John Chard

Beef and Beauty. Cow Country is directed by Lesley Selander and adapted to screenplay by Adele Buffington from Curtis Bishop's novel "Shadow Range". It stars Edmond O'Brien, Helen Westcott, Robert Lowery, Barton MacLane, Peggie Castle, Robert Barrat, James Millican, Don Beddoe and Robert J. Wilke. Music is by Edward Kay and cinematography by Harry Neumann. Texas ranchers led by floating cowboy Ben Anthony (O'Brien) fight to save their land from crooked banker Marvin Parker (MacLane) and his hired thugs. We are at the beef collapse of 1875 and this forms an interesting narrative backdrop. Pic is conventional, though, yet it never lacks for in efforts to entertain. There's a ready amount of chases, punch-ups and shootings, all laced with nefarious or heroic deeds, and although the ladies are beautiful, they unfortunately fall foul of under written romantic arcs - though we do get a quite glorious whipping sequence courtesy of Melba (Castle). It's all very routine but there's enough here for the undemanding Western fan to enjoy, with good casting and performances helping things along. 6.5/10