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Coroner Creek
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by Sony Pictures
Sales Rank: 29950
Price: $19.98
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CORONER CREEK (1948) Directed by Ray Enright and starring Randolph Scott, they had worked together on several films most notably THE SPOILERS (1942) it is also the first collaboration between Scott and Producer Harry Brown who would go on to produce a string of fine medium budget Westerns under the banner of a Scott - Brown - Productions. <br /> <br />Chris Denning (Randolph Scott) intended wife is onboard a stagecoach attacked by Indians led by a white man, fearing the worse she kills herself. After searching for eighteen months he tracks down an Indian who gives him several clues about the white man. Armed with these clues the search continues on to Abilene, Tombstone until he reaches the Western town of Coroner Creek on arrival he books into the local hotel ran by Kate Hardison (Marguerite Chapman). Kate asks Chris to take Abbie Miles (Barbara Reed) home to Rainbow Ranch, as she is the worse for wear! <br /> <br />At first Chris refuses, but changes his mind when Abbie lets something slip about her husband speaking Apache. En-route to the ranch they are accosted by Rainbow gunmen led by Ernie Coombs (Forrest Tucker). Denning and Coombs get into a fistfight, before it's resolved as to why Denning was with Mrs Miles. It would seem that Younger Miles (George Macready) is a villain turned so-called respectable rancher, his wife is also daughter of local lawman sheriff O'Hea (Edgar Buchanan)! <br /> <br />After a confrontation in town with Younger Miles, Chris Denning goes to work as foreman for a local rancher Della Harms (Sally Eilers) at the Box `H' Ranch. Della has had trouble in the past with Miles and Rainbow trying to buy her out. Denning and one of Harm's ranch hands Andy West (Wallace Ford) set out for Tip Henry's shack on the way they are captured by Rainbow gun-hands and taken to the cabin to face Ernie Coombs. Andy is sent packing and Coombs and Denning have a ferocious fistfight when knocked unconscious Denning has his gun-hand severely stomped on by Coombs breaking his trigger finger. Andy has a change of heart and returns in time to hold off the rest of the gang whilst Denning recovers to finish off the fight and in turn stomps on Coomb's hand. <br /> <br />The crippled Denning now wearing a left-handed holstered gun continues in his quest for the mystery white man strongly suspecting Miles he intents to draw him out little by little. When he comes across Frank Yordy (Joe Sawyer) in a line cabin Denning tells him "You wouldn't get the idea that my left hand is slower than my right would you?" Forcing him to talk, Denning lays a trap for Miles at a nearby canyon when this fails with the loss of Della's cattle; he heads back to Coroner Creek in search of Younger Miles and the final showdown! <br /> <br />Perhaps more Minor-A than B-Western running a full 90 minutes and in Cinecolor a cheaper but inferior colour-process to Technicolor much used in horse operas due to lower costs and suitability outdoors! By this time the fifty-year-old Scott was averaging three films a year all of them Westerns. Forrest Tucker also appeared in several Scott Westerns, as did Edgar Buchanan. The second female lead Sally Eilers <br />was in fact a former Mrs Harry Joe Brown wife of the producer. <br /> <br />I caught this Western on UK TV one afternoon despite losing part of the film due to transmission problems it was still very enjoyable, the main attraction for me was that it was one of the few 1940's Randolph Scott Westerns I hadn't seen! Well worth a DVD release, in time for its sixtieth anniversary would be just fine. <br />
Viewer Reviews
This was the first movie Scott made under the auspices of his production company "Producers-Actors"and thematically it anticipates the marvellous "Ranown"series of the following decade in which the star was directed by the great Budd Boetticher.The movie opens on a stagecoach robbery ,carried out by Indians ,during which a woman is kidnapped .We learn that she later died and that the man behind the robbery was a white man .
Scott plays Chris Danning ,a man intent on finding the person responsible and exacting vengeance .His reasons are personal and are revealed in the final reel .His obsessive quest takes him to the town of Coroner Creek where the man behind the raid is revealed as local rancher Younger Miles (George Macready) who has built his fortune on the proceeds from the raid .To aid in bringing him to justice he takes employment with a rival rancher (played by Sally Eilers )and clashes with Miles' chief enforcer Ernie (Forrest Tucker).
The movie is quite violent for its day and the theme of physical mutilation in the picture anticipates several of the Anthony Mann-James Stewart Westerns of the following decade.Light on plot this is still a fine taut movie with some strong performances and its neglect is unmerited .Please see this movie if the opportunity to do so ever comes your way
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Coroner Creek
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