Roughshod

Director: Mark Robson Mark Robson

Overview

Hovering somewhere between an "A" and "B" production, RKO's Roughshod is an expert blend of western and film noir. Robert Sterling and Claude Jarman Jr. star as young cattleman Clay Phillips and his kid brother Steve. Stalked across the Sonora Pass by an ex-con who has vowed to kill Clay, the brothers find themselves the reluctant escorts for a quartet of stranded dance-hall girls. While the puritanical Clay adopts a strict "hands off" policy, he finds himself falling in love with one of the girls (Gloria Grahame -- the other ladies are played by Martha Hyer, Myrna Dell and Jeff Donnell). The climax is a nail-biting wilderness showdown between the heroes and villain Lednov (John Ireland). On the strength of Roughshod, director Mark Robson was elevated to more prestigious film assignments.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/01/2016
UPC:	0888574368906
Original Release:	1949
Source:	Warner Brothers
Language:	English
Time:	1:28:00
Sales rank:	36,259

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Robert Sterling	Clay Phillips
Gloria Grahame	Mary Wells
Claude Jarman Jr.	Steve Phillips
John Ireland	Lednov
Jeff Donnell	Elaine
Myrna Dell	Helen
Martha Hyer	Marcia
George Cooper	Jim Clayton
Jeff Corey	Jed Graham
Sara Haden	Ma Wyatt
James Bell	Pa Wyatt
Shawn McGlory	Fowler
Robert B. Williams	McCall
Steve Savage	Peters
Edward Cassidy	Sheriff
Paul E. Burns	Mr. Hayes, Storekeeper
Stanley Andrews	Blacksmith
Claude Jarman	Actor
Roy Webb	Composer

Technical Credits

Hugo Butler

Daniel Mainwaring

Richard H. Berger	Producer
Russell A. Cully	Special Effects
Mark Robson	Director
Hugo Butler	Screenwriter
Daniel Mainwaring	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Filmed in the summer of 1947 but kept back from release for nearly two years, this fine Western noir bears the stamp of legendary producer Val Lewton, who had abandoned the project in the early stages. Never much of an actor, former 4-F leading man Robert Sterling is fine here, unshaven, laconic, and looking for all the world like a younger Joel McCrea. Sterling and an excellent supporting cast are well served by Mark Robson's taut direction, which basically let the story tell itself without any fuss whatsoever. A young Gloria Grahame shows a bit of what was in store for movie audiences in the 1950s, and Claude Jarman, Jr. is far less cloying than usual as McCrea's illiterate kid brother. Most surprising, perhaps, is Myrna Dell, a blonde starlet, usually wasted in purely decorative assignments, giving a standout performance as a mercenary saloon girl on the lam. Little known today, Roughshod is definitely one western that deserves a renaissance.

All Movie Guide - Hans J. Wollstein