El pistolero desconocido

Wild Bill Elliott stars in one of his last westerns for Allied Artists -- basically Monogram with a budget -- in this story about a marshal hunting for someone who is killing miners for their claims during the California Gold Rush.

The story is compressed a bit by having Elliott narrate the beginning of the story. However, with his low-affect acting style and the overly full writing of the narration, it comes off like a long episode of TV's DRAGNET on horseback. Add in Harry Morgan, who spent the end of the 1960s as the second lead on the current version of the show -- well, from this distance it looks like a burlesque of Jack Webb's. In reality, it was probably simply an attempt to add some up-to-date techniques to the oldest film genre.

It didn't work. Elliott would retire from the cowboy B movies -- he would switch to mysteries -- and the B westerns themselves would migrate to the television screen and then would die. The mythology of the West was no longer the myth of the country. Science Fiction was already moving in.

That peaceable man, Wild Bill Elliott appears in one of his final films as a Marshal in the wild and wooly west. He is ably supported here by co-stars Harry Morgan and John Doucette.

Elliott was one of the most popular of the western movie stars, playing Red Ryder and Wild Bill in several series of westerns.This one was not his best, but it is very entertaining and will more than satisfy his legion of fans. Harry Morgan does an admirable job in an interesting, atypical role.

Elliott's western film career lasted longer than others, and in this one we see the action, suspense and moral values that are sorely lacking in today's films ...... Enjoy !

Elliot plays Sam Nelson, an undercover U. S. marshal looking for the killers of a fellow marshal. The trail leads him to Alf Billings (Morgan), who makes by cheating at cards. Sam saves Alf from some irate gamblers, and Alf eventually leads Sam to the killers (John Doucette and Lane Bradford).

Virginia Grey plays Doucette's alcoholic wife Stella, who was Alf's old flame. Alf starts to think about turning over a new leaf so he can take Stella away from her miserable husband, and his new conscience comes in handy when Sam runs into trouble dealing with the two bad men.

With Elliott's resonant voice providing ongoing narration the film feels a bit like a Western DRAGNET. It's a law enforcement type of western and snappily-paced and compelling one at that. Elliott is his usual no-nonsense self and Harry Morgan does well as slippery yet charming gambler.

The Forty Niners may be a western, but it has the tone and documentary approach of a film like Calling Northside 777 or The House On 92nd Street modern crime dramas. It could also be compared to Dick Powell's Station West, a noir like western.

Wild Bill Elliott did this one for Allied Artists and it's a no frills western with accent on characterization as opposed to action, though we have enough of that. Elliott is a US Marshal working undercover to find out who killed one of his peers. It was a modern contract killing and they've got the guy who paid to have it done. He gave up the name of the middle man who arranged the contract and Elliott searches for him to lead him to the killers.

That middle man is Harry Morgan, a small time crooked gambler who has other sidelines. The rather strange bond that forms between Elliott and Morgan is what drives The Forty Niners. In fact in a way Morgan gets the girl here in the person of Virginia Grey who is married to one of Elliott's suspects.

The Forty Niners which title fixes the year and place the story takes place in is a good western with some really good characterizations. It was one of Harry Morgan's best screen roles and if you see it I'm sure you will agree.

This western was enjoyable to watch and well acted by a cast of good actors. There's a good story line that doesn't just exist as a frame work for a lot of gun fights. The story is fairly well written. The problems start with the setting. This is supposed to be set in 1849 California. Westerns have always has problems with authenticity; but this one is way off the mark. It becomes distracting at times; and takes away from an otherwise good story, and good acting. The environment of the story is almost completely wrong. 1849 California was fairly primitive with many hardships. The town in this story looks like something out of a western set in 1870's Kansas. The wardrobe is wrong for the time. The inside of buildings are wrong for 1849 California. The fire arms are way off; and many other things. But with all that being said; I'd still have to recommend seeing this film It has a certain charm. Henry Morgan and Virginia Grey turn in their usual good performances. Bill Elliott is a little stiff; but is the kind of star that made westerns of this era fun. So inspire of the problems i outlined I still enjoyed this film. I would have given it a lower ranking if it hadn't been for Harry Morgan and Virginia Grey; they were great.