For all the westerns about cattle though, what about that other dreaded animal that made its presence known on the western trails? Yes, that's right. We're talking about sheep. Range wars were fought and waged for years because of this conflict. Cattle owners despised sheep because the animals destroyed the grazing pastures, eating the grass from its roots. No one believed either side could co-exist so instead they fought with deaths on each side. The cattle vs. sheep premise at the heart of 1950's Montana, an odd little western but an interesting one at that.
Leading his herd of sheep into Montana territory and all its grazing lands, Morgan Lane (Errol Flynn) is put on the defensive when one of his herders is murdered while on watch. Having been booted from the area before for his work with sheep, Lane isn't about to take what the cattle owners are throwing at him. Instead, he goes into the nearest town posing as a traveling salesman and begins to woo Maria Singleton (Alexis Smith), one of the most influential women in the area and an owner of vast stretches of land. She has no idea that Lane is a sheepherder and leases him land that will prove ideal for grazing sheep or cattle. Maria finds out though as the confrontation builds between the sheepherders and the cattle ranchers, and Lane's ready for a fight.
There is a polish to these Warner Bros. westerns from the 1940s and 1950s (and even a few earlier in the 1930s) that dates these movies, and not always in a good way. I love spaghetti westerns and all their grittiness. I love American westerns from the 1960s and 1970s that tried to paint the 19th Century American west as it really was; violent, dirty, and sweaty. These earlier westerns though always have the cast and extras dressed immaculately, the towns are always orderly and nicely constructed, and the bad guy will always...always lose. I don't dislike these westerns by any means, I just don't enjoy them as much. That's one problem with Montana. It's too clean, too nice, and just too polished.
The oddities come fast and furious with this western. Flynn's previous westerns usually tipped the scales at around two hours, some clocking in at longer lengths than that. Montana on the other hand doesn't even break the 80-minute mark, much less at 90 minutes. It is only 76 minutes long and feels far too short. The ending comes together far too quickly with a rushed feel. Other oddities? Flynn sings a duet with co-star Smith that feels out of place. Maybe not in the musical Oklahoma, but in this western? It's a flop. I want Flynn kicking ass, not singing. Also, Austrian actor S.Z. Sakall as Papa Schultz, a traveling salesman Flynn's Lane poses with as his partner. His accent is so heavy it is indecipherable, and the attempts at humor never amount to anything. Thankfully he disappears about halfway into the movie never to return. No explanation either, just a good, old fashioned disappearance.
Looking for a positive from this otherwise average western is the casting of a strong female lead in Alexis Smith as cattle baron Maria Singleton. As I've mentioned in a handful of other western reviews, female members of the cast are too often there just to be saved. In the process of being saved, they whine, complain and look scared. In other words, they're useless characters. Give them something to do! Women helped tame the west too. For the most part, Smith gets to do that. Flynn's character dupes her on two different occasions so maybe she isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but she's formed a cattle empire with two partners that rules over the Montana territory. Maria is tough and willing to fight for what she wants. Granted, by the end she wavers in the face of true love, but Smith gets points for the effort. Can't blame her for the script forcing her back into the 'need a man' ways.
As for the rest of the movie, it's okay if nothing special. This is Flynn on the backside of his career, but he's still that lovable rogue that audiences loved in the 1930s when he shot to stardom. Regardless of the role, it's hard not to like him. The rest of the cast leaves little impression other than Paul E. Burns as Tecumseh, an old timer who has lived in Montana since the 1850s, and Charles Irwin as Mac, one of Lane's top sheepherders. There are better movies out there and there are much worse. It's a decent enough way to pass 76 minutes, but not a memorable western. Worth watching once if nothing else.
Montana <---trailer (1950): **/****
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