The basic plot much reminds me of at least 2 of Scott's later, better remembered, films. both directed by Budd Boettricher: "Seven Men from Now" and "Ride Lonesome". In each of these films, Scott is obsessed with engineering vengeance upon the killer or tormentor of his wife or , in the present case, betrothed. Don't expect much in the way of humor or music. In strict keeping with Chris Danning's(Scott) creed of 'an eye for an eye', and yet , in keeping with admirer Kate's alternative creed of "Vengeance is Mine. I will repay", neither his betrothed nor the man(Younger Miles)Scott blames for her death technically die at the hands of another. The one is a suicide (presumably a reaction to being molested by Miles and perhaps his Apache accomplices), the other an accidental fall while Scott is hunting him in a dark livery stable. Otherwise, there are a goodly number of mostly senseless murders, mostly clustered near the beginning and ending. Yes,, the coroner of Coroner Creek should have been quite busy for a little while. In the beginning, Scott doesn't know the name or looks of his fiancée's tormentor. However, he finds one of the Apaches involved in the stage hold up, who gives a sufficient description, but minus a name.One of the distinctive physical characteristics of this man is a long scar on his right cheek. this didn't have to be faked, as George Macready already had such a scar. It's never explained why he seems to have an affinity with the Apache, learning their language, to the point that his thoroughly inebriated wife mumbles something in an Apache language, giving Scott an important validation of his presumption of Miles as the man he's been looking for. Scott keeps everyone guessing about the reason for his dislike of Miles until their finale confrontation. Forest Tucker plays Ernie: Mile's right hand man, who gets into several altercations with Scott. In one, he breaks Scott's right hand while Scott is out cold. After just a little while, , with the help of his friend, Scott turns the tables and breaks Ernie's right hand(now making Ernie Miles' left hand man?) Relating to their shooting accuracy, shouldn't be that big a deal from fairly chose range. Ironically, although it's Miles that Scott wants to hurt, it's actually Ernie whom he periodically tangles with physically, and the only one of the gang whom Scott kills directly. In this shootout, Scott has female admirer Kathy with him. She contributes to the proceedings by firing a pistol while looking away, managing to hit something that falls on the other badman(Stew), knocking him out, thus enabling him to be used as a human shield in confronting Miles, while conforming to her creed of letting God take the lead in the business of vengeance.Miles is your stereotypical 'town boss', who has stooped to much more crooked means of obtaining his position than anyone is aware off. Actually, his empire seems to consist of land and cattle, rather than town-based operations. Judging by his behavior in the stage hold up, he reveals himself as a senseless murderer, as all the men on or in the stagecoach are shot dead, even without resisting.(Strangely, Miles doesn't cover his face with a mask, although we are not given a look). Later, he orders or carries out the murder of several men who want to get in the way of his operation or plans.There are 4 women who play significant roles. Ironically, the one whose fate precipitates the rest of the story goes nameless, and is not even included in the credits at this site. Danning's(Scott) fiancée is very briefly seen in the stagecoach and utters not a word.....Kate is the manager of the hotel where Scott initially hangs up his hat in Coroner Creek. Clearly she very soon marks him as a very unusual and trustworthy cowboy, trusting him with driving the inebriated Mrs. Miles home from the hotel. Seems Mrs. Miles is distraught over her husband's suspected infidelities and criticisms. Her father(played by Edgar Buchanan) is the stereotypical bought sheriff, who looks the other way when confronted with one of Miles' transgressions. the inimical Buchanan had played a very similar role a cowardly lawman in the previous Scott western "Abilene Town" . ..The 4th woman is Della Harms: a redheaded widow who runs the next biggest ranch in the area, hence is an object of Miles' illegal activities. Although she makes a play for Scott, whom she quickly makes her foreman, clearly he favors the younger, blue-eyed, raven -haired Kate.As with the previous Scott western released in '48 : "Albuquerque",this was filmed in the budget "Cinecolor", which cost much less to film than Technicolor, for example, but has some off-color issues. Scott's '50 "The Nevadan" was also filmed in Cinecolor. George Macready and Forest Tucker returned for their roles as Scott's chief nemesis, albeit in a more complex plot setting. I somewhat prefer that film over this one.As in the case of "Albuquerque", this film was partly shot in the spectacular -looking Sedona, AZ region and partly in southern CA, and both were directed by Ray Enright.

Stalwart western hero Randolph Scott is at his stalwart best in "Coroner Creek" - and it wasn't directed by the overrated Budd Boetticher. Scott is a man of action as he attempts to avenge the killing of his fiancée at the hands of George MacReady in one of his most villainous roles. As mentioned, the emphasis is on action; the exasperating Boetticher often put one of Hollywood's best cowboy stars in complex psychological situations while forgoing Scott's long suit.In "Coroner Creek", Scott is surrounded by three women who manage to slow down the story by their presence; Marguerite Chapman as a moralizing hotel owner, Sally Eilers as a widowed ranch owner, and Barbara Read as Macready's dipso wife. But the storyline is so good that you can overlook these interruptions and await his next confrontation with baddies. There are gunfights and fistfights enough to satisfy the most avid action fan, including a left-handed fist fight with Forrest Tucker (you'll have to watch it for more info). I liked this one enough to rate it an eight.

Out in the remote Southwest a stagecoach his held up by renegade Apache Indians led by a mysterious white man. All bar one of the passengers are killed, the other, a female, is taken as captive but takes her own life rather than suffer any more indignities. That woman was the fiancée of cowboy Chris Denning, who upon learning of the news vows revenge and goes in search of the mysterious leader. A search that takes him to the small town of Coroner Creek...Coroner Creek doesn't mess about, it's a tough, no nonsense Oater that may have flecks of humour, and pretty gal familiarity's, but most assuredly thrives on its darkly revenge driven core. Directed by Ray Enright and starring genre supremo Randolph Scott as Denning, Coroner Creek is adapted by Kenneth Gamet from the novel written by Luke Short. Very much following the old biblical thematic of "an eye for an eye", Enright's film, produced by Harry Brown, boasts rousing fist fights, simmering sexual tensions and a riveting finale.Scott is terrific, as he mostly always is in these genre pieces. Denning's sense of pain and hunger for revenge is perfectly brought home to the viewers by Scott, an actor who has the ability to express so much with darkened eyes and a down-turned mouth. And of course more crucially, Scott brings believability to his characters. You really wouldn't know he was 50 years of age whilst making this picture, such is the gusto he puts into the role. He's backed up by George Macready doing a solid line in scar faced villainy, the always enjoyable Wallace Ford as Denning's newly formed confidante Andy West, while Sally Eiles and Marguerite Chapman fill the important female roles with professional turns.On the minor downside is the use of Cinecolor, a two colour process that fails to bring Fred Jackman's cinematography to life, whilst simultaneously giving the actors an odd looking sheen. DVD and TV viewers may find they have to tone down a couple of hues on this one to find a decent colour balance. Still it be a fine genre entry and one that is a must see for Randy Scott enthusiasts. 8/10

"Coroner Creek" marked a departure for Randolph Scott in the character he plays. He usually played square-jawed righteous heros with a clear set of moral values. In this film he plays a character bent solely on revenge, even to the point of almost shooting the villain in the back as he tries to escape. He is driven by hate and has few if any redeeming qualities. Scott is on the hunt for the person responsible for his fiance's death. He finally tracks him down in the town of Coroner Creek and sets out to force a final showdown. True to the Hollywood Production Code of the day, Scott's character sees the error of his ways at the end. "Coroner Creek" boasts an excellent cast. George Macready plays the chief villain in a cold, cruel and calculating manner. Marquerite Chapman is the nominal heroine who tries to get Scott to change. Sally Eilers as a rancher and Barbara Read as Macready's alcoholic wife are the other female characters. Edgar Buchanan plays the spineless sheriff who eventually finds his courage and Wallace Ford plays Scott's only real friend and ally. The rest of the cast is made up of many veterans of "dusters" both of the "A" and "B" variety. On the wrong side of the law are Forrest Tucker, Douglas Fowley and Joe Sawyer. On the right side of the law are Russell Simpson, William Bishop and Forrest Taylor. Charlie Stevens appears as (what else?) an Apache who provides Scott with information on the killer. And if you look close you'll see Joe DeRita (of the Three Stooges) and Dewey Robinson as bartenders. "Coroner Creek" was a grim, realistic western for its time. Don't miss the brutal encounter between Scott and Tucker about half way through the film.