Ordem a Fogo

County Sheriff Leon Ames is stuck on schoolmarm Virginia Vale, and his henchmen slug anyone who speaks to her. She decides to leave town, but the henchmen hold up the stagecoach, only to be thwarted by well-mannered George O'Brien. He's a retired lawman on his way to his new ranch, but escorts the lady back to town, then stays over to the dance, and then gets cajoled by mayor Lloyd Ingraham into becoming town Marshal.

George O'Brien's western series for RKO in the late 1930s were arguably the best of the lot, even if he hated the way his career was going. This movie with a "Gunfight at the OK Corral" feel -- there's Henry Brandon slightly miscast as the gunslinger hired to kill him, but charmed into becoming his deputy -- is a remake of 1935's THE ARIZONIAN. Leon Ames makes a fine villain, and Miss Vale reminds me a bit of Loretta Young. Harry Wild's camerawork is well up to his usual standard. Mostly, though, it's O'Brien giving a fine performance as a man who knows his job and does it intelligently that appeals to me.

Turner Classic Movies made a recent Monday morning memorable by presenting this little-known (in fact, unknown to me) gem.

First, the cast was one of the most impressive ever found in a B western, including as a bad guy the excellent Leon Ames. Mr. Ames, suave and debonair and very citified in so many films, was just about perfect as a corrupt sheriff.

His henchmen, not necessarily big names, were all huge in talent and were absolutely delightful to watch. Hmmm, "delightful" might be misleading: I don't mean they were fun, because they were, after all, bad guys, but I do mean they were such great cowboy villains that it was a real treat to see them getting an opportunity to perform in a high-class western.

George O'Brien was actually not very tall, despite a reference to that effect by the leading lady, the more than lovely Virginia Vale. But he was very manly and had a great physique, looking like a weight-lifter, and he could move gracefully and handle his fight scenes well.

In scenes where he attempted to intimidate bad guys without using his weapons, he was, therefore, very believable.

One very surprising actor, one I didn't, I blush to admit, recognize (and I used to see him at Sons of the Desert meetings when I lived in Los Angeles), was the great Henry Brandon in an unusual role.

Naturally, being Henry Brandon, he was winning and likable, and also very believable.

Western fans will love this; classic movie fans will love this; movie history buffs will love this. I know I did.

Former US Marshal Cliff Mason arrives in Mesa City and finds the town terrorised by an outlaw gang and the town's sheriff. 'You're the one man who can make this a civilised place to live in', says the pretty school-teacher. So the marshal decides to do just that..

Leon Ames is excellent as a slimy crooked sheriff who runs Mesa City with an iron fist and harasses the schoolteacher- Virginia Vale is charming and beautiful in the role - to the point that she has to leave. He's what you would call a sex pest. The sense of danger that Virginia Vale is in and her helplessness is well done. Even when she leaves town, Ames sends his cronies to bring her back. Que: George O' Brien, a seasoned Marshal, is his usual breezy self, and handles the bad guys with ease.

Marshal of Mesa City is a well-plotted and engaging western with fairly sharp dialogue and some shoot em up to keeps things brimming. The finale is quite tense with fire smoke shrouding the town and a shootout occurring.

A low budget movie about a corrupt sheriff, a pretty school marm, and a drafted marshal is a likely recipe for the routine. MOMC not only avoids the routine but also raises itself above many "A" westerns of the 40's and 50's. The four principals are all excellent and bring life to their characters. Ames is convincingly detestable as the scheming suitor who can't understand "no", all the while maintaining his private gang of hoods. Vale, the co-star of a number of O'Brien westerns, has an appealing vivacity and makes one understand why Ames is infatuated. Henry Brandon has an interesting role as Duke Allison, a gunfighter brought in to handle O'Brien. His entrance in a saloon is a standout. Another nice moment is when he "turns in" his gun to O'Brien. If you look closely, you'll see he isn't completely comfortable handling his six-shooters but this is a minor quibble and doesn't detract from his performance. George O'Brien brings an easy going confidence to his role as an ex-marshal just trying to get on with his life. He's not non-violent in the Destry mold but he doesn't seek confrontation as many "B" western marshals would. I don't know how real western marshals acted but I would expect some would act with the quiet, low key manner of O'Brien's. Much of the credit for the standout moments in this movie go to the writers including the uncredited Academy Award winning writer Dudley Nichols. The script clearly is a cut or two above most movies of this ilk. A good cast and script can only go so far, however, without a director equal to them. As Howard proves, one doesn't need a big budget when provided good ingredients and recipe. He gets the most out of the characters and makes them real people, people with personalities you believe. The climactic showdown in the smoke is an inspired scene that brings a close to this worthy movie.

This isn't the greatest western ever or even a great western. It won't replace Josey Wales in my video library and people won't be comparing it to High Noon. What it is is an excellent example of how much can be accomplished on a low budget with second tier, but not second rate, actors. It is a fine little western, better than many Randolph Scott oaters, and well worth a look.

It's a better 60-minutes than average horse opera. I like the way the plot involves dueling lawmen, one a county sheriff (Ames), the other a town marshal (O'Brien). Also, the judge and town mayor are on different sides. So it's not just good guys versus bad; it's one town faction versus another. Of course, O'Brien's faction are the good guys while Ames' are crooked as the proverbial dog's hind leg.

At first, I thought RKO might be trying to pair up Brandon (Duke) with O'Brien for a series like the Three Mesquiteers, but that's not the way things turn out. The oater's also notable for including Leon Ames who later went on to an A-movie stint with MGM and a lengthy TV career, usually as an amiable father. Though getting close to middle-age (40), O'Brien looks like one of the physically strongest of the cowboy heroes, with biceps like proverbial ham-hocks. Anyway, it's a generally well done little matinée special that manages to avoid many clichés of its type.