The Road to Denver (1955)

Thanks for the memories!

Brilliant and touching

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Several reasons to comment on this entertaining but otherwise pretty routine Western. Scope out the saloon at the beginning. It may be the only Western watering hole I've seen with actual pink accents for inside and outside decor. How the heck did that happen in a macho horse opera. Maybe Republic had a few gallons left over from a Vera Hruba Ralston flick. Also, note how those early scenes along the sagebrush trails resemble the wistful Frederick Remington paintings of the early West. They're subdued pastels and in my book, quite striking, especially with the light snow cover unusual for any Western. Then there's Skip Homeier creating another of his cocky young punk characters he was so expert at. Working at lowly Republic would never get you an Oscar in snooty Hollywood. But in my book, Homeier was as good at etching memorable characters as any of the higher-priced talent. Too bad he eventually matured out of these roles, but here he's near his peak as the hot- headed young Sam Mayhew.The movie starts off fast, but sags somewhat in the middle—probably to accommodate the stagey skills of Broadway heavyweight Lee J. Cobb. (Notice that he has no outdoor scenes, holding forth instead from his saloon headquarters. That was probably in his contract so he wouldn't have to travel to Utah locations.) I was really impressed with the screen presence of Ray Middleton as the limping John Sutton. He's such a quietly imposing character that exudes integrity and strength. He certainly qualifies for a bigger career. Much of the movie's appeal comes from the cast, even Mona Freeman as the sweet young thing. She may be miscast, snuggling up with 43-year old Payne, but she does have a winning personality. All in all, it's a worthwhile little Western with a positive message of the sort that unfortunately they don't make anymore.

Bill Mayhew is growing tired of bailing out his hot headed younger brother, Sam. After breaking him loose from a Texas jail he decides enough is enough and tells Sam they must go their separate ways. He heads towards Denver and sets up in Central City where he lands a job (and soon to be partnership) with kindly gent John Sutton, he also starts to fall for Sutton's pretty daughter Elizabeth. However it soon becomes apparent that the towns money mad crook, Jim Donovan has issues with Sutton's dealings, and after enlisting into his fold the newly arrived in town, Sam, sets up the scenario of the brothers being on opposing sides.Simple yet executed with no little style, The Road To Denver is a hugely enjoyable Western. It's directed by Western specialist Joe Kane and stars John Payne (Bill Mayhew), Mona Freeman (Elizabeth Sutton), Lee J. Cobb (Jim Donovan), Ray Middleton (John Sutton), Skip Homeier (Sam Mayhew) & Lee Van Cleef (Pecos Larry). The tale of sibling rivalry amongst the fabulous Snow Canyon location is highly watchable stuff, where even though the sense of the inevitable is hard to get away from, a number of sequences delight and fully form the story. Homeier is particularly good at playing the loose cannon role of Sam, and the best scenes tend to land with him, but Lee J Cobb is always a solid performer, and when given a bad guy role such as here, he positively delivers with sneer in full effect.One of Kane's better efforts in the genre, and certainly one that is either under seen or undervalued on internet sites, so if you get the chance have a look, because it's a very tidy little piece. 7/10

I'm giving 'The Road to Denver' a 7 because the story is not fantastic but it is entirely logical and watchable, certainly as much so as say a typical Western TV show. The acting is perhaps a bit better than others have said. I enjoy Skip Homeier in almost every movie he's in - he is in my opinion one of the all-time great Western character actors. Why he didn't share top billing with John Payne is a mystery to me.The story is a fairly basic one, two brothers trying to make their way in the old West but the younger one (Homeier) is just too much of a handful, causing fights and getting into trouble. The brothers argue and split up, landing on opposite sides of the law, with the older one (Payne) becoming part owner of a stage line and the younger one joining up with group of crooks trying to rob the stage and take over the business. One thing in this movie's favor is that it was shot in color, always a bonus. There are some truly beautiful outdoor scenes, and this film seems to have been shot at the onset of winter since there are also scenes with some snow on the ground. It's really a pretty movie to watch. I might normally rate a movie like this as a 6 but it gains a point because of Homeier. Get me a beer and some popcorn and I'll gladly watch this one again.

Although this western is an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours, everything in it is so predictable and the acting so mediocre that does not really worth anybody's time. True, it has some ideas, but it prefers the easy solutions right from the beginning. I have given it 4 out of 10.