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Unusually adult Western for its time. Brothers Sterling and Jarman have to drive their horse herd over a dangerous mountain pass so they can start a ranch on the other side. Along the way, however, they encounter four stranded dance hall girls (Production Code euphemism for hookers). Now the brothers are torn between helping the women or getting their herd safely across. And, oh yes, there are the three baddies chasing Sterling, but they're in the movie mainly to provide action and not to drive the plot.

Now, Robert Sterling doesn't exactly fit my image of a cowboy lead. He seems a shade too boyish and perhaps a little soft looking (likely why the unshaven stubble was added). However, he does well with the part, being convincingly tough when he needs to be. In fact, acting skill means more in this Western than in most because of the emotional interplay between the three principals, Sterling, Jarman, and Grahame. And, as it turns out, the chemistry between Jarman and Sterling is outstandingly unforced. There seems to be a genuine rapport between the brothers. Grahame, of course, specialized in this kind of compromised role in her all-too-brief and exotic career. Having her teach the skeptical Jarman to read amounts to an interesting character sidelight. In my book, however, the youthful Jarman walks off with the movie since he manages to be genuinely appealing without piling it on.

For Sterling the challenge is whether to follow conventional morality and reject Grahame's overtures or to follow instinct and see the real potential in her. Jarman sees such inner qualities immediately since he has not yet learned to judge others according to stereotype. Fortunately the screenplay avoids getting sentimental over the conflict, and in fact handles the whole risky theme quite intelligently.

The mountain shootout is scenic and well-staged. I wish I had a nickel for every nasty heavy John Ireland played during this period. But then, he was so very good at it. For a Western with a strong human interest side, director Robson avoids the usual pitfall of too much talk by moving things along nicely. All in all. the movie's an entertaining and satisfying 90 minutes with a genuinely humane message.

Gloria Grahame is Roughshod's major attraction, but bonuses are Jeff Corey in a small role, John Ireland as a lean young killer, and Claude Jarman Jr. carrying as serious a teenage role as a western may offer. Robert Sterling honestly manages the male lead. All the supporting roles are a testament to the kind of dependable quality the studios were delivering in the mid-20th century.

The most pleasant surprise may be the number of women's roles--the four bar girls, each of whom has her own denouement, including the accidental reunion of one with her decently grieving parents. As other posters have noted, the movie handles such scenes with minimal sentimentality or chatter, so that the strong feminine presence operates within the proper western decorum.

As a student of plot, I felt continually (if mildly) impressed by the story's layers and crossings. The bad guys' journey interweaves with the good guys' journey, which involves driving 10 free horses and assuming responsibility for the bar girls who break down on their path. One genre hallmark of a western is the story's geography or landscape. The good guys take another trail to avoid the bad guys, which leads the brassiest of the saloon-girls to hitch up with a gold prospector. The only wince-factor is the dependence on Gloria Grahame's character's reckless driving, but when that results in some of her clothes spilling in the river, those clothes float downstream and signal to the bad guys where the good guys are.

A lot happens in about 90 minutes, but it's all a bit subdued like its male lead. Director Mark Robson worked with Orson Welles and Val Lewton, so the quality-floor is high throughout. The best visuals are the long shots through the landscape where the different parties see each other; otherwise the film's composition, in keeping with its feminine content, is tight, personal, and intimate. The final gunfight is modest but, again, honest in its way, like the whole movie.

Brothers Robert Sterling (Clay) and Claude Jarman Jr ((Steve) are heading to Sonora with 9 horses to start up ranch life. On the way they pick up 4 ladies of ill-repute who are heading the same way – Gloria Grahame (Mary), Myrna Dell (Helen), Jeff Donnell (Elaine) and Martha Hyer (Marcia). Sterling also has John Ireland (Lednov) and two other escaped outlaws after him for revenge. We follow Sterling and his merry band as they follow their dreams to Sonora. Not all of them make it there, though.

This engaging western is easy to watch as the fates of the 2 brothers and 4 women is revealed. The end shoot-out scene is well done with a degree of tension that sustains itself throughout. The cast are all good with particular mention to John Ireland, Gloria Grahame and Myrna Dell. Robert Sterling in the lead isn't as memorable as these three. John Ireland makes the most of his screen time and he is definitely not a good guy. The fate of Myrna Dell is the most unfortunate and is dealt with in, what was for me, the film's most powerful segment. It will leave you asking yourself what happened.

I usually find children in films quite annoying, especially if they run around saying "swell". Well, Claude Jarman Jr is the exception to this rule and he adds some nice moments to the developing relationship between Sterling and Grahame. I would have liked to see some Indian trouble as well but you can't have everything! And there is no need for it, really. It's an enjoyable character-driven western.

Gloria Grahame elevates this old western and makes it worth seeing, and John Ireland is also strong as the leader of the bad guys. The story-telling from director Mark Robson teeters at times a little too much on the overly wholesome side because of the presence of the boy, but overall it's well-balanced and doesn't overstay its welcome at 88 minutes. I also liked how he left the fate of one of the dancehall/working girls (Myrna Dell) to our imagination in a chilling moment, maybe the film's best. I'm not sure I can imagine liking the film without Grahame though, she's just stunning.

Keeping in mind this western classic was released in 1949 more than seventy (70) years earlier when film censorship was at its peak. I felt that the director Mark Robson, took liberties with the films storyline about four loose and attractive saloon girls that was borderline risky for the times, and kudos to him for doing so.

The story is filled with personal stories of survival in the rough surrounding hilly countryside by the exiled saloon girls, three escaped convicts who come after the ladies and their rancher hero brothers the young Steve and older brother Clay played respectively by Claude Jarman Jr. And Robert Sterling.

It is a very entertaining classic western if you consider it was released in 1949 so keep that in mind when listening to the dialogue of the saloon ladies and how tame the escaped convicts seem to behave.

I give this early western a more than respectable 7 out of 10 IMDb rating.