Oct

Silver Lode 1954 – an excellent Western

I saw this Western for the first time yesterday and was really impressed by it – the Technicolor print that I saw was first rate with a crystal clear picture. This is the best Western that I have seen for quite a while and is not one I knew but once I started watching I couldn’t leave it until the final frames.

We kick off the action and get into the plot very quickly in the film

Silver Lode is directed by Allan Dwan and written by Karen DeWolf. It stars John Payne, Lizabeth Scott, Dan Duryea, Dolores Moran and Emile Meyer. Music is by Louis Forbes and cinematography by John Alton.

Dan Ballard ( John Payne) is a respected resident of the town Silver Lode, but on his wedding day so-called ‘Marshal’ Fred McCarty ( Dan Duryea) rolls into town looking to arrest him, accusing him of having murdered the Marshal’s brother. The townsfolk refuse to accept the charge and stand up for Dan. Dan loudly protests his innocence, but once suspicious mud is thrown it begins to stick and soon Dan finds some of the townsfolk are turning against him forcing him to take whatever action is necessary to prove his innocence.

John Payne and Lizabeth Scott starred ABOVE – this was very early in the film and they were about to be married when things began to change dramatically

ABOVE – the excellent Dan Duryea – as usual the ‘baddie’ and what a ‘baddie’ he is in this film

ABOVE – Dolore Moran

ABOVE – this time a wounded Dan Duryea.

Dan did come to England on at least two occasions – first in 1953 to film ’36 hours’ and a decade later in 1964 for two films – ‘Walk a Tightrope’ and ‘Do You Know this Voice’

ABOVE – the very attractive Dolores Moran who, I thought was excellent in the film and had one of the best roles – she was well up to it. I am staggered to see that this was her last film = she just packed it in. She was certainly a very capable actress