There was something special about the dependable Randolph Scott, in his early days he could turn his talents to just about anything (a bit like Joel McCrea). When his romantic lead days were over he fitted perfectly into the Western genre and remained a stalwart into a healthy old age. I looked forward to finding a better than average vehicle for Mr Scott in 'A Lawless Street' and for the first 20mins was almost convinced it might be delivered. There were good one liners and some depthy observations about the character of pending evil. It even featured some very strong cinematography where it was obvious the D.O.P and director were working very well together. Some well staged action scenes also gave it a little more class. Then, sadly it all came to gruelling stop - the tired ole clichés were trolled out and dialog sounded like it was being lifted from a dozen sub-par TV westerns. It was as if the filmmakers had been told they were over budget and the film's release date had been moved forward. As for Scott's leading lady, a surprisingly good looking Angela Lansbury - who did a saucy saloon number in a revealing costume - also seemed above average for this movie. But here again, the script left her fumbling to convince and, she was simply far too young for the aging marshal. Some other better than average co-stars performed believably but overall, the cardboard characters and banal script - left it all in the lower B western category. Pity, I had hoped for a better outcome. Still, maybe one day I'll find a decent copy of "Westbound" - another Scott western with quality co-stars and some reasonable writing that fared better than most but, is rarely found available in any form of 'Studio Quality' DVD. Warner Archives anyone?

Marshal Randolph Scott is the only thing standing between the town of Medicine Bend and lawlessness. Corrupt businessmen in town hire gunmen to get Scott out of the way. Meanwhile, Scott's estranged wife Angela Lansbury shows up, having left him years before due to his violent lifestyle.Scott and Lansbury are fine. Solid support from Wallace Ford, Jeanette Nolan, and Michael Pate. One of Jean Parker's last movies. She's reduced to a minor part as a married woman having an affair with one of the villains. Predictable western. A couple of nice action scenes. Nothing special but a decent time-passer. Ending is pretty flat.

Posters' reactions to A Lawless Street divide sharply between most who think it's a comfortable classic and a few who complain of its poor writing and flat acting. I'm a considerable Randolph Scott fan, and Angela Lansbury looks great in her tight period costumes, but there's little chemistry and their script doesn't help. The theme of civilizing the west is respectable, with the town as "beast" a fair metaphor, but aside from horses and drinking, the words don't become flesh as Columbia earns its rep as the cheap studio. The only interesting part of the writing is the names: Calem, Asaph, Harley. The score is strangely inappropriate, and the second half seems rushed compared to the building of character in the first half. The populous cast is of some talent and interest, but some characters look alike and appear after such long intervals that they're hard to tell apart. Still and all, Scott has the power of his generation to turn any part into his trademark character of integrity, and Angela seems like a visitor from another planet or studio.

Randolph Scott is the town marshal like Gary Cooper in High Noon. Only instead of four guys coming to town to kill the marshal because of an old grudge, here we have a trio of villains, Warner Anderson, John Emery, and Michael Pate. The first two have been hiring folks to do in Scott because they want a wide open and lawless town for the saloon business. They've finally settled on Pate who does beat Scott to the draw and folks think he's been killed. Warner Anderson is a particularly smarmy villain. He's got designs on Angela Lansbury who's a touring musical performer in town for a few performances. He's also been romancing the wife of the biggest rancher in the area played by Jean Parker and he says openly that it was only for his own amusement. That remark costs him dear in the movie later on.Scott has a particularly brutal fight scene with Don Megowan who's the brother of a man Scott kills in the first 15 minutes of the film. Ranks up there with his classic brawls with John Wayne in The Spoilers and Pittsburgh. I remember a Gunsmoke episode years ago where this particular plot line was used. Someone beats Matt Dillon to the draw and Doc Adams pretends he's dead and in the meantime works furiously to save his life. Here that role is taken by town doctor Wallace Ford. Both Randolph Scott and James Arness live to best the villain, but the story is how in both cases and I won't say more.A good cast of veteran Hollywood performers makes A Lawless Street a pleasure to watch. And Angela Lansbury has a musical number. What's better than that?