Dallas (1950)

The Reb and the Blue Belly come to town.

Dallas stars Gary Cooper, Ruth Roman, Steve Cochran, Barbara Payton & Raymond Massey. It's directed by Stuart Heisler, photography is from Ernest Haller & pen duties fell to John Twist. Produced out of Warner Brothers, Dallas is vividly filmed in Technicolor out of the Iverson & Warner ranches in California. Very much a film with its tongue firmly in cheek, the film is a throwback to the Westerns of yore that exist without pretensions or deep penetrative meanings.

The plot sees Cooper's Civil War renegade, Blayde "Reb" Hollister, fake his own death so as to kill off his reputation and to free himself for the pursuit into Dallas of the brothers who massacred his family. In essence a routine plot, Twist's story is perked up along the way by many a fun and exciting diversion. There's role reversals, dandy fashions, horseback pursuits, shoot outs, a love triangle, vigorous dialogue and deft little twists to keep the piece purely from painting it by numbers.

Cooper seems to be enjoying himself too, which further enhances the feel good factor on offer. It's true he isn't really asked to do anything more than be a laconic dude on a mission. But when called on for action duties, he delivers the goods that his fans have come to expect during his successful career. The villains entertain (particularly Steve Cochran's vile and dopey Bryant Marlow) because each have their own little peccadilloes to keep them from over familiar blandness. The two ladies of the piece look gorgeous and hold up well in amongst the machismo, while the high production value allows Haller to really treat the eyes with the lush Technicolor and involving camera work around the locations.

It has ideals to being an "A" list Oater does Dallas, something it just can't quite attain. But it's not for lack of trying and the end result is one of pure entertainment, that, in truth, should be enjoyed on a cold winters day when the viewer needs a pick me up. 7/10

As if being on the losing side of the American Civil War wasn't enough, "Hollister" (Gary Cooper) also lost his family and his home at the hands of three brothers upon whom he swore vengeance. That might prove easier said than done, though, as they move to Texas and eldest "Will" (Raymond Massey) sets up a semi-legimtate ranching business. Having refused the post-war amnesty, "Hollister" is still technically a criminal and so he enlists the help of his pal Wild Bill Hickock (Reed Hadley) to fake his own death and then sets off in pursuit. Along the way he encounters the new marshal "Weatherby" (Lief Erickson) whom he discovers isn't really cut out for the job. He offers to impersonate him in the town and so with their plan to ensnare his foe and his even more ruthless brother "Bryant" (Steve Cochran) in place, they duly arrive. Of course, there has to be an element of romance, but that too isn't without it's problems for "Hollister" as the gal he alights on is noneother than the fiancée of "Weatherby". "Tonia" (Ruth Roman) fancies herself as quite a sophisticate, but how is this triangle going to play out - assuming the nasty "Will" doesn't do away with both of her suitors before the film is out? I couldn't help but think that colour wasn't really this film's friend. There are scenes where Cooper, bedecked in his velvet and high hat, looked more like an extra from "Pygmalion" than a fearsome gunslinger, and even the usually reliable Massey didn't quite have me trembling in my boots, either. Still, it's all perfectly watchable drive-in fayre with just enough action, plenty of cows and a little bit of tongue-in-cheek at the start to pass ninety minutes easily enough.