abilene Town (1946), followed by a half-dozen more collaborations in the late 'forties and early fifties. Scott seemed at his best under Marin's guidance. Unfortnately Marin died suddenly in May 1951 after Fort Worth had been filmed but before its release.

For my money Fort Worth, along with Abilene Town, is one of Scott's best Westerns, fast-paced, action-packed, dramatically engaging, beautifully filmed, entertaining from beginning to end. Not a classic, but a good one from the waning days of Old Hollywood's Golden Era.

"Fort Worth" is another of those fast moving 80 minute westerns that Randolph Scott turned out in the 1950s.

Scott plays Ned Britt a newspaperman who has laid down his guns in favor of the pen. With his partner Ben Garvin (Emerson Treacy) and assistant Luther Wick (Dick Jones), he is going to San Antone to open a newspaper. Along the way, an old flame, Flora Talbot (Phyllis Thaxter) joins the wagon train. We learn that she plans to marry Britt's old pal Blair Lunsford (David Brian) in the town of Fort Worth.

Gabe Clevenger (Ray Teal) and his gang of cattle thieves hear of Britt's return. One of his thugs (Zon Murray) starts a stampede when he tries to goad Britt into a fight. In the stampede, a young boy Toby Nickerson (Pat Mitchell) is killed. Stopping off in Fort Worth, Lunsford convinces Britt to start his paper in Fort Worth as the railroad is coming and the town will prosper as a result.

Britt learns that Lunsford has been acquiring land around the town dirt cheap and suspects that he is in league with Clevenger. When Garvin is murdered by Clevenger assassin Castro (Paul Picerni), he straps on the sheriff's guns and takes out the killers.

It turns out that Lunsford is not in cahoots with Clevenger but has aspirations to become governor. Britt intends to stop him. This leads to the final showdown and..........................................

As in most of Scott's westerns, his is supported by a fine cast of veteran players. In addition to those already mentioned, the cast includes, Michael (billed as "Lawrence" here) Tolan, Bob Steele and Kermit Maynard as Clevenger hench men, Chubby Johnson as the spineless sheriff, Walter Sande as his deputy, Helena Carter as Amy Brooks, Lunsford's ex flame and Bud Osborne as what else, a stagecoach driver.

A not great but nonetheless enjoyable western.

When the Lone Star Sate was split wide open , the Civil War veteran and former newspaper man called Ned Britt (Randolph Scott) linked it together with lead . As Ned returns back to Fort Worth after the war is over and finds himself fighting an old friend , Blair Lunsford (David Brian) , who's grown ambitious . The conflict between the two men roars across the Western plains and railway . With the numerous presence of homesteaders this town called Fort Worth prospered , stabilized and grew , its lawabiding citizens decide to hire a new sheriff , Ned Britt who is also a newspaper editor . Meanwhile , Britt is distracted by girl-next-door Flora Talbott (Phyllis Thaxter) and attractive Amy Brooks (Helena Carter).

This exciting picture gets Western action , shootouts , thrills , a love story , and results to be quite entertaining . And the pace of action , tightly edited , never drops . The film is totally set in Fort Worth , Texas , which was one of the main railhead cattle towns till railway arrival . The movie has great scenarios , adequate production design and appropriate settings . However , three train scenes are taken directly from Dodge City (1939) , as the race with the horse-driven stagecoach along the tracks; the burning carriage and subsequent escape on horseback ; the triumphal arrival of the train in town, right at the end . Veteran Western star , Randolph Scott , once again proves that his roles are tough to double-cross or murder in this acceptable Western . Scott is supported by David Brian , he is ideally suited to the character of the suspicious friend who may or may not be on the side of Law and Order . Secondary cast is pretty good such as seductive Helena Carter , baddie Ray Teal , Michael Tolan , Walter Sande , Bob Steele and special mention for goodie as well as fatty Chubby Johnson as likable but coward sheriff .

Thrilling and atmospheric musical score by David Buttolph . Glamorous and glimmer cinematography in Technicolor by Sidney Hickox . This bullet-a-minute Western about bandits attempting to hold up the progress of a railroad was directed in sure visual eye by Edwin L. Marin , at his final film . As he died two months before its release . 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 town , Canadian Pacific , Cariboo trail , Fighting man of the plains) . In fact his last films were Westerns until his early death at 52 . Rating : 6.5/10 , a nice feature horse-opera in every respect .