This ranks as one of the best B westerns that I have ever seen, filled with a believable dramatic plot, complex characters, some frantic comedy and even a couple of songs. Rex Allen has arrived in Colorado from Texas to assure his light above the neck pal Slim Pickens gets his share of an estate he has been promised. The only issue are the other heirs, which includes easterner Mary Ellen Kay and the unscrupulous June Vincent, one of the few female western villains I've ever seen. Her motive concerns logging rights, allegedly involving a tree killing beetle.There's a terrific characterization by Louise Beavers, stealing every moment as Kay's companion. With a huge heart and feisty demeanor, she's more than willing to risk her life for Ms. Kay. When one of the villains confronts her over a letter she received and is holding for Allen, it takes a shocking turn, especially concerning their beloved terrier who in an early scene set Kay and Beaver's unmanned carriage running wild thanks to spooked horses. A feisty goat also goes for laughs, getting targets in the butts of both Pickens and Beavers. You won't soon forget the sight of Pickens in "Charley's Aunt" drag as the talking brooch he carries. Dark lady Vincent certainly is also fascinating, basically the Lady Macbeth of the old west, stopping at nothing to get control of the entire valley. When genre like this take on the dark themes that makes the legitimate theater so powerful, that automatically raises the bar for me.

As if to underscore my summary line above, this film features some wild and fast paced action scenes via stagecoach, buckboard and horse chase. One in particular, Rex Allen's ride into town with black maid Mattie (Louise Beavers) is so over the top, you could almost accuse him of reckless endangerment. But you could tell they were both having a good time; when Mattie shoves Rex's hat down on his head, he has all he can do from cracking up in a fit of laughter. Check it out the split second he uncovers his face.The film offers another unique sequence not typical of your average 'B' oater. When lost brother Dusty Hurley (John Daheim) confronts Mattie at the Reynolds ranch house, they get into an altercation and he SHOOTS her! Then, with pet dog Manhattan giving chase to the villain, Dusty turns and fires on the pup! He has got to be one of the meanest low down skunks in Western history!The story itself pits the dastardly Hurley clan against Jackie Reynolds (Mary Ellen Kay) and Slim Pickens, who find themselves as co-heirs of a huge ranch and timber land from Uncle Ezekiah. It's ranchers versus timber interests with the U.S. Forestry Department caught in the middle of a bark beetle scam that the Hurley's claim to be destroying the forest. If ruled in their favor, the Hurley's stand to make a fortune with their reopened mill operation.There's just about an emergency at every turn, with Rex using a variety of running mounts to ride Koko to the rescue. He uses a hitching post and a tree stump along with a few other maneuvers to swing into action. Conversely, it was kind of unusual to see Slim Pickens actually fall down trying to dismount his still moving horse during Allen's stage coach save early in the picture.Say, keep an eye on the scene when Rex and the sheriff ride into town to inspect the Hurley Mill office. When they get off their horses, the animals are left to move along on their own in the street. However when both men leave the office after finding the letter addressed to Allen, the horses are tied to a hitching post. You know, maybe the town WAS haunted!With all the shifting action between heroes and villains, the story even finds enough time to throw in a raging thunder storm to further highlight the ranchers plight. I thought it a bit surreal though for Rex and his pals, the Republic Rhythm Riders, to burst into a version of 'Down by the Riverside' as they throw down their sand bags to fight a break in the town levee. No more surreal though, then 'Ma' Pickens giving advice to her son via his pocket watch heirloom!

Siblings Carrie and Daniel Hurley are trying to start up their timber mill by trying to have all the trees in the valley chopped despite the fact the forest rangers saying it will hurt the ranchers by exposing the land to erosion and flash floods. They also inherit a ranch with timber that can be cut down, but find themselves coheirs with Jacqueline Reynolds, arriving from the east, and Slim Pickens, coming from Texas with his ranch foreman Rex Allen. The Hurleys try to buy out Jacqueline and Slim's portions of the ranch claiming that the trees are infected with a blight and must be cut down, which will ruin the property, but Rex and Mattie, Jacqueline's maid, go stop them from signing the document. The Hurley's next plan is to have their younger brother, Dusty (a black sheep even for this family) impersonate a forestry official (using the documents of an official poisoned by the Hurleys) to order the trees cut down. Rex writes the forestry department for advice on the matter, and his letter is stolen by Dusty, who takes it back to Carrie, who poisons him to prevent him from telling Rex of their scheme. The Hurleys accuse Rex of Dusty's murder, but he is called to prevent rains from flooding the valley. Excellent entry in the Rex Allen series with plenty of action and great direction from director Witney. The script could have used some work in the beginning since the Hurley's motives at the beginning (before they inherit the ranch) aren't clearly explained. The film has a bunch of great fights including Rex vs. Graham (Daniel Hurley) started by Rex throwing a punch while riding past him on Koko. Pickens and Beavers (Mattie) both give good comic relief performances here. An all around winner. Rating, based on B westerns, 10.

One of director William Witney's later works, the film features much of the above average action scenes Witney is noted for. Rex Allen and Slim Pickens provide their usual journeymen performances. Stuntman/heavy Fred Graham is featured in this film - giving him probably more lines than in any other film he appeared in. Rear screen special effects are used throughout - and they reflect the low budget that was given to action, westerns during the early 50s. Additionally, the script is one of the weaker ones of the Rex Allen films. The story turns on the results of what would be a "very sophisticated medical autopsy" in this day and time "performed by a country doctor in his office" in a matter of hours.