Carson City is a western that has an easy, but enjoyable story-line to follow. Randolph Scott pleases in his role as a engineer, taking on the assignment of constructing the railroad between Carson City and Viriginia City. However, he encounters plenty of objection and division from the residents of Carson City. Now add in the bad guys, a group of outlaws, dubbed the Champagne Bandits for their serving the bubbly drink to those they rob. Raymond Massey makes the most of his role as the gangs suave leader. Pretty actress Lucille Norman plays the girl with romantic feelings towards Scott. The film ends with a showdown between Scott and Massey. Carson City moves at a satisfying pace, with your typical saloon brawls and other action packed western activities. The color is not vivid as technicolor and the cinematography is average, but it does not distract from the performance of the actors. The combination of Scott and Massey in this film is superb, and Lucille Norman lights up the screen with her pretty blonde tresses. If you are a fan of Westerns from the early 1950s and Randolph Scott, I suggest Carson City is well worth watching.

Early 50's..still thrilled with re-telling stories of the old west..a lot of us couldn't' wait for the next western to be released..whether it was Johnny Mack Brown or Wild Bill Elliott..or Hopalong Cassidy..we didn't care..but we all had our favorites..or whether they were shooting 8 or 10 shots from a 6 shooter without re-loading..it was all good fun..but when certain actors showed up in a western we seemed to pay a little more attention because these guys seemed authentic..James Stewart, Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Henry Fonda..for me it was Randolph Scott and Joel McRea..now with Carson City, we have Randolph Scott who always wanted to see the other side of the mountain and meets up with his brother..the stable kind of guy with a regular job and a girl that Scott hasn't seen since she was 16 and admits to having a big crush on way back then..he's in town to build a railroad..a faster, easier way to ship all that gold coming out of the mines..Raymond Massey as the mine owner with no gold..but he always has plenty of it..you guess where it's all coming from..hold ups by a gang called the Champaigne Bandits because those robbed are well treated..fried chicken lunch and Champaigne for their troubles..there is animosity between the town folk and the railroad crews.. And a pretty good fight between Scott and one of his men in the saloon..pretty well staged..the girl in question has never gotten over Scott and she has never thought of his brother in that way..they both work for her father publishing the town newspaper until he is killed..it's got to be the railroad people, right? The way it ends reminds me of the Errol Flynn/Olivia Dehaviland western from 1939..Dodge City when someone proclaims that their railroad building days are over only to have their mind changed by a good woman..all in all there is plenty of action..some romance..some wolves in sheeps' clothing.. A good story made better with Scott..

No need to repeat the plot. I'm surprised Warner Bros. didn't introduce Warnercolor by going to a scenic location like the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona. Instead, they took a cheaper route, filming in the scrubby hills of greater LA. Otherwise, it's a pretty routine entry in the Randoph Scott sweepstakes. Casting him as a railroad engineer is novel, at the same time, the tunnel collapse furnishes some unusual suspense for a western. The buckboard crash is spectacular even for a sagebrush staple like buckboard crashes. However, the plot's a little overcrowded for my liking, while the powerful Raymond Massey is pretty much wasted in a role any number of lesser actors could have handled. Then too, director De Toth films in straightforward fashion, unlike the beautifully wrought intrigue of his western masterpiece, Ramrod (1947). All in all, it's a decent oater, but for a Randy Scott feature, it's nothing special.

This is the earliest of Scott's films I've seen. The iconic Scott character is a Renaissance man- part engineer, miner, cowboy, gunfighter, bar-fighter and older brother. He's pretty good at every role and has time to land the leading lady. First time I've seen Scott land the leading lady, I was beginning to wonder. Raymond Massey here as the lead villain with a fondness for Champagne but without the prescription. Scott proves to be Dr. Kill Dare to Massey. I liked all the non cowboy action in this flick, but I'm not jumping into any mines. If I did, I'd take Scott with me, cause he's a never let em see you sweat guy even if the mine is set to give its occupants the shaft.Any fan of RS should enjoy this flick bridging the old & new West. There are some minor players with faces you'll remember from A&C, Superman or early TV.