A Lawless Street

Calem Ware (Randolph Scott) is an experienced and tough lawman, known for having cleaned up numerous wild towns, leaving only when law and order had been established and moving on to the next lawless town. Along the way, his wife (Angela Landsbury) had left him, unable to handle the thought of him being in constant danger.

Now Calem is the marshal of the town of Medicine Bend. He's been here for awhile, but he hasn't yet tamed the town. This is shown to be true largely because people keep interrupting his otherwise quiet day by trying to kill him. Heck, he can't even get through his morning shave without someone trying to whack him.

Also, his wife arrives in town, hired to sing at a local saloon. No one knows the two are married and the saloon owner keeps proposing to her.

A Lawless Street (1955) has its flaws. The dialogue is sometimes stilted and overly melodramatic. And I would have preferred to see different actors in some of the supporting roles. Edgar Buchanan, for instance, would have been great as the town doctor.

But it is still an enjoyable movie. Scott is very good in the lead role, playing the marshal as a friendly and decent man who is getting very tired of the violence that keeps filling his life and had driven away the woman he loves. Angela Landsbury isn't given quite enough to do, but plays her role well and gets to belt out a fun song.

It turns out that the saloon owner who is hitting on her is also one of two business owners in town who has put a price on the marshal's head. They have inside information about a smelting factory that will be built nearby, which would also nearby mines to reopen and bring a lot of money into town. If the marshal weren't around, they could declare Medicine Bend an open town, force other businesses to sell out to them and rake in the cash.

After several would-be assassins end up dead, the bad guys bring in a skilled gunman who actually does outdraw the marshal. Everyone thinks Ware was killed, but the quick-thinking town doctor had told a fib and Ware is hidden in the jail until his wound heals.

This leads to a scene that makes this otherwise average western really stand out. The three main bad guys are drinking in a saloon, with drunken revelry in the main street raising up a racket. But suddenly the street go quiet. Then, one by one, bartenders run in to tell them that Calem Ware is still alive and closing up the other saloons. Gradually, the villains realize that Ware is indeed alive and is coming back for a re-match.



This leads to a great ending for this entertaining story. A Lawless Street is a satisfying way to spend an hour-and-a-half.