Calibre 45

"Colt 45" was one of series of fast paced little westerns that Randolph Scott turned out during the 1950s.

This one is centered around the introduction of the Colt 45 six shooter to the old west. Steve Farrell (Randolph Scott) is a Colt 45 salesman in the town of Red Rock pitching his wares to the local sheriff (Charles Evans). His prisoner, Jason Brett (Zachary Scott) escapes as he is being moved, steals Farrell's two colts and kills the sheriff. He implicates Farrell in the escape and the towns people arrest him for the murder of the sheriff.

Meanwhile Brett and his gang have embarked on a campaign of robbery and murder with the colts as the center piece of the crimes. After four months, Farrell is finally cleared and released by the new sheriff (Stanley Andrews). Farrell just happens to have a second set of Colt 45s and sets out to catch Brett.

Farrell comes upon a stagecoach holdup by Brett and his gang and boards the coach. Inside he finds Beth Donovan (Ruth Roman) the wife of the ambitious but spineless Paul Donovan (Lloyd Bridges) who is a member of Brett's gang. She is helping the gang in fear for her husband's life. Farrell with both guns a blazing foils the hold up attempt and takes the coach into the town of Bonanza.

Farrell meets the town sheriff Harris (Alan Hale Sr.) who appoints him as a deputy. Harris it turns out is in with the gang and goes to Brett to plot Farrell's downfall. At the persistent urging of Donovan (and amid the protests of Beth), Brett decides to take over the town. Brett cleverly fingers Farrell as the leader of the Colt 45 gang diverting suspicion from himself. Farrell manages to escape and Harris forms a posse to bring him in. With the help of Chief Walking Bear (Chief Thundercloud) Farrell plans his revenge on Brett. Meantime Brett takes over the town and................

Randolph Scott found a second career in these little 80 minute westerns appearing in them exclusively from about 1946 to the end of his career. As he aged some thought he began to resemble silent screen great William S. Hart and that the age lines added character to his face.

For Alan Hale Sr. the great character actor of the 30s and 40s, this was his second to last film. Zachary Scott plays the villain as a slightly mad ever dangerous cold blooded killer. Ruth Roman was a little young at the time to be taken seriously as a love interest for Randolph Scott. Lloyd Bridges is good as the cowardly Donovan. Chief Thundercloud (who's real name was Victor Daniels) is best remembered for playing "Tonto" in the Lone Ranger serials and "Geronimo" in the film of the same name. Also in the cast are Ian MacDonald as Miller and Hal Talliaferro as a stagecoach driver.

The Colt.45 is what Randolph Scott is selling, the latest item in weaponry. While selling a pair to a sheriff who's ordered them, prisoner Zachary Scott breaks free and kills the sheriff and steals the weapons Randy was about to sell. After convincing the townsfolk that he wasn't in on the jailbreak and the killing of their sheriff, Randy takes his display models and goes after Zach.

This is an average B western from Warner Brothers and it really turns on the character that Zachary Scott is playing. Zach is a really loathsome punk, but a clever one who realizes that until these weapons come into widespread use, those that possess them can be king of the mountain. He also thinks fast on his feet and avoids capture and turns the tables on Randy on more than one occasion.

Colt.45 coming out at the time that Broken Arrow and Devil's Doorway were running benefited from those far better westerns in terms of influence. Part of Zach's scheme is to frame some innocent Indians for a stagecoach robbery that Randy foils. Because of that Randy makes friends with Chief Thundercloud and his whole tribe. Colt.45 takes its place in the history of the big screen western with a more sympathetic attitude towards Indians.

Scott's leading lady is Ruth Roman who is certainly pretty and capable, but her part is rather ill defined. She's the wife of one of Zach's henchmen Lloyd Bridges another real punk, but not as clever. She switches loyalties, but really doesn't help much.

In the cast in one of his last roles for Warner Brothers where he was a contract player for about 15 years and almost exclusively appeared in films for that studio is Alan Hale. He plays another sheriff, a corrupt one.

Colt.45 is a fast paced, but badly edited film, still fans of both Scotts, Randolph and Zachary should like it.

This film was good, but there are some things that I question. First off, Scott was 24 years older than Ruth Roman, making him an unlikely suitor for her. Also, the Colt .45 was introduced in 1873, so the setting could not be earlier than that as some have suggested. I wonder why Scott was kept in the local jail for four months after he was suspected of being partners with Zachary Taylor in robberies. He should have been able to prove that he was a representative of the Colt Company with a telegram to the company. Failing that, he would have been tried and sent to prison if found guilty, not sitting in the local jail for months without a trial. Lloyd Bridges seemed to be a poor excuse for a husband with his treatment of Ruth Roman. I didn't understand that relationship. Other than that, I found the film enjoyable.

Randolph Scott, as jut jawed and heroic as he's ever been, is gun salesman Steve Farrell. One day, in a prison, he's showing off his pride and joy, and sadly this will assist outlaw Jason Brett (Zachary Scott) in a jailbreak. Wrongfully locked up when it's assumed that he must have been an accomplice, Steve is soon released, and sets out to bring the bad guy down. Brett, of course, is having the time of his life utilizing Steves' prized Colt .45s.

This is an okay, routine Western. It does benefit from some good action scenes, and the cast makes the most of the situation. The very pretty Ruth Roman is engaging in an under written role as Beth Donovan, the wife of Paul Donovan (Lloyd Bridges), one of Bretts' cohorts. Randolph Scott doesn't have to stretch himself at all, but he's in good form, while Zachary Scott commands a great deal of the attention as the thoroughly nasty, overconfident villain who feels emboldened by his new weapons. Bridges is fine as the weaselly Paul, who's not as degenerate as Brett, but is absolutely no rose, either. Alan Hale provides a rock steady presence as the morally compromised Sheriff Harris (this, unfortunately, was one of his final roles, as he died later the same year). Ian MacDonald, who later gained his greatest fame as the gang leader Miller in "High Noon", is also playing a character named Miller here. And Indian actor Chief Thundercloud is able to play his proud character Walking Bear with some dignity.

Direction (by Edwin L. Marin), production design, cinematography, and music are all handled capably, making this decent entertainment for 74 minutes.

Six out of 10.

These were supposed to be prototypes Brett stole. So where did he get all the bullets for these guns that hadn't been commercially produced yet? It's not like he could go online and order a couple of cases of ammo whenever he needed some.