Romântico Defensor

According to the book The Last of the Cowboy Heroes which is about Joel McCrea, Audie Murphy, and Randolph Scott, the author says that Albuquerque was the only film he personally did not review because he claimed it was lost. Hadn't been seen in years.

Good thing for western fans somebody was doing some spring cleaning at Paramount because a print was apparently found and now it's out on the open market. Albuquerque is a pretty good western too with Scott involved in a family feud with Uncle George Cleveland.

George Cleveland sends for his nephew Randolph Scott with the intention of making him part of his freighting business, headquartered in the fast growing settlement of Albuquerque. Cleveland is more than just a business owner, he's the town boss which he runs from a wheelchair. He even has the sheriff in his pocket.

Randolph Scott is not a cowboy hero for nothing. That includes not backing relatives up when they're villains. He goes to work for a rival outfit headed by brother and sister Russell Hayden and Catherine Craig.

Cleveland is full of all kinds of tricks and he even sends for a western Mata Hari in the person of Barbara Britton to worm her way into the confidence of his rivals. Barbara's great as the homespun vixen who develops her own agenda.

Randolph Scott's original home studio was Paramount, it was where his first studio contract was with. Albuquerque marked the last film he ever did for Paramount and they gave him a good one.

Note also Lon Chaney, Jr., who is George Cleveland's chief henchman, a rather loathsome bully of a man and Gabby Hayes, who is just Gabby Hayes.

Albuquerque must have been loved by Republicans across the nation in 1948 with its chief villain as a town boss who rules from a wheelchair. A certain Democrat from a wheelchair had made hash of them for four straight presidential elections and he was gone. They had high hopes of winning the White House that year too, but things went awry and they had to settle for an ersatz boss getting his comeuppance in Albuquerque. I'm not sure why Cleveland was in a wheelchair since nothing was really made of it in the plot. My guess is he was injured and played the part that way because he had to.

Still Albuquerque must have had great appeal to the GOP market.

Former Texas Ranger Randolph Scott travels to Albuquerque to work for his uncle's transport service, only to find the old man a swindler and a murderer. Before long, he joins forces with upstart competitor Barbara Britton, in order to show up the old man and protect her and her brother from his uncle's sabotage.

A fairly good Technicolor western, this features another sturdy performance by Scott and some nasty villainy by George Cleveland, Lon Chaney Jr., as a vicious hired hand, and Bernard J. Nedel as the crooked sheriff in Cleveland's back pocket. George "Gabby" Hayes is here too, doing what he does best, as Scott's crusty sidekick.

Some nice twists and a decent amount of action and gun-play moves things along quite nicely.

1947's "Albuquerque" was shot in the Cinecolor process, usually employed for Westerns, though one horror film made was Lugosi's "Scared to Death" (1946). Randolph Scott stars as Cole Armin, present when his stage is robbed just outside town, where he has been summoned for work by uncle John Armin (George Cleveland), whose name is despised because he rules by hook and by crook. Once Cole learns that his uncle is responsible for the stagecoach holdup (resulting in a man's murder), he recovers the money and joins the opposition, quickly running afoul of Armin's right hand man Steve Murkill (Lon Chaney), keeping a watchful eye on Cole with the aid of newcomer Letty Tyler (Barbara Britton). At a full 90 minutes, there are plenty of obstacles for the dependable Scott, while Cleveland is effectively cast against type as the wheelchair-bound villain (which Chaney would play in 1951's "The Bushwhackers"). Having begun her career opposite Boris Karloff in 1940's "Doomed to Die," attractive Catherine Craig was soon to retire as Mrs. Robert Preston, while Barbara Britton, best remembered for television's MR. AND MRS. NORTH, had previously worked with Randolph Scott in 1945's "Captain Kidd." A born scene stealer is the welcome Karolyn Grimes, little Zuzu in "It's a Wonderful Life," adorable as ever as Myrtle Walton, whose life is saved by Cole when he stops the runaway coach. This was no great stretch for Lon Chaney, repeating his stock henchman part many times over the following decade, but coming just over a year after being cast adrift by Universal, his starring days now behind him, the picture helped kickstart his career again (though his brawl with Scott, cigarette remaining in place, can't compare with the one against John Payne in 1949's "Captain China"). Along with crooked sheriff Bernard Nedell, he actually enjoys more screen time than the main villain.

"Albuquerque" is a routine Randolph Scott western set in the town of Silver City about two competing freight lines.

Cole Armin (Scott) is on a stagecoach on which oddly enough, the driver Juke (George "Gabby" Hayes) and his co-driver are not armed. As luck would have it, the coach is held up, a passenger killed and a lady passenger, Celia Wallace (Catherine Craig) is robbed of $10,000, money that was to be used by herself and her brother Ted (Russell Hayden) to get their freight line up and running. Of course Cole is immediately attracted to the comely Celia.

The purpose of Cole's trip is to go to work for his uncle John Armin (George Cleveland) and learn his freight business. Cole soon learns that his uncle is behind the robbery and forces him to give the money back (although we don't see how). He declines his uncle's job offer and joins up with Juke and the Wallaces. Evil Uncle John and his chief heavy Murkill (Lon Chaney) do all they can to foil them.

Uncle John sends for confidence woman Letty Tyler (Barbara Britton) to infiltrate the Wallace company and learn of their plans. As you might of guessed, Ted Wallace becomes enamored of Letty and she soon sees the error of her ways and double crosses Uncle John. Meanwhile, the Wallace line negotiates a contract with miners Lane Chandler and Russell Simpson to haul their silver ore down a hazardous mountain trail. Ted is injured and, you guessed it again, Cole is forced to drive one of the wagons. Well..Uncle John learns of this and in a final confrontation they........

Scott is good as always in the lead but is hampered by a predicable and somewhat weak script. Britton does her best as the good/bad girl and Craig is suitably young and innocent as Scott's love interest. In an unusual bit of casting, George Cleveland plays the chief villain, a mean spirited wheel chair bound old man. Cleveland was usually cast as crusty old towns men on the right side of the law. Chaney is wasted again as Cleveland's henchman. His fight with Scott is ludicrous since he goes through the whole thing save for the last punch, with a lighted cigarette in his mouth. Hollywood never did seem to know what to do with Chaney. When he did get a chance to act such as in "Of Mice and Men" (1939), "High Noon" (1952) or "The Defiant Ones" (1958), he exhibited real talent.

Hayes and Hayden had appeared together in the Hopalong Cassidy series between 1937-39 as Hoppy's sidekicks. Hayes after a career in "B" westerns, appeared in several Scott "A" westerns in the last years of his career, which ended in 1950.

This film gives the viewer an excellent example to see the color process "Cinecolor" a cheap technicolor clone that was being used by some studios at the time. You'll notice that the reds all seem to photograph orange (note Scott's kerchief and Chaney's long johns, for example). Not unlike Republic's "Trucolor" which seemed to have a green tinge to it.

Great to see ole Gabby in color for a change though.

Released in 1948, "Albuquerque" is a Western starring Randolph Scott as Cole Armin, who arrives in the New Mexican town to work for his wicked uncle's ore-hauling freight line. When he discovers overt corruption, he switches to another company with an eye on his partner's sister (Catherine Craig). Meanwhile his uncle hires a hottie spy (Barbara Britton) from out of town to destroy the competition.

Reviewer msroz said it best in describing "Albuquerque" as an "okay and likable western, neither exceptional nor routine." The story is interesting, but loses momentum here and there; aspects of the film are better than the whole. One aspect that's great is the cast: Scott's amiable as the protagonist, George Cleveland is effective as the wannabe godfather of Albuquerque, Lon Chaney is formidable as one of the main heavies and the two women are gorgeous, especially Catherine Craig. She's both stunning and winsome. Another great element is the scenic Southwest locations, shot in Sedona, Arizona, and Iverson Ranch, California.

As long as you can adapt to the old-style of fimmaking "Albuquerque is a worthwhile Western, but it's hampered by the negatives noted above.

The film runs 90 minutes.

GRADE: B-