Fort Worth (1951)

Directed by Edwin L. Marin - starring Randolph Scott, Phyllis Thaxter, Ray Teal and Dickie Jones as 'Dick Jones'

This time out Scott plays a proud newspaper publisher, ... with a dark past as a shady gunslinger. "Watch y'ur writin', we got lady readers now!" Scott boasts to his assistant. When suddenly, *SPOILERS* He happens upon an old flame just before a little boy gets gruesomely trampled by a runaway herd of cattle. Scott mugs on, terrified in front of rear projection. The flame tells him his old town is corrupt and could use a good newspaper and Scott reluctantly accepts, for now. He decides to fight the bad guys by giving them negative press, (! I kid you not), but everyone in town would rather he shoot them dead instead. It wraps up perfectly with Randy and his flame getting hitched. They must have had sex somewhere because she tells him she's naming the baby after the dead boy, so it'll be like he never died. Randy seems surprised by this too.

A mostly stage bound city western, cheap and fast but with lots of great character actors and a zippy plot. They seem to include one of these with each Randolph Scott set and I've grown to like the heck outta 'em.

From Edwin L. Marin; director of COLT .45, INVISIBLE AGENT and the Reginald Owen CHRISTMAS CAROL. This was Edwin's last film, he died that same year - 1951.

1951 - Randolph Scott with color tech John Hamilton on
the set of "Fort Worth." Photo by J. Woods