El rey del rancho

This production by Harry Cohn's nephew Robert, released through Columbia, looks, at first sight, like a Fox Production -- that bright, slightly overlit color photography that said "When we said Technicolor, we meant it!" If DP Vincent Farrar doesn't use the opportunity to produce any startling compositions, he does know how to use his cameras and locations to good effect.

We also get a sense, for a change, that there is actually a history behind events in this western: the ranches have been here for generations, run by English-speaking people with Spanish names and probably land grants from the King of Spain in their safes.

What reduces this effort to no more than middling is the acting. The older actors are fine, particularly Gordon Jones, who gets to play a straight role for a change. But the juvenile leads, Jerome Courtland and Beverly Tyler, don't sound like they are talking, but reading their lines.

Still, if you're looking at a western, you're looking at pretty pictures first. There are plenty of those here.