Four Guns to the Border (1954)

An excellent “minor” 50s western. It follows the story of 4 outlaws as the plan a bank robbery and a father-daughter pair who are heading out west to start farming whose path the outlaws cross. The young outlaw (Rory Calhoun) falls for the daughter (Colleen Miller), much to the displeasure of the father (Walter Brennan) who was at one point an outlaw himself. There’s also a good subplot with Calhoun’s former friend—now settled with a wife—as the sheriff he has to face off against.

The daughter’s “innocent sex appeal” is played up a little too much (there’s a scene involving some sticks of candy that I assume was pretty obvious even in the 50s) and the slightly forceful nature of the (yet to be reformed) heros seduction of her doesn’t play particularly well now I think, but it’s all powerfully done. In my mind the ending 10 minutes or so was perhaps the weakest point of it. We sort of know that Calhoun is reforming and the ending hammers the point home just a little too much.

Some good pictures are at 50 westerns from the 50s.