"Joel McCrae" -- almost all you need to say.But here he is surrounded by extraordinarily talented actors, all working well together in a much better than average script.Many of the characters get a chance to stand out, including one played by one of my favorites, the great Herb Vigran. I actually had a chance to meet him when he was playing in a stage version, in Los Angeles, of "Merton of the Movies."A certain major TV series star played "Merton," but, to be honest, he was the least talented actor on stage.Herb Vigran could have given him lessons -- as could a very young girl (maybe 7?) in the cast -- on how to project. But Herb Vigran had been around and started with some built-in talent that just grew and grew in his years as, for example, a villain in the "Superman" series, and in guest appearances in such other shows as "Adam 12."He was also a charming and gracious person.Leading lady Joan Weldon was outrageously padded and I wonder, again, why talented actresses allowed themselves to be so used. She was already beautiful, she did have talent, and being made to look almost grotesque simply made no sense.There were three other important female characters, merely one more factor that prevents "Gunsight Ridge" from being properly called a "B movie."As a character not named in the credits except "Farm Girl," young Carolyn Craig just plain stole every scene she was in. She was a really beautiful 23-year-old who looked younger, and had an amazingly expressive face. In short, she was a marvelous actress and I would bet she was stage trained."Rosa" was the girl-friend of the bad guy and, as played by Darlene Fields, about whom is nothing known, was a very sympathetic person. Darlene Fields also was beautiful, and I'm surprised so little is know about her. She too gave a superlative performance and should have been in dozens of movies and TV shows. What a shame we know so little about her.Another great actor was Addison Richards who seemed the perfect career law enforcer.All the other cast members deserve mention, too, but we're running out of electrons. Let me just say, again, nearly every one had a chance to stand out as characters and every one performed superbly.There were two or three director flaws, but there is no reason to mention them. They did not detract much.One major flaw, though, is that one character who is killed off early is not listed in the credits. And the actor who played him really deserves mention.There is a very good version of "Gunsight Ridge" at YouTube, but for some reason whoever uploaded it allowed most of it to be added on again after "the end."It doesn't hurt the viewer: You just stop when the movie stops. But do start! This is an excellent movie, and would have earned a "10" except for the director flaws and one sound flaw.

"Gunsight Ridge" is an adequate, likable B Western that finds its star, Joel McCrea, in fine form. For the most part, it's routine, but it does have some nice touches, especially in the way that it treats its villain, Velvet Clark (Mark Stevens). Clark is definitely the bad guy, but we are treated to scenes in which he reveals what his preferred line of work would have been, had the reality of his situation not interfered. There's a rich array of character actors, and some very beautiful ladies. Both the music (by David Raksin) and cinematography (by Ernest Laszlo) are well done. Francis D. Lyon directs quite capably, and does particularly well at staging a suspenseful "last stand" finale that plays out without any score.McCrea stars as Mike Ryan, a stranger who comes to a small town for a purpose known only to him. He impresses the local sheriff (Addison Richards) enough to get himself deputized, and he handles things such as collecting taxes from locals, while also helping out to determine the identity of the bandit who's been robbing stages. Forming a subplot are the run-ins that Mike has with the ill-behaved boys who work at the nearby Lazy Heart ranch.McCrea is quite engaging, playing a lead character who's every bit the good, honest, dependable hero. His supporting cast reads like a who's who of veteran talent. In addition to Richards, there's Robert Griffin, I. Stanford Jolley, George Chandler, Slim Pickens (who's quite amusing in his brief part), Herb Vigran, L.Q. Jones, Morgan Woodward, Dan Blocker, and Hank Patterson. Jones and Woodward are fun as two of the antagonistic Lazy Heart ruffians. McCrea's son Jody has a small part as a young man getting married. Joan Weldon, Darlene Fields, and Carolyn Craig are all quite pleasing to look at in the female roles. Best of all is Stevens, who's appropriately intense and not entirely unsympathetic."Gunsight Ridge" is not particularly memorable, but it is sufficiently entertaining for an agreeably paced 86 minutes.Seven out of 10.

Pretty fair Western. The script meanders some, but with characters coming in and out of the story line, it's not a conventional screenplay. McCrea plays a stagecoach agent on the trail of hold-up man Mark Stevens. They're not exactly routine good-guy bad-guy. As a deputy sheriff, McCrea enjoys collecting county taxes and getting a 10% cut-- and how many tax collectors have you seen in a Western? Also, bad guy Stevens plays the moody piano, not well, but enough to suggest a sensitive soul lurking somewhere inside-- and how many Western villains have you heard named "Velvet"!. Then there's teen-age Carolyn Craig alone on the prairie, doing a good frontier imitation of Debbie Reynolds, and ready to hook up with anything in pants. I like the four rowdy cowhands who take about 10 minutes to totally trash a cabin. The scene may be unnecessary, but it sure looks like someone's having a lot of fun. Also worth noting is the final shootout, which takes good advantage of the scenery and reminds me of the final shootout in the classic Winchester 76. All in all, there are some offbeat touches for a cowboy movie of the 1950's. And besides, any film with that great Western star Joel McCrea is worth watching.

In this western starring Joel McRea, the star goes undercover along the Arizona border to investigate several nasty border ruffians. Mark Stevens co-stars and as always turns in a fine performance. The script is good and holds the viewers interest throughout.Joel McRea was at his best in this western detective yarn..... a story not unlike those from his radio series Tales of the Texas Rangers . A great cast of western character actors make the most of an interesting story.Any western with this cast would be exciting and this film does not disappoint. Enjoy this one, they don't make 'em like this anymore ...