Rua dos Conflitos

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.

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 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.

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.

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.