La belle rousse du Wyoming

This shaky A western stars Maureen O'Hara in a variety of fancy dresses. With a range war brewing, old flame William Bishop imports her and her wardrobe to serve as a beard for his operations when she isn't running her obligatory saloon. She's caught between Bishop and mild-mannered sheriff Alex Nicol.

Besides a very purple tuille number, Miss O'Hara wears a black lace dancing outfit for the final shootout, in which she handles a shotgun. I found it a striking and discordant image, typical of auteur Lee Sholem. A decent, if rote script, the usual cast that had been filling out B westerns for a quarter of a century, and some nice color photography by Winton Hoch complete the ensemble.

Colorful B western directed by a B director: Lee Sholem who was not that brilliant in his career. It is question here of cattle rustling, a topic used ten millions times in western history. It would be forgettable even with the presence of the Duke's best friend, as himself called Maureen O'Hara, the only woman belonging to the John Ford's gang: John Wayne, Ward Bond, Victor Mac Laglen, Harry Carey. Here she doesn't look like a man in her attitude, she is not Barbara Stanwyck in FORTY GUNS, CATTLE QUEEN OF MONTANA or MAVERICK QUEEN. It is nevertheless a pretty good little entertaining western, among the best films that Lee Sholem made, xanks again to Maureen O'Hara; but Rhonda Fleming - the other redhead from Hollywood with Arlene Dahl - would have been in her place here.

A great movie. It has it all: wonderful acting, an excellent script, great cinematography, and impeccable continuity. But most of all, it has, in great abundance, Maureen O'Hara. This is her movie, and carries the movie well. She is in almost every scene and dominates the movie. She is absolutely beautiful. But her looks are not the whole story. Her acting is superb. She projects both vulnerability and strength. Her character, Kate, is assertive, intelligent, honest and courageous. Kate takes charge in the story. When she has to ride a horse, she rides; when she has to defend herself, she defends herself; and when she is interested in a man, she is forthright yet modest. She is trusting but you can't double cross her and when she is wronged, she lets you know. The other cast are excellent too, especially William Bishop as the bad guy, Averell. Also, the movie effectively dramatizes the economic and social conditions that triggered the range wars in the West in the mid-nineteenth century. If one likes Maureen O'Hara and westerns with strong stories, then this movie is worth watching.

In a routine western about simmering conflict between settlers and landed cattlemen in Wyoming Territory, dazzling red-headed Maureen O'Hara gives "The Redhead from Wyoming" a feminist slant. Amidst a cast of rather colorless cowboys, O'Hara cuts a striking figure; her flaming hair captured by Winton C. Hoch's Technicolor camera, blazes over her striking costumes, designed by Edward Stevenson. O'Hara catches every eye with bare shoulders exposed by flamboyant garments in lavenders and yellows that are in sharp contrast to the earth tones favored by her male co-stars.

Unfortunately, the leading men are as lacking in color as their costumes. Tall blonde Alex Nicol as Sheriff Stan Blaine displays little emotion, except when his eyes cast an appreciative glance at O'Hara's barely concealed decolletage. William Bishop is passable as the duplicitous Jim Averell, who has history with O'Hara's character, the tough Kate Maxwell. Most of the cast is comprised of relative unknowns with the exceptions of Robert Strauss and Dennis Weaver in small roles.

The undistinguished screenplay, which deals with cattle rustling and a potential range war, is unworthy of O'Hara's talent and screen presence; the fiery Irish actress plays a smart business woman, who can ride and shoot with the boys, yet maintain her femininity. Kate Maxwell may be ruthless, but she is no tomboy, and her wardrobe bears no resemblance to those worn by Joan Crawford or Barbara Stanwyck in their western roles. Kate is impeccably coiffed, made-up, and garbed, even when wielding a shotgun or riding a stallion. Other than an early portrayal of a strong woman in the Old West, "The Redhead from Wyoming" fails to rise above a fairly entertaining, if unmemorable, oater with an unforgettable star.

During the 1930s, 40s and 50s (especially the 50s), Hollywood made a bazillion western films. Because they made so many, it's not surprising that there are several basic plots you'll find in about 95% of these movies. This one features two of these plots...plots that are really clichés because they occur so often. First, there is Jim Averell...a guy who wants to be more and more powerful. He's running for governor and has his eyes set on controlling the west. Second, he's making himself richer and richer by bringing in a gang of cutthroats and they spend their time rustling other folks' cattle. There is so much familiarity about these story elements...too much. Sure, Maureeen O'Hara is there and she looks nice in color but the film never seems more than just another mediocre western with little to distinguish it aside from having O'Hara involved in the big gunfight at the end. Ordinary...