Universal had the good sense to boost this otherwise routine oater with Technicolor filming at Carlsbad Caverns. This results in some impressively eerie shots unusual for a Western. The screenplay has some promising ideas, but these tend to get muddled amid an overly complex narrative. Pete (Carey) returns to town after serving a jail term for robbing Wells Fargo and hiding the loot in a cave. Now townspeople cater to him, including owner of newspaper (Smith) and local kingpin (Jory), even as Wells Fargo agent (Buchanan) trails him. So when will Pete go for the loot.
It's hard to get at people's true motives because of the hidden gold. Then too where is Smith's missing husband—was he in on the robbery and now hovering out of sight. It seems no one can be trusted, including Buchanan. With better story development, a more interesting leading man, along with the spooky caverns, this could have been several cuts above the usual Western. I guess my biggest disappointment, however, is with the movie covering up the statuesque and shapely Alexis Smith in yards and yards of period clothing. Too bad since she was reputed to have the best legs in Hollywood. Hormones aside, those soaring rock columns and hanging stone icicles still remain the main reason to tune in.
It's hard to get at people's true motives because of the hidden gold. Then too where is Smith's missing husband—was he in on the robbery and now hovering out of sight. It seems no one can be trusted, including Buchanan. With better story development, a more interesting leading man, along with the spooky caverns, this could have been several cuts above the usual Western. I guess my biggest disappointment, however, is with the movie covering up the statuesque and shapely Alexis Smith in yards and yards of period clothing. Too bad since she was reputed to have the best legs in Hollywood. Hormones aside, those soaring rock columns and hanging stone icicles still remain the main reason to tune in.