Veteran B-movie helmer Lewis Collins beat eminent French director Henri-Georges Clouzot to the punch with his western about Will Bill Elliot and the second actor to play "Batman" trundling wagons loaded with dangerous dynamite through territory infested with angry Native Americans. Allied Artists released "The Homesteaders" roughly a month before "The Wages of Fear" came out, but this above-average, often predictable sagebrusher isn't nearly as suspenseful as Clouzot's riveting epic. Nevertheless, this oater about homesteaders who plan to use dynamite to clear tree stumps and boulders so they can grow crops and raise cattle is substantial enough to warrant attention. Rarely did cowboy actor Wild Bill toil behind a horse and a plow, but then the actor can be seen as expanding his options. Mace Corbin (Wild Bill Elliot) is desperate to make his homestead a success, and he embraces the idea of obtaining surplus U.S. Army explosives to clear his way to a fortune. Corbin's married friend, Clyde Moss (Robert Lowery of "Batman and Robin"), doesn't necessarily share his friend's enthusiasm or his ideals. Instead, Moss wants to use the dynamite for excavating gold, like so many of his former homesteading neighbors have sought to do. None of them ever got their hands on dynamite. Reluctantly, Clyde goes along with Mace's idea, but he contacts the villain, John Kroger (James Seay of "Vera Cruz") and cuts a shady deal with him. Essentially, Clyde plans to double-cross his old friend.
Things turn sour for our heroes after they ride into Fort Churchill and learn from the commanding officer, Colonel Peterson (Ray Walker of " The Blue Gardenia"), that the explosives are faulty. The colonel explains that the dynamite could blow up before a blasting cap is inserted into them. Earlier, Mace had told Clyde that handling the dynamite would pose no problems until the sticks were capped and fused. Our heroes refuse to give up but then encounter another problem. Where can they find men to help them get the explosives back to their property. Peterson offers to discharge several soldiers in the guard house early so they can help our heroes transport the explosives. These men display reluctance when they learn that the dynamite is so defective that it could explode at any moment. Nevertheless, with the few prospects for other jobs, this motley collection of manpower decides to sign on with Mace and Clyde to escort the explosives across rocky terrain.
Predictably, a couple of bad apples keep things interesting, and Wild Bill has to rely on his fists to keep these ruffians in line. Late in this 62 minute horse opera, marauding Native Americans attack the wagon train and one of the wagons vanishes in a might explosion. Afterward, Clyde confesses to his perfidy, but Kroger and his men attack, and Clyde is responsible for shooting Kroger down. Clyde and Wild Bill reconcile and they ride off with the survivors into the sunset to embark on a new life.
Things turn sour for our heroes after they ride into Fort Churchill and learn from the commanding officer, Colonel Peterson (Ray Walker of " The Blue Gardenia"), that the explosives are faulty. The colonel explains that the dynamite could blow up before a blasting cap is inserted into them. Earlier, Mace had told Clyde that handling the dynamite would pose no problems until the sticks were capped and fused. Our heroes refuse to give up but then encounter another problem. Where can they find men to help them get the explosives back to their property. Peterson offers to discharge several soldiers in the guard house early so they can help our heroes transport the explosives. These men display reluctance when they learn that the dynamite is so defective that it could explode at any moment. Nevertheless, with the few prospects for other jobs, this motley collection of manpower decides to sign on with Mace and Clyde to escort the explosives across rocky terrain.
Predictably, a couple of bad apples keep things interesting, and Wild Bill has to rely on his fists to keep these ruffians in line. Late in this 62 minute horse opera, marauding Native Americans attack the wagon train and one of the wagons vanishes in a might explosion. Afterward, Clyde confesses to his perfidy, but Kroger and his men attack, and Clyde is responsible for shooting Kroger down. Clyde and Wild Bill reconcile and they ride off with the survivors into the sunset to embark on a new life.