Return of the Texan

Although not very promising on paper the presence of the names of Dudley Nichols and Delmer Daves in the credits bodes well. Combining elements of the westerns Daves was then making and his later soap operas it is an early example of a modern western which the presence of Walter Brennan as gramps could have placed at any time between the thirties and sixties.

A young Dale Robertson in one of his first leads - inevitably playing a widower - makes a rather bland hero, and Lucien Ballard's photography is far from his best, but Sol Kaplan contributes a sensitive score, the presence of a young Richard Boone promises drama, while Joanne Dru in jeans provides a worldly heroine.

It's ironic that this movie -- one of those brisk, efficient products designed to be shown on a double-bill -- features three future stars of TV westerns: Dale Robertson of "Wells Fargo" and "The Iron Horse," Richard Boone of "Have Gun Will Travel," and Robert Horton of "Wagon Train." After all, it's TV series such as these which put an end to movies such as "The Return of the Texan."

As an example of its soon-to-be-extinct genre, this movie exhibits the expected strengths and weaknesses. On one hand it tells its story in an economical 88 minutes so it avoids needless padding and slow pacing. On the other hand its plot and characters, though pleasant enough, have a bland, predictable quality. And while the use of b&w photography gives the movie a certain nostalgic tone, it also limits the visual appeal of all those Texas vistas.

Dale Robertson makes an appealing hero, holding back on his usual twinkle-in-the-eye heartiness, and he looks mighty good with his shirt off when he's sweating under the hot sun while putting up a fence. (There's such an innocent quality about early 1950's "beefcake.") Joanne Dru is one of those women who comes off even better in jeans than she does in a wedding dress. Rounding out the cast are veteran actors Walter Brennan and Tom Tully.

I have always liked Director Delmer Daves, who helmed such remarkable films like THE HANGING TREE, THE LAST WAGON, A SUMMER PLACE, among others.

Here Daves' quality shines through again, thanks mainly to a superb performance from the much maligned Walter Brennan - repeatedly labeled "evil" for allegedly celebrating Luther King's demise, which no one has confirmed beyond reasonable doubt. Infinitely sad that some people have nothing better to do with their lives than to tarnish the good name of deceased persons unable to defend their good name.

Beautiful Joanne Dru also steals the show, as does the beagle canine hanging around Brennan's grandsons. Sadly, I found Dale Robertson wooden and unable to convey significant emotions, apart from beating up Richard Boone, who also underwhelms in this film: usually a bad guy, here he is a generally good fella determined to catch Brennan hunting deer in his property, and he is late paying his dues.

Disappointing cinematography by the usually top notch Lucien Ballard, good script by Dudley Nichols. 7/10.

Although this one (20th CF) was obviously made for a double bill, I class it as an "A" given the production contributors, viz.: Delmer Daves, Dudley Nichols, Sol Kaplan, Lucien Ballard, Lionel Newman, Ray Kellogg; and the cast inc. Dale Robertson (who inexplicably resists initially the gorgeous and very ripe Joanne Dru!), Robert Horton, Richard Boone, Walter Brennan (in his usual Gramps role as an increasingly annoying ol' coot persisting in poaching, but he has a very moving death scene)...

Few anxious moments, despite the presence of the always ambivalently menacing Boone; a nice little "family" film reminiscent of those gentler 1950s TV series that those of us of a certain age grew up with. I enjoyed it a lot.

Once again, I must credit UK's Talking Pictures channel for finding this virtually "lost" movie.

Return Of The Texan stars Dale Robertson a young widower returning with his two young sons and his grandfather Walter Brennan to the small town in Texas they came from. The property is a small and rundown farm that's going to need a lot of work.

Which comes in the form of a job of building a fence for his next door neighbor Richard Boone. Boone was once white trash like Robertson but he was fortunate enough to marry the boss's daughter and then inherit half the ranch with his sister-in-law Joanne Dru. As Dru tells Robertson the last thing Boone wants to be reminded of is his humble origins and he doesn't want Robertson courting Dru. He much prefer she marry nice respectable doctor Robert Horton.

Robertson who can be quite garrulous at times is somber and subdued and very much in a shell in this role. But the real star of this film is Brennan. He's at his most cantankerous and at the same time quite sublime. His final scene with his two grandsons is one of the eloquent and yet simple scenes he ever did in his long career.

This easy B film from 20th Century Fox holds up well as good family entertainment.