Sun 22 Jun 2014
A Western Movie Review by Jonathan Lewis: ALBUQUERQUE (1948).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , Western movies[15] Comments
ALBUQUERQUE. Paramount Pictures, 1948. Randolph Scott, Barbara Britton, George “Gabby†Hayes, Lon Chaney, Russell Hayden, Catherine Craig, George Cleveland. Based on the novel Dead Freight for Piute, by Luke Short. Director: Ray Enright.
Albuquerque is an eminently watchable Western film starring Randolph Scott. Adapted to the big screen from a novel by Luke Short, Dead Freight for Piute, the film is compelling, albeit not particularly sophisticated, story about a family feud, mining, and freighting in pre-statehood New Mexico.
There’s just enough of everything one would expect from a late 1940s Western: a hero in Scott, a goofy sidekick in George “Gabby†Hayes, and a villainess-turned-heroine in the beautiful Barbara Britton. Add in a semi-realistic setting, a budding romance or two, and a memorable, well-choreographed and surprisingly brutal fist fight between Scott and Lon Chaney Jr.’s character and you’ve got yourself a significantly better than average Western.
The plot revolves around Scott in his portrayal of Cole Armin, who relocates to Albuquerque from Texas to work for his uncle, John Armin (a rather unforgettable villain as portrayed by George Cleveland), in the family freighting business. Turns out Cole’s uncle is crooked and is working to put the local competition, run by brother and sister, Ted and Celia Wallace, out of business. Did I mention the local lawman is on the take as well?
Cole’s a good guy and he’s got a good sidekick in Juke (Hayes), so naturally he tells his uncle off and goes to work for the Wallaces in their fledgling freighting business.
As one might suspect, this turn of events doesn’t please John Armin all that much, so he has his henchman, Steve Murkil, portrayed by an exceptionally well cast, black-hatted, Lon Chaney Jr., cigarette constantly dangling from his mouth, and a recent hire, Letty Tyler (Britton) to plot and to scheme against Cole and the Wallaces.
All of this culminates in the aforementioned fight between Cole Armin and Steve Murkil, a harrowing horse and wagon ride down a mountaintop, and an abbreviated final showdown on the streets of Albuquerque. The good guys win, of course. This was a 1948 Western, not a 1968 one, so there’s really no surprises here.
It is clear from watching Albuquerque is that Scott was beginning to outgrow films like these. No surprise, then, then within a decade, he’d be working with directors such as André de Toth and Budd Boetticher in more, shall we say, serious and engaging Western films.
Still, Albuquerque is not without its charms. Cleveland and Chaney make a good pair of villains that you’re happy to both watch to see what they’ll do next and to root against. Still, when it’s all said and done, sometimes it’s still nice to see the good guy win the fight and save the day. That’s Albuquerque for you.
Editorial Comment: For my own take on this film, check out this post from about three years ago.
June 22nd, 2014 at 7:12 pm
Timing has a lot to do with appreciating, or not, films, novels, art and life in general. I was fairly negative about Albuquerque at the time of the prior review, but ran it about two weeks back, and thoroughly enjoyed it, though still negative about Catherine Craig, thought she at least got through her part well enough.
June 22nd, 2014 at 7:14 pm
Oh, about Barbara Britton’s billing. She sued Paramount, and was accommodated, but they put her name alongside Hayes and Chaney. Scott had to approve this, and obviously did.
June 22nd, 2014 at 7:25 pm
When I started to watch this movie, I was pretty certain I wouldn’t like it. Especially since the beginning is hold-up of a stagecoach. But I watched some more and found myself enjoying it.
I’m not sure the film would have worked as well as it did if Chaney and Cleveland weren’t in it, though.
June 23rd, 2014 at 12:58 pm
Randy did quite a few good westerns in that pre-Boetticher period, including THE WALKING HILLS, CORONER CREEK (with a wonderfully sadistic fight scene!) and MAN IN THE SADDLE.
June 23rd, 2014 at 4:15 pm
Take note too that Coroner Creek is another Luke Short book and Walking Hills Alan Lemay. Short in particular was lucky with film adaptations of his work which also include Blood on the Moon and Vengeance Valley as well as Station West. All superior westerns.
This is a solid B western programmer, but I agree Scott had outgrown these by this point.
June 23rd, 2014 at 6:09 pm
As a straightforward point of interest, Randolph Scott was about to reach the peak of his career, appearing in The Motion Picture Exhibitor’s Poll of top ten box office attractions for consecutive years, 1950-1952. The Boetticher films were all done with the star well into his declining box office stature, and while he never entirely lost that, the inevitable was indelible.
June 24th, 2014 at 4:58 pm
Way too late to be posting this when no one will see it, but Randy was originally offered the lead in HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL.
June 24th, 2014 at 5:23 pm
Richard Boone is permanently etched in my mind as Paladin, as I’m sure is true for everybody else of a certain age, but I can almost see Randolph Scott in the role. You have to wonder “what if,” that’s for sure.
June 24th, 2014 at 9:53 pm
We all saw it Dan.
June 24th, 2014 at 9:57 pm
Dan,
What I should have written, and am doing so now, is keep putting stuff up. It is all good.
June 24th, 2014 at 11:15 pm
I believe there was a reprint series of Luke Short westerns that were turned into films about a decade ago
June 25th, 2014 at 3:22 am
Everyone who worked on HAVE GUN… talks about how hard Richard Boone worked on the show, in terms of stories, casting, production etc. I really really like Scott, but he would probably have simply taken his pay & played golf.
June 25th, 2014 at 1:02 pm
I really don’t think that Randolph Scott seriously considered the TV show, which ran 1957-1963. After 1957, Scott only did 5 more films and retired finally in 1962. He probably was starting to think of retirement in 1957, after all he was 59 and was at the end of his career.
June 25th, 2014 at 9:03 pm
There is a famous story of Scott, that one morning he showed up on set and a new screenwriter handed him blue pages (screenplay updates), at which point Scott took off his costume and make up and went home. A fuming director had to explain you only handed him changes at the end of the day because any earlier and he would go home to learn his lines.
Can’t see that happening on television.
But what’s all this Richard Boone business, everyone knows the finest Paladin was radio’s John Dehner …
Seriously, though I can’t even imagine anyone but Boone as Paladin.
June 26th, 2014 at 10:31 pm
It is absolutely true that Randolph Scott was first choice for Paladin and turned it down. What seems apocryphal is the script page(s) narrative. If so, which I doubt, he would only have been telling them who the boss was.