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When the film begins, a group of prisoners have escaped in the Sierra Nevadas. Most were soon caught but there are six unaccounted for...and headed towards a very, very small town. To make things worse for the folks in this minuscule town, all the men are gone...leaving everything to the women. While the women do initially get the jump on the prisoners, they cannot let them freeze to death or starve so they take them in...but keep them under close observation. There are some obvious problems...when they are healthier, this group of sociopaths are a serious risk to rape, steal or do other mayhem. Also, one of the men (Glenn Ford) is in this small town for a reason...one of the men from the town set him up to go to prison and he wants revenge. But he also is a decent man...and might be the only thing between the women and these sickos.

In some ways this film reminds me of the Gregory Peck film "Yellow Sky"....which is about a gang of thugs who harass an old man and his daughter. But this one has quite a few differences and is very good in its own right. Unusual and well worth seeing...and based, at least in part, on real events. How much was fiction and how much wasn't, I have no idea.

In "The Secret of Convict Lake" danger looms in the winter of the 1870's when escaped prisoners hide out at a colony consisting mostly of women. There's enough drama to hold your interest as the ladies unleash some of their own frustrations as they contend with some slimey characters. Of course the "secret" is another matter which I won't reveal. The exceptional cast includes Glenn Ford, Gene Tierney, Ethel Barrymore, Zachary Scott, Ann Dvorak, Jeanette Nolan, Helen Westcott and Ruth Donnelly. There's also an impressive performance from Robert Hylton an actor with potential who should have had a bigger career in Hollywood.

Those opening scenes of mushing through snow under arctic conditions made me appreciate the comforts of an easy chair and fireplace. It's an oddball Western from start to finish with a strong cast and a noirish atmosphere. Essentially a band of escaped convicts invade a small mountain village whose men are away leaving only the women. As you can guess a number of subplots evolve from the premise, the most important of which has Glenn Ford trying to clear himself of an unjust murder charge.

I love it when evil-eyed bad guy Jack Lambert has a stare-down with gimlet-eyed bad guy Zachary Scott. It's almost like a couple of Darth Vaders squaring off. There are a number of good scenes most of which involve Scott, especially when he's vamping the hapless Ann Dvorak. But, the best scene defies our expectations when the two youngsters run off to the woods. It's a chilling, well done sequence. The cast is almost an A-list, with Ford quite good as the resolute Jim Canfield when he stands up to the other four convicts. Ditto, the other performers who manage to make some difficult dramatic scenes convincing enough.

And catch that ending. It made me wonder just what does comprise a "duly constituted jury". It's an unusual resolution for its time, to say the least. I don't think I ever found out the "Secret" of the title, nor I believe do we ever see Convict Lake. Nonetheless, there's more than enough going on to fill a lively 83 minutes, and I agree with the others that the movie is generally an under-rated Western.

The Secret Of Convict Lake is based on the proposition in the title, if you're a thief you think everyone steals. So when Glenn Ford who was framed for a robbery and murder leads a breakout in a Nevada prison and takes six men over the Sierras to a remote town in the foothills. Ford is looking to even the score with the guy that framed him, but the others who include Zachary Scott, Cyril Cusack, Jack Lambert, and Richard Hylton don't believe him, they believe he's hidden the stolen money there.

One of their number dies, frozen to death on a mountaintop, but the others arrive at a small settlement on a mountain lake. The men are gone and the women are led by tough old pioneer lady Ethel Barrymore. Ford has a tough time keeping the others in line, especially Scott who definitely has his own ideas.

It's pretty tough among the women as well, they haven't seen their men for weeks and some of them are looking good. For Barbara Bates especially, a young inexperienced girl who Hylton takes a fancy to. By the way in those days of The Code, Hylton's portrayal of a sex offender was pretty daring.

Barrymore and Gene Tierney are pretty good at reading character and realize Ford is not a real criminal type. How that all works out you have to see The Secret Of Convict Lake.

The film was shot in another remote Sierra town called Bishop, California and in Durango, Colorado. The cinematography is both stark, forbidding, and strangely beautiful. It happens to be based on a true story at a place called Monte Diablo Lake renamed Convict Lake as per the film.

According to Peter Ford's biography of his dad, Glenn sustained a serious eye infection during the shoot and wore a patch over the infected eye when the cameras weren't rolling. He also had a great admiration for Ethel Barrymore as actress. And he and Gene Tierney found each other's company delightful.

The Secret Of Convict Lake is a must for Glenn Ford's legion of fans.

The Secret of Convict Lake is directed by Michael Gordon and collectively written by Anna Hunger, Jack Pollexfen, Oscar Saul and Victor Trivas. It stars Glenn Ford, Gene Tierney, Ethel Barrymore, Zachary Scott, Ann Dvorak, Barbara Bates, Cyril Cusack, Richard Hylton, Helen Westcott, and Jeanette Nolan. Music is by Sol Kaplan and cinematography by Leo Tover.

I came here to kill one man. I don't mind killing a couple of others if I have to.

It's winter time here at Diablo Lake, and the five convicts who have survived the escape find themselves holed up in a remote village. Their reasons for being there differ, more notable though is that the men of the village are away prospecting, meaning the village is only currently populated by women.

It's a fine bubbling broth of scenarios, each convict is different, ranging from unstable psycho type, alpha male, twitchy youngster, simpleton and on to the calm likeable one who doesn't appear to belong in this company. So with the reasons for the men being here established, narrative then jostles with the inner fighting of the convicts, and the various emotional strands of the women folk. Suffice to say there is sexual tensions, mistrust, misrule, macho posturing and of course secrets to be born out.

Violence is sporadic but potent upon arrivals (one instance especially grabs you by the throat), and with the mystery of the men's crimes a constant question, intrigue makes for an enjoyable companion. Tech credits are uneven. The studio bound feel of the village sequences which fill out 90% of the pic are an itch, making you hanker for the more expansive snowy terrains that greeted us at story beginning. However, Tover's monochrome photography is suitably mood compliant, even if Kaplan's score isn't, while the lead actors are giving good value to offset some of the histrionics elsewhere.

Perhaps not the firecracker it could have been, given all the elements involved - particularly annoying that a strong feminist bent subsides into token play - this is none the less a most interesting piece that holds attention throughout. 7/10

I just want to say that this is a better than average western with a good cast. The first half was rather slow, boring and uneventful. I was about to turn it off, but I fortunately stayed with it. The second half really came to life with lots of action, a fast moving intricate plot and soap opera-like goings on.

It's interesting that the resolution is similar to Glen Ford's oater "The Fastest Gun Alive," another good Western.

The whole cast shined. Besides Ford and Tierney, Zachary Scott and Ann Dvorak were compelling.

Though not an "A" production by 20th century Fox, it was far from the typical "B" production values. The cinematography (Leo Tover), acting, music, dialog, etc. were all top-notch.

Six condemned convicts escape over a mountain pass (one of them doesn't make it, leaving five) in a blizzard and take refuge in an outpost where the men have temporarily left their wives and assorted other females to watch over the property. It's quite a setup and the movie does not let it down. Directed by Michael Gordon who did the superior Another Part of the Forest, this film nearly equals that one, with the women acting fairly mesmerizing as they eye these cons first with suspicion and later with sympathy and then a little lust. It's fairly predictable but that does not detract from the scenes, especially with Ford and Gene Tierney and Scott with Ann Dvorak. While Glenn Ford is great and has the hero's role, the parts for both Zachary Scott and Jack Lambert as the two heavies, are both excellent. Shot in black and white, the opening scene of them trekking over a mountain in a full on blizzard looks dark and ominous. Gordon doesn't waste any character in the film. Everyone has a background which is revealed with just enough information to leave a lasting impression. Amazing this film hasn't been seen more.

I first saw this peak time one Saturday night on UK ITV in the '70's and it's always stuck with me. It's a B+ Western with a good story and production, good acting and photography, and the very definition of Simple Yet Effective.

Six convicts on the run from a posse in blizzardy California in 1871, become five and then apparently stumble across a small settlement solely er manned by women. It turns out that their menfolk are away on some premise but on their way back while the good convict handsome Glenn Ford was waiting for one of them to return so he could kill him for revenge. Slimy Zachary Scott played the main bad convict manically convinced there was a fortune to be stolen somewhere. The women were in the main only lonely but the bad men were hogged up and dangerous even when not armed, and confirmed main old dame Ethel Barrymore's concern that they were wild bears and not men. The characters were all strong and strongly delineated, if made today the sex would probably be literally in your face but there'd also be a much greater sublety in everything as films are taken more leisurely nowadays. Everyone followed their correct moral paths right down to the morally ambiguous ending – however I suppose Glenn Ford should really have owned up to save the moral dilemma he put both the townsfolk and the majority of us viewers through who think it a good ending to a good little film.

Unusual, exceptional western has six fugitives from a Nevada penitentiary on the run from the law in a snowstorm, taking refuge in a remote woodland village inhabited only by women, mostly wives of traveling prospectors. Glenn Ford plays the falsely accused thief of $40,000 out to kill the liar who wrongly fingered him for the crime and stole off with the money himself; Gene Tierney is the crook's unknowing intended, who instead develops a passion for Ford. Interesting tale plays out melodramatically rather than as a suspense story; still entertaining however, with excellent lead performances and solid work from Ethel Barrymore as the elderly matriarch of the ladies. There's an exciting wrap-up to the whole thing (topped with a dandy fall from a mountainside), plus a narrator telling us it was all based upon a true occurrence. That seems unlikely (as rendered here), though it makes for a rugged adventure with romantic asides. **1/2 from ****

From 1951, The Secret of Convict Lake stars Glenn Ford, Gene Tierney, Ethel Barrymore, Zachary Scott, Robert Hylton, Ann Dvorak, Jeanette Nolan, Helen Westcott, and Ruth Donnelly.

This is a departure from your usual western: First of all, it has strong female characters, including Ethel Barrymore, Gene Tierney, and Ann Dvorak.

Six escaped convicts are stopped by a blizzard in the Sierra Mountains. Jim Canfield (Glenn Ford) accompanies them, though he doesn't consider the other convicts buddies.

One is a slimeball, Johnny Greer, played by Zachary Scott, who is after $40,000 that he is sure Canfield stole, which is one reason Canfield was in prison, that and murder. There is also a psycho rapist and murderer, Clyde (Richard Hylton). One escapee died along the way.

The men approach a settlement, occupied by women whose men are away. They are treated decently by the women, but they are told to keep their distance. Canfield seems especially interested in Marcia (Tierney) who is engaged to marry Rudy, the brother of Rachel (Dvorak).

Canfield insists that he did not steal the $40,000 that Greer is after. He has his own reasons for being at the settlement.

As far as keeping their distance, it's difficult due to a love-hungry spinster (Dvorak) and an innocent young girl (Barbara Bates). There's bound to be trouble, and there is.

The ending is very unusual for the times, but to me satisfying.

Very good performances all around, big finale, and an effective snowstorm.

Having just watched a couple other westerns in previous nights, we were expecting something more, I guess, given the high ratings for the film. Even though we saw some reviews that said "1st half is slow but picks up", I'd have to disagree and say that the first 98% of the film is slow. The set used is clearly a stage and it's too bad they didn't film outdoors somewhere. We both almost fell asleep watching this, the only thing keeping us awake is that there are some good actors in this. So don't watch this expecting a lot of action or a seat of your pants thriller.

Coming from a dramatic phase in Glen Ford's career in the genre, like many of the best westerns it's actually a drama in a western setting. Atmospherically set in the snowy wastes and played for drama rather than action, noirishly photographed in black & white by Leo Tover, the combination of studio exteriors with actual locations simply heightens the hermetic feel of the thing.

The seriousness of tone befits a film directed by a future blacklistee; as was the composer Sol Kaplan. Cyril Cusack makes a rare Hollywood appearance alongside familiar bad men like Zachary Scott and Jack Lambert. While a strong female contingent - who finish off a thwarted rapist in an eye-watering scene with pitchforks - includes Ethel Barrymore and Anne Dvorak making her big screen swansong.

When watching 'The Secret of Convict Lake', I was wondering why this western is not much better known. Five escaped convicts arrive at a remote village in California where all the men are gone. At first, the women, led by the formidable 'Granny' (Ethel Barrymore) manage to keep them under control, but soon one of them (Glenn Ford) gets at a gun. A little later another (Zachary Scott) persuades one of the women (Ann Dvorak) to betray the place where the other weapons are hidden, and then things get really difficult. While some scenes were filmed in the open mountainside, most of the plot is set within the village. Director Michael Gordon does a very good job conveying the sense of being isolated and cut off, with no way to get help. The film is also fast-paced, the characters are well-drawn, the acting is good, and the plot builds up to a convincing climax. So why isn't 'The Secret of Convict Lake' better known? Perhaps it is the title, which does sound as if the film was aimed at an audience of children. Also, there is no secret about this lake; in fact, it plays no role whatever - it is not even shown. There are brief narrations at the beginning and the end that explain the connection, but these are superfluous (as if the director had not trusted his own plot). Still, this is an entertaining western, and I am happy I spent one-and-a-half hours watching it.

Six convicts escape from a Nevada prison, barely surviving winter storms, and find a tiny village of women, the men all having been called away. Leader of the convicts is Glen Ford, innocent of the crime of which he's been convicted, of course.

Excluding Cyril Cusack as a good-natured "Limey" comic, the others tend to ride a little on the nasty side. Zachary Scott, in particular, signals his desire to debauch Ann Dvorak the way a traffic light signals its status. In this case, Scott, with this toothy grin and salacious experessions, signals "rape."

The performances aren't bad and the plot is just complicated and coincidental enough, but the black and white photography doesn't really capture the brutal winter. Everything just looks grimy.

In 1871 a group of convicts escaped from prison in Carson City, Nevada, and took refuge near Monte Diablo Lake, in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. They were pursued by a posse, and in the ensuing shootout a number of posse members and convicts were killed or wounded. The convicts who survived the shootout were subsequently lynched. Following this incident, the lake was renamed Convict Lake, a name which its retains to this day.

"The Secret of Convict Lake" is very loosely based upon this story. In real life 29 convicts were involved in the jailbreak, but here there are only six. The original incident took place in September, but here it is the depths of winter; one of the men freezes to death while crossing the mountains. The five survivors make their way to a small settlement by the lake, currently occupied by eight women while their menfolk are away prospecting for gold. Out of a mixture of fear and pity, the women agree to allow the convicts to use an empty cabin, and a curious relationship grows up between them.

I suspect that if the film were to be made today, the convicts would be treated in a more sympathetic manner, depicted as being not all bad and as having a more human side. In 1951, however, the Production Code, which forbade sympathetic depictions of criminals, was still in force; the only one who has any sense of decency is Jim Canfield, who turns out to have been wrongly convicted on perjured evidence. Much of the plot turns upon Canfield's desire for revenge upon Rudy Schaeffer, the man who put him behind bars. (Schaeffer is the fiancé of Marcia, one of the eight women, and the brother of another, Rachel). The other four men all turn out to be thoroughgoing villains; the youngest, Clyde, initially seems sympathetic, but turns out to be a psychopath who tries to kill one of the women when she resists his advances. Canfield finds that he needs to protect the women against his own companions.

In the fifties there was a growing tendency to shoot Westerns in colour as Hollywood saw that it could use the spectacular scenery of the American West as a weapon in its battle with the newcomer, television. "The Secret of Convict Lake" is an exception, even though it is set in a particularly scenic location. I think the reason is that it is one of those Westerns that, even though it is set in a remote rural location in the late nineteenth century rather than an urban one in the mid-twentieth, can also be seen as a film noir. ("The Ox-Bow Incident", from 1942, is another). Glenn Ford, who stars here as Canfield, often appeared in noirs such as "Gilda", "The Big Heat" or "Human Desire". Canfield has much in common with the heroes of films like these, being a basically decent man who finds himself in a position of emotional or psychological conflict, here between his desire for revenge on Schaeffer and his growing feelings for the lovely Marcia. The decision to shoot in black-and-white, with much of the action taking place at night, may have been based on a wish to make the film resemble a noir in its visual look as well as its storyline.

Gene Tierney as Marcia is perhaps a little too lovely; it seems difficult to believe that she is a woman sitting out a harsh winter in a remote settlement, far from the nearest boutique, hairdresser or cosmetics store. (She is, however, far from being the only Hollywood goddess to look impossibly glamorous in a Western setting).

The film was a critical and commercial success when first released in 1951, and seventy years on it still holds up well. It is well acted, has a well-written script and manages to generate a good deal of dramatic tension. It is well worth seeing if you can catch it on one of its rare television appearances. 7/10.

I usually shy away from western because they lack enough good parts for females. This film surely makes up for it! Tierney, Barrymore, Dvorak and Donnelly give fantastic performances.

Zachary Scott is quite menacing in this chilly tale of half a dozen escaped convicts who find themselves caught up in the wintery weather on the look out for shelter - and for $40,000! When they arrive at a remote village they discover that the men are all away and that under the imperious guidance of "Granny" (Ethel Barrymorre) it's the wives and children who are left. Not that they'd expect much danger in the middle of winter with the snow knee high everywhere around, but they have weapons and know how to use them. The dissolute looking men wander into town and beg for food and shelter, which grudgingly the women give them. "Greer" (Scott) is aware of the rumoured fortune, though, and pretty soon he and the gang are looking to take the cash - and anything else they can get. The one exception amongst this motley crew might be "Cranfield" (Glenn Ford) convicted but adamant he was framed, and by a man from this small community too! A fire seriously dents their stores and the courageous intervention of the men redraws their boundaries and that ends up making things more perilous and just a little more romantic for "Cranfield" too. The alpine atmosphere helps sustain the tension quite well as does the nasty Scott and though it does descend a little into a sentimental sludge at times thanks to an unremarkable effort from the usually stronger Gene Tierney, there's still enough of the threatening criminal mentality to keep it edgy until the rather rushed but fitting denouement. One of Ford's more robust efforts too.

Obscure Noirish western recently unearth from the shunning to enter in circle of Classic Westerns for good, according some hardy western fans, this movie nobody hears about, until the DVD's advent allowed a restoration and a release of the forgotten gem directed by Michael Gordon in dire straits with Mc-Carth-ysm in its time, he made a movie based in a false testimony for someone that took an innocent man into the jail, now he must proves his not guilty otherwise will be hanging.

In 1887 twenty-eight convicts escape from jail in Nevada state, twenty-two were captured, just six of them runway toward California due a winter season with a massive snowstorm the Sheriff lost their tracks dropping out the chase, he wondering they are doomed to die freeze in few time, however just one died, five them find out a deep valley nearby a lake, there have just women due their husband are working out, all convicts are bad guys, just one has a reason to do there Jim Canfield (Glenn Ford) was charge by murder and stolen 40.000 dollars, point out as guilty by a man that lives there Rudy Schaffer (Harry Carter), the crook Johnny Greer (Zachary Scoth) is convinced that Canfield actually is the thief and hidden the money somewhere there.

The women lead by the older Granny (Ethel Barrymore) demands an aid for feverish the young Clyde Maxwell (Richard Hilton) the mature spinster Rachel Schaeffer (Ann Dvorak) and the Rudy Schaffer's fiancée Marcia Stoddard (Jean Peters) help the young guy, the fear atmosphere on those bad men subdue all women, aware of it Canfield warns the convict's leader Johnny Greer that no woman can be hurt or something worst gonna happen, in the meantime the silly and rebuffed Rachel approaching Johnny for possible romantic engagement, wrong move, she reveals where the guns are hidden, enabling the Johnny and his cronies take over the plague against the unarmed women.

Made almost in studio with artistry and gloomy atmosphere on those snowy mountain as backdrop, just few sequence on location, certainly is the secret of success of the picture, a casting for A-picture used in a B-picture, this movie was the last appearance of Ann Dvorak, aftermaths she dropped out her career, Gordon got pass on his message about the perjury could harms someone for good, this was his answer to those appointed him as a guilty man on Mc-Carth-ysm era that sent countless men doomed to ostracism.

Thanks for reading.

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First watch: 2011 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8.5.

This film begins one dark and cold night in 1871 with 6 escaped convicts treading their way through the mountains of northern California during a terrible blizzard. So bad, in fact, that the posse on their trail even turns back around in order to prevent any serious injuries due to the cold. Meanwhile, as the convicts continue on their way, one of their number succumbs to the cold and, after pushing him down a steep mountain slope, continue to wander in the snow until they arrive at a small village. To their relief, upon approaching the first cabin, they discover that the village is only occupied by women as the men have been gone for a couple of months and are not due to return until a week or two. Even so, because they are unarmed, the most the convicts can do is ask for some food and shelter for the time being. For their part, although the women recognize that they are escaped convicts, they agree to their request after one of the convicts named "Jim Canfield" (Glenn Ford) promises that they won't cause any problems. Unfortunately, it is soon revealed that Jim Canfield doesn't represent the other 4 convicts as they believe he has led them to this particular village in order to retrieve a large sum of money he supposedly stole prior to being sent to prison--and they plan on getting their hands on it, one way or the other. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was a fairly entertaining Western due in large part to the manner in which the director (Michael Gordon) managed to depict the harsh winter environment. Likewise, both Glenn Ford and Gene Tierney (as "Marcia Stoddard") turned in their usual solid performances as well. That being said, I believe that this film will probably satisfy most viewers in search of a movie of this sort, and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

I love the beautiful snowy mountain scenery. It was a great film to watch in the winter as this band of convicts escape a posse in a blizzard over a pass.

The band of miscreants comes upon the most idyllic mountain village filled with nothing but women.

"May you be stricken with the plagues of the pharaohs and the curses of Leviticus and Deuteronomy."-Granny

Four of the convicts think one of the convicts killed a man and stole $40,000. They also think he has it hidden and they want it. His story is very different and that is why he was heading to this settlement near lake El Diablo...to find the man who testified against him, Rudy.

He clashes with Gene Tierney, who plays Rudy's soon to be wife. It's a race for some to save Rudy, one to kill Rudy and for four...to get the money.

This was an interesting film that was really well acted. Gene Tierney is gorgeous and has the most amazingly tiny waist. Glenn Ford makes a great lead and an interesting grey character. He is wonderful opposite Gene Tierney...they make a wonderful and attractive pair.

"I don't trust nobody."-convict

This was a great film and I highly recommend it for fans of both vintage westerns and film noir.