User Reviews

Although I only saw this film once (when it was released 50 years ago), it is one of my favorite Randolph Scott westerns. The combination of a turbulent setting (Quantrill's murderous raid on Lawrenceville, Kansas, and post Civil War Kansas ) and the main character's efforts to atone for his wartime actions by keeping the peace in a violence prone Kansas cow town rank it even with or better than Scott's later films directed by the acclaimed director, Budd Boetticher.

Directed by Edwin L. Marin and written by Frank Gruber, Fighting Man of the Plains stars Randolph Scott, Victor Jory and Jane Nigh. Music is by Paul Sawtell and cinematography by Fred Jackman Jr.

A solid and sturdy Marin and Scott Oater that finds Scott as an ex Quantrill raider assuming the identity of a dead detective in a post Civil War Lanyard, Kansas. Proving himself as a fellow made of stern stuff, he's quickly appointed Marshal and begins to clean up the town, but his past is sure to catch up with him...

Without breaking any new ground this still manages to get the key ingredients right in the name of entertainment. The script is sharp, the performances equally so (Jory is excellent), and Marin being the good old pro that he was, pushes things along at a good clip.

There's a lot going on in Lanyard, with various underhand plottings and a few vengeful motivations. While of course there's some simmering passion waiting to explode. The many key characterisations are richly born out, the action healthy, and there's even a couple of surprises along the way to keep the plotting interesting.

A couple of errors out there in the intranet universe need correcting. Some have it that Dale Robertson as Jesse James plays a big part in the cleaning up of Lanyard (yes Jesse is kind of a good bad guy here), but he doesn't as he's barely in it, but he does have a key scene to play in pics finale. So fans of Robertson, in what is believed to be his first credited role, should take that on board.

Secondly. I read a review that states Jory's Dave Oldham character is one of the shifty villains of the piece! He really isn't, he's firmly a friend and ally to Jim Dancer (AKA: Marshal Cummings), and it is he who is the one helping to clean up Lanyard. Another thing of note, filmed in Cinecolor, there seems to only be black and white prints of the movie available to view? Which is actually OK as the print I saw had that late 40s noirish vibe to the photography, but you would like to have the option of seeing the colour print for sure. 7/10

One of the nice things about FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS is seeing VICTOR JORY in a role where he's playing the hero's friend rather than a villain. It's an above average RANDOLPH SCOTT western that was apparently filmed originally in Cinecolor but the TCM print is in B&W.

Scott is a man running from his past who is mistaken for the lawman who captured him but got killed along the way to bringing Scott to justice. We learn later that Scott was justified in killing a man in self-defense and did not deserve a reputation as a lawless outlaw.

He proves such a good shot when attacked by a town bully, that the townspeople appoint him sheriff of a small Kansas town, post-Civil War 1870s. He's able to keep that disguise for most of the story, until some of the crooked elements in town find out his true identity and make trouble for him before he can explain what happened.

The whole story has a pleasant Zane Grey feeling about it--although it's an original one written for the screen. BILL WILLIAMS is cast against type as a villain and JANE NIGH is the romantic interest as Jory's business partner.

Plenty of action and a colorful story combine to make a good Randolph Scott western worth catching. DALE ROBERTSON is introduced as Jesse James, a man who comes to Scott's rescue when the going gets tough.

I was just 6 years old when I saw "Fighting Man of the Plains"...my parents took me and my sisters to a drive-in movie in Indianapolis, Indiana. We used to go to the drive-in about once a month, because it was the best way for a young family to get a night out. What I remember most about the film is that rather early-on Randolph Scott is under arrest, and he and the lawman are taking a small raft-like ferry across some water, when a horse rears-up and its hoof smashes the lawman in the face. The movie was in color, and the close-up of the bloody face was mesmerizing. Randolph Scott then assumed the lawman's identity and went on to bring law and order to a lawless Kansas town. I grew-up to become a successful television news anchor/reporter and video producer...but I would love to see "Fighting Man of the Plains" again. It was a seminal moment in my childhood, and forever marked Randolph Scott...and westerns...as some of my favorite movie fare.

If you can set aside the implicit CSA sympathies (Quantrell's Lawrence pre-dawn ambush/massacre was "just war"), this is a solid, quick oater.

A little more complicated than most, greed, skullduggery, honor, betrayals, loyalties, and gun play (not to Peckinpah levels, but enough) abound here.

The script is tight and never lags. The acting and direction are top notch - Paul Fix's turn as Yancy, for example, could easily have slid to caricature but never does. Most of the men characters have some surprises and three-dimensionality to them. Unfortunately the women characters are strictly two-dimensional.

"Fighting Man of the Plains" has its flaws - the redeemable outlaw's past is whitewashed, Jim Dancer would never be so slow to reach his weapon (except as needed to advance the plot) and, as mentioned above, the women are cliché. Still, overall, it is 90 minutes well spent.

An unusual, slightly quirky Randolph Scott western with Scott playing a reformed outlaw keeping the peace with more amiable roles than usual for Victor Jory and Berry Kroger, and Jane Nigh as a rather equivocal female lead. There are also brief appearances by Dale Robertson with an introducing credit as Jesse James and James Griffith making an even briefer appearance in the opening scene as the despicable William Clarke Quantrill.

Randolph Scott plays a bit of a poacher-cum-gamekeeper in this western adventure. Here, he ("Dancer") starts off riding with the infamous Capt. Quantrill during the American Civil War. He is misled by his cohort "Yancey" (Paul Fix) into believing that an old man they encounter in Kansas killed his father, so he does for him too. It soon turns out, though, that it was the deceased man's brother that did the deed, and by now "Dancer" is being sought by the authorities. When he is apprehended, serendipity take a fateful hand as his captor is accentually killed and he assumes his identity, Next thing, he's a town marshal and a battle royal is shaping up between his new found friends and his old protagonist "Slocum" (Barry Kelley). The sequential nature of the story telling keeps the action coming thick and fast, and Scott does an adequate job. The rest of the cast are neither here nor there, though - especially the really rather lacklustre Jane Nigh ("Florence") and an oddly un-menacing "Tancred" (Bill Williams). Still, its almost bang on 90 minutes, and makes for a perfectly watchable western feature with plenty going on.

Renowned western novelist Frank Gruber wrote the script of FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS (1949) based on his own book. It tells the story of Jim Dancer (Randolph Scott), a fugitive outlaw who'd been part of Captain William Quantrill's infamous raid on Lawrence, Kansas on August 21, 1863. Dancer is apprehended by a "Pleasanton" (read: Pinkerton) detective who is then killed in an accident, allowing Dancer to take his identity and wind up in Lanyard, Kansas, where he's pressured into taking the job of Marshal after fearlessly subduing some rowdy cowboys. It's a fairly corrupt town, but the new Marshal does a good job of keeping the peace and gets aid from some unexpected quarters at the local gambling hall.

The script is awash in simmering undercurrents, including the fact that the man who owns the town, Slocum (Barry Kelley), had killed Dancer's brother during the war, and Dancer had killed Slocum's brother in response during the Lawrence raid. Slocum's niece (Joan Taylor), who'd witnessed the killing of her father a decade earlier, lives with her uncle but fails to recognize Dancer as the culprit and begins to fall for him. Meanwhile the gambling saloon owner, Oldham (Victor Jory), finds his voluptuous partner, Florence (Jane Nigh), falling for Dancer as well. Eventually, Slocum alienates both the local cattlemen and the railroad company through his efforts to control all the land around town and a showdown is inevitable. At one point, a detective from Chicago shows up, summoned by the suspicious Slocum, to see if "Marshal Cummings" (Dancer's new identity), is indeed his old detective buddy. To make matters worse, Slocum's got cocky young gunslinger Johnny Tancred (Bill Williams) in his pocket, ready to take over when the tide turns. Dancer has his own ace in the hole, however, thanks to his old wartime associations. The finale offers a clear violation of the Production Code, but I can see where the blurred lines between good and bad, lawman and lawbreaker, "respectable" and disreputable could have easily confused the censors.

Lots of stuff happens in the movie and the cast of characters is quite colorful. Things never slow down and surprises come at us pretty quickly. I had a great time watching this. I never felt it getting too far-fetched for me. The cast includes plenty of old hands at this kind of thing (Scott, Jory, Paul Fix, Douglas Kennedy) and a few new hands (Taylor, Nigh, Williams) and they're all good. Jory is particularly awesome. He comes off initially as his patented oily gambler, but he proudly defies our expectations. Future western star Dale Robertson appears as Jesse James in his first credited role. He has only two scenes—one good one and one great one. Film noir regulars Barry Kelley and Berry Kroeger are both on hand, one as a bad guy and one who'll surprise you.

I watched this on TCM, which showed a black-and-white print of a Cinecolor film. I hope someone finds a color print and releases it on DVD.

In Fighting Man of the Plains Randolph Scott is a former member of Quantrill's Raiders who kills Barry Kelley's brother during the Civil War and Kelley is hot to get him. He privately hires the Pleasanton (Pinkerton) Detective Agency to track him down. Pleasanton man James Millican does succeed in capturing Scott after several years.

But a funny thing happens on the way back. Millican gets himself killed and Scott takes his identity. As a Pleasanton Man with law enforcement experience and being fast on the draw in any event, he's a natural to bring some law and order to the new trail town of Lanyerd, Kansas. Of course Randy gets himself hip deep in the various political factions and even runs across his old enemy, Barry Kelley.

It's a rather complex situation, but the writers did come up with an interesting resolution of the plot for Randy. It does involve Scott having good friends in low places.

Fighting Man of the Plains was the first film where Dale Robertson got noticed and Dale plays real life Quantrill veteran Jesse James. You could tell that Dale was going to have a substantial career.

Best performance in the film however without a doubt is that of Bill Williams of young on the prod gunfighter in Kelley's employ. He proves a bit too much for Kelley to handle.

Victor Jory appeared in many post war Randolph Scott films usually as a bad guy. It was unusual to see him as Scott's friend in this film. I also enjoyed Rhys Williams as the moneygrubbing justice of the peace.

Fighting Man of the Plains is one of Randolph Scott's better post World War II westerns. Don't miss it if broadcast again.

This is a real humdinger of a western. The plot and dialogue move along quickly, with no time wasted on unlikely romance or saloon song. On the contrary, this tight little gem centers fully and solely on the great Randolph Scott. Here, Scott is at his lean, trim, handsomest best; the director senses this, and the film is noteworthy for featuring a number of lovely, soft, lingering close-ups of Randolph's grim face. To me, this is a wonderful touch and a delightful tribute to one the Westerns' greatest stars.

The co-stars are fine as well, but they definitely play second fiddle to Scott. One unexpected twist involves the town's "tinhorn" gambler, played by Victor Jory. Jory is the only member of the town to recognize Scott as a wanted outlaw, and is certainly in a position to blackmail him; however, in a quite unusual development, Jory chooses to befriend Scott, and remains his loyal friend to the end.

"Fighting Man on the Plains" is the perfect late-40's Western, a fully mature old-fashioned good-guys vs. bad-guys bit of adult theatre, a genre film crafted to its full potential; and it sets the stage nicely for the more psychologically complex Westerns of the 50's.

Highly recommended for lovers of Westerns.

When you have Randolph Scott, you don't need much else, but "Fighting Man of the Plains" has everything.

Frank Gruber was a darn good writer of often very gritty stories. He wrote more than one story about Jesse James, a character who figures in this movie, too.

There is a rough realism in his stories, and that has translated beautifully in this film, thanks in part to Gruber's also writing the screenplay, and thanks to excellent directing by Edwin L. Marin, and thanks especially to a superlative cast.

One mark of a well-written and -directed film is the realism of the interaction of minor characters.

Another mark of a great movie is the number of speaking and participating characters, even with relatively small parts.

In "Fighting Man of the Plains," watch the anonymous characters, such as the blacksmith who's asked for directions, and the bartender who passes on messages and serves meals. In lesser films, they might get to nod or maybe point, but in a great film, such as this one, they speak and participate in what's going on.

Look for, for example, the great John Hamilton, and the great Paul Fix as a sleazy, vile character. Watch, too, for such greats as Lou Nova and Kermit Maynard. And not one of them gets screen credit! This is a great movie, extremely well done, and I urge you to see it.

If doing the right thing were easy, we would not need the movies. Nor would we need writers so brilliant as to think of telling the truth. As this movie shows so well, we all lie and we all tell the truth; the difference between right and wrong is not so much what we do but when we choose to do it.

When a crook tells a lie and it is still somehow the truth, we are amazed. When a stalwart citizen tells the truth and it is still somehow a lie, we are even more amazed and still somehow not surprised. Why is that? Probably because we are, if you will excuse the expression, Americans. We believe in truth but we know the truth is often a lie. We believe in nothing except justice even when it is illegal. We have no way to explain that; we just know we have no choice. Our only real problem is that we continually need to be reminded. Watch crook Randolph Scott become a lawman, better than the best, and you will be reminded.

After a fast start, this western settles into what amounts to a plot-heavy gab fest. I'm afraid fans expecting hard-riding, fast-shooting, or scenic horizons, are going to be disappointed. Not that everything is downside. No western with the great Randy Scott can be overlooked; also, perennial bad guy Victor Jory gets to essay a good guy, for a change. And, I really like Bill Williams as a boyishly unlikely gunsel. Then add pudgy, squinty-eyed Barry Kelley as the lead black hat, and it's a fine cast.

Too bad indie producer Nat Holt apparently spent everything on casting since it left him little for filming outside of studio sets. This results in a basically 'indoor' western with some action in the streets. Maybe that's the result of adapting Gruber's novel to the screen and leaving little out. So you may need a scorecard to keep up with all the characters and plot developments.

One thing to notice— how county officials are really being shown as in on the graft. I love that scene where justice of the peace (Williams) gouges penalty money out of anyone who dares speak up and then splits it up with his cronies. That's certainly no western cliché. All in all, the movie's long on complex story but short on traditional outdoor visuals. Still, even here, no one looks more the western hero than the iron-jawed Scott.

Director Edwin L. Marin does a terrific job with FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS.

The only reason I do not award this exceptional Western full marks is that the written prologue and start to the film are a little bit slow. However, the moment Pleasanton Agency Detective George Cummings detains Jim Dancer and they go aboard a raft in vicious river waters, you are on a roller coaster to the end, with Jesse James turning up just in time to assist a fellow criminal in trouble.

Superb cinematography for a B Western, superior cast (starting off with the great James Millican in a tiny part as the detaining agent) and scintillating script, with sharp dialogue full of sizzling one-liners and Scott's deafening silences.

DARNED GOOD! Don't miss it!

Scott plays Jim Dancer, one of Quantrill's Raiders, staging attacks on Kansas on behalf of the fallen Confederacy in the years following the Civil War. During one raid, Dancer kills the man he holds responsible for the death of his brother. The dead man was innocent, and Dancer becomes a fugitive. Months later, he resurfaces, under a stolen identity, as the Marshal of a lawless Kansas town. With the help of another social outcast, Jesse James (Dale Robertson), Dancer begins to restore order. But the crooked District Attorney isn't overly fond of the new Marshal and his law abiding methods and Dancer's past comes back to haunt him...

"Fighting Man of the Plains" is a very plot-centered film in which a lot happens, and there's a small modicum of gunplay but there's more suspense (especially around the fact that daughter of the man Scott had killed might recognise him) and intrigue and good characterisation. It's a solid western, well acted all around. Scott is his usual unperturbable self as the fugitive-cum-sheriff Jim Dancer. Victor Jory, who plays a gambler is excellent as usual and Bill Williams plays the gun thug and does it well. Dale Robertson can be seen in his first major role as Jesse James, who helps the hero. Seen this back in the early nineties on UK Tv on Channel Four.