A Lawless Street

Plot

Up until its surisingly mundane finale, A Lawless Street is one of the best of the Randolph Scott westerns of the 1950s. Scott plays famed marshal Calem Ware, whose strenous activities on behalf of law and order have exacted a toll on his personal life. Keeping the peace in the town of Medicine Bend, Ware hopes to someday be reconciled with his ex-wife Tally Dickinson (Angela Lansbury), now a touring musical comedy star. Just as Tally arrives in Medicine Bend, Ware is forced to deal with big-time criminals Thorne (Warner Anderson) and Clark (John Emery), not to mention their hired gun Baskam (Michael Pate). Will he do his duty and rid the town of his outlaw element, or will he hang up his guns as Tally wants him to? One of the highlights of A Lawless Street is a lively saloon-hall number performed by Angela Lansbury, who is quite a dish in her revealing stage wardrobe. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Review

A Lawless Street is a slightly above average Western that is perhaps more interesting for what it shows about the way the genre was developing than because of its dramatic import. By 1955, the "oater" had begun the change from a good guys vs. bad guys set-up to one that explored what makes a good guy and what makes a bad guy. In Street, the divide between the two is still solid, but there are some interesting wrinkles. Randolph Scott's ultra-good guy character suffers from his choices; his life has been lonely because he has chosen to fight evil. Meanwhile, the bad guys who are after him aren't after him simply because he's a symbol of virtue; they're being paid to take him out by townsfolk who basically think the sheriff is bad for business. Unfortunately, this sounds more interesting than it actually is when presented on the screen; still, Street has enough action, color and characterization to make it worth watching. It also has one of Scott's better performances, perhaps motivated by working with Angela Lansbury, who is terrific (and looks like a million bucks). He's also aided by some imaginative work from director Joseph H. Lewis. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast

• Randolph Scott - Calem Ware
• Angela Lansbury - Tally Dickinson
• Warner Anderson - Hamer Thorne
• Jean Parker - Cora Dean
• Wallace Ford - Dr. Amos Wynn

John Emery - Cody Clark; James Bell - Asaph Dean; Ruth Donnelly - Molly Higgins; Michael Pate - Harley Baskam; Don Megowan - Dooley Brion; Jeanette Nolan - Mrs. Dingo Brion; Peter Ortiz - Hiram Hayes; Don Carlos - Juan Tobrez; Frank S. Hagney - Dingo Brion; Charles Williams - Willis; Frank Ferguson - Abe Deland; Harry Tyler - Tony Cabillo; Harry Antrim - Mayor Kent; Stanley Blystone; Barry Brooks; George Pat Collins; Hal K. Dawson; Reed Howes; Frank Scannell; Jay Lawrence; Guy Teague; Edwin Chandler

Credit

George Brooks - Art Director, Jerry Antes - Choreography, Joseph H. Lewis - Director, Gene Havlick - Editor, Paul Sawtell - Composer (Music Score), Paul Sawtell - Musical Direction/Supervision, Ray Rennahan - Cinematographer, Harry Joe Brown - Producer, Kenneth Gamet - Screenwriter, Brad Ward - Book Author

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