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Thursday, September 24, 2015

WESTBOUND 1959 (WARNER ARCHIVE)

Another classic western starring Randolph Scott.

This classic is one of seven film starring Scott that was directed by Budd Boetticher.

John Hayes (Scott) goes to Colorado in 1864 to help keep the gold shipments coming thru the stage line which in turn will help the North win the Civil War.

Hayes is met with quite a bit of resentment from people, especially his former friend and colleague Clay Putnam, played by Andrew Duggan. Putnam has an assistant named Mace who carries out most of his dirty work. Mace is not above killing anyone to keep the gold from the North.

This is a very good western, but then again Boetticher never did make a bad one and neither did Scott for that matter. The film works on many levels and will no doubt hold your interest. The rest of the cast includes lovely karen Steele, Virginia Mayo (as Scott's former lover and the wife of Duggan's character), and Michael Dante.

the standout performance in this film goes not to Scott who is always excellent, but to Michael Pate as Mace. Pate steals every scene he is in andd plays the head baddie very well. I never saw Pate in a bad performance either, and in this film he is given a chance to shine. His most remembered role as in the fantastic yet still unavailable horror film "Curse Of The Undead".

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