SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

2freensel I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

classicsoncall This Joel McCrea Western covers all the bases for a nice, family friendly film, as long as the youngsters watching aren't old enough to pick up on the innuendo provided by teenager Della's (Wanda Hendrix) admiring eyes for Chuck Conner (McCrea), or the insinuation that August Hartnagle (Ed Begley) is a lecherous uncle. I didn't feel so bad when he stepped in the bear trap, but that was an 'ouch' moment if ever I saw one in a picture.Although the story stretches credibility on the part of Conner's 'adoption' of four pre-teen boys when their father is accidentally killed, it plays out satisfactorily within your standard range feud between cattlemen blaming each other for their herds getting rustled. Humor in the story is provided by Jess Higgins (John McIntire) and his wife (Jeanette Nolan) amiably arguing over her Irish background and belief in 'little people' affecting the outcome of various incidents on their ranch once Conner arrives. Then there's the crusty old 'Pop' portrayed by Russell Simpson, who always seems to be where Conner is going to offer head scratching but friendly advice.It comes as no surprise that the foremen of both Higgins and neighboring rancher Martinez (Antonio Moreno) turn out to be in cahoots with one another over the stolen cattle business. Conner had it all figured out when he stated - "Get two dogs to fightin', it's easy to steal their bones". The baddies here turned out to be henchman Springer (Peter Leeds), and Higgins foreman Rocky, portrayed by John Russell, who would become one of my favorite TV good guys growing up, Marshal Dan Troop of 'Lawman'.I can't say I was all that surprised by the way the story ended, since it was telegraphed pretty much all the way with 'Uncle' Chuck caring for the four orphaned youngsters. But when he called himself Della's husband in the closing scene, and considering the age disparity between the two, it brought to mind the picture's most frequently used catch phrase - 'Creepin' creepers'!

Swamp Yankee Enjoyed the four orphan boys and also the strong woman characterized by the rancher's wife. I also liked the message(s) of the movie. Simple but true. 1. We have to make something of ourselves. 2. The treacherous divides the good and gets them to fight against themselves while the bad rob them blind.It was a wonderful story and of course it is from sixty plus years ago so its not going to work for everybody. You have to be in the right mood and not worry about corny and enjoy the ride.The last two comments talk about creepiness and I need to balance that out. This movie was made when on screen kisses were forbidden. Compared to what passes for prime time family entertainment today of course this super innocent. The issue the comments are referring two is the age difference between the 19 year old "runaway" and the Main character being 15 or twenty years older. Well news flash kids you are living in very different times. What you call creepy was actually a completely common experience not only in the American west but throughout much of the world over for hundreds if not thousands of years.The reason for the young woman's flight from home was referenced in an innocuous way so that young audiences would have little chance of clueing in to her reasons while the rest of us would know damn well while she left the real "creep".Hey this is a great family movie and something for kids to see.

kenjha A vagabond cowboy suddenly finds himself taking care of four orphaned boys. The Technicolor cinematography is pleasing and the film is entertaining enough, but is letdown by the routine script that contains a fair amount of corn. McCrea displays his usual easy-going charm in the title role. Hendrix is a runaway teenager who also ends up with the orphaned boys. Although they are not shown getting intimate, it is somewhat creepy seeing McCrea getting romantically involved with Hendrix, who was half his age at the time of the film. The good supporting cast features McIntyre as a grumpy rancher and Nolan as his understanding wife.

maughancannes-2 Odd little western, in which the various plot strands don't gell and the romantic sub-plot between McCrea and Hendrix - though played low-key - comes over as quite creepy. The character actors are reliable, especially the always excellent John McIntire.