(1955) Where there's gold, there's thieving, and where there's thieving there's killing. In 1896 the man from Wyoming, Jeff (James Stewart), arrives in Seattle with a herd of cattle and two of his four drovers, the other two he'd shot back on the trail; as he and his partner Ben (Walter Brennan) get aboard the steamer Chinook for Alaska, the other drovers on the shore accuse him of murder. So begins director Anthony Mann's Technicolor western classic from Chase Borden's story and screenplay.

When the crew briefly pursues the accused on the ship, Miss Ronda Castle (Ruth Roman) provides Jeff with shelter in her stateroom. In reply to Jeff's wonderment, "I can't think why you did it," she says she has her reasons.

Accompanying Jeff and garrulous Ben is their alcoholic pal Rube (Jay C. Flippen), returning to Alaska instead of his hope of making Missouri after he went bust backing "queens against aces"; in Skagway they run into the autocratic law of Gannon (John McIntire), who arrests Jeff for disturbing the peace and disrupting a legal proceeding (two men on the gallows). Tried in a court, with Gannon as judge and jury, held in the saloon, Skagway Castle, owned and operated by Miss Castle, Jeff is acquitted of murder (the two men he killed were turning back with the cattle herd) but found guilty of the charge of being disorderly and fined by seizure of the cattle.

While being held in jail, Jeff made acquaintance with Renee (Corinne Calvet), whom he calls "freckle-face" to her dislike, and her Viennese father; she earns her keep as an elbow-nudger (shifting sawdust for gold dust).

Lacking other means of getting to the Yukon to stake their gold claim - "gonna get rich" says Ben with his ultimate aim of them getting a ranch in Utah, for which Jeff keeps a tiny bell on his saddle's pommel - the pair accept Ronda's offer of taking them along with her crew and pack horses so long as Jeff rides as point. Stealthily at night Jeff, Ben, and Rube return to Skagway for the cattle; but following them first is Renee - "I take care of me," Jeff explains, "When you're older you'll find that out" - and then Gannon with his gang. Unable to chase Jeff into Canadian territory, Gannon assures his lucky quarry that there's only one way back and that he'll be waiting with a noose.

Jealous of Ronda, Renee tells the tall, dark, handsome cowboy of her dream of getting married and going to San Francisco, to which he makes reference to a howling wolf's preference of being alone rather than lonely: "Maybe you'll learn that when you grow up."

Needing grassland for his herd and distrustful of mountain passes in the spring from his Wyoming experience, Jeff parts company with Ronda's supply train, preferring the longer route through the valley. When tragedy strikes in the form of an avalanche, Ben insists on going to help, though initially Jeff's attitude is an indifferent, "Why?" At Two Mile Pass, before reaching their destination of Dawson in the Klondike, they witness an incident of stealing and shooting.

Immediately upon arrival Ronda begins setting up her new Dawson Castle, outbidding her rival Hominy for Jeff's cattle, while Hominy hurls insults, accusing Ronda of having ruined Skagway with her "bad whiskey and fancy women." With the cattle sale, Jeff and Ben purchase a claim and begin sluicing for gold along the river; Jeff also explores for another route south to bypass Skagway.

As more violence erupts, Dawson's citizens turn to Jeff to become their marshal; but he'll have none of it: "I'm not interested." Figuring it's time to move on, calling the residents of Dawson fools for wanting law and order, he reminds Ben, who's been urging for them to at least stay through the winter, of his code: "I don't need other people. I don't need help. All I need is me."

Even when Gannon shows up with his hired gun Madden, who kills harmless old Dusty, Jeff resists involvement in other people's business. But when Gannon sends Madden after Jeff and Ben for their gold, Jeff eventually becomes a public-minded citizen and learns to appreciate Renee's giving aid to his wounds: "You've got to help people when they need help."

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2008 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

Patrick Ivers can be reached via e-mail at .