The Academy Award winning Claudette Colbert didn't find many major film roles after the mid-fifties, content to get juicier parts on the stage and television. This RKO color western wasn't exactly A list, but it fulfills its goal of promoting a strong female character for the veteran star, declaring revenge on the gambler (Barry Sullivan) that made her late father go broke by beating him at his own game, and using that money to go to a small Texas town and claim the newspaper signed over to her father.
She's not exactly welcome finding that there's lots of corruption there. And the fact that she's a woman trying to break into a man's world by running a business create instant enemies for her. The town elders aren't exactly keen on opening up the west, breaking federal laws in order to do so, and surprisingly, it's Sullivan who comes to her aide.
I'll give credit to the writers of the opening theme song. RKO would soon surpass it with the title song of their next big female empowerment western, "The First Traveling Saleslady" as an even worse movie theme. Colbert gets to wear some awesome period clothing, but I found it impossible that her character could afford such a wardrobe, let alone transport it on the open plains. Not bad, and certainly fun, but pretty generic, but not vintage Colbert. Up there with "The Strange Lady in Town" for odd feminist westerns.
She's not exactly welcome finding that there's lots of corruption there. And the fact that she's a woman trying to break into a man's world by running a business create instant enemies for her. The town elders aren't exactly keen on opening up the west, breaking federal laws in order to do so, and surprisingly, it's Sullivan who comes to her aide.
I'll give credit to the writers of the opening theme song. RKO would soon surpass it with the title song of their next big female empowerment western, "The First Traveling Saleslady" as an even worse movie theme. Colbert gets to wear some awesome period clothing, but I found it impossible that her character could afford such a wardrobe, let alone transport it on the open plains. Not bad, and certainly fun, but pretty generic, but not vintage Colbert. Up there with "The Strange Lady in Town" for odd feminist westerns.