Product: Westbound (1959)
Rating: 4.0
"Westbound (1959) ... Randolph Scott ... Budd Boetticher (Director) (2009)"
Warner Bros. Pictures presents "WESTBOUND" (1959) (72 min/Color) -- Starring Randolph Scott, Virginia Mayo, Karen Steele, Michael Dante, Andrew Duggan & Michael PateDirected by Budd BoetticherCapt. John Hayes (Scott) left the Civil War behind him when he took on the job of managing the Overland Stage Lines out of a small Colorado town. Clay Putnam (Andrew Duggan) has not forgotten that the Confederacy lost and he plans on robbing Hayes' Overland Stage of one of its gold shipments from California to the North. He wants the gold to stay in the South to revive the Confederate cause. Meanwhile, his wife Norma (Virginia Mayo) complicates matters since she was Hayes' old flame, and Putnam's cronies want the gold for themselves.Great story within a story of the one armed Federal veteran running a relay station. The color and cinematography was good too. HOWEVER, what really caught my attention, and still does, is the musical score! The music, especially the theme for traveling stagecoaches, is perfect, and very melodic! Hats off to composer David Buttolph for his orchestration through the west.Great cast with Michael Pate, Andrew Duggan, Karen Steele and Michael Dante.A fast-paced western with a number of twists, its is an fine example of the Scott / Boetticher pairing.BIOS:1. Budd Boetticher (Director)Date of Birth: 29 July 1916 - Chicago, IllinoisDate of Death: 29 November 2001 - Ramona, California2. Randolph Scott (aka: George Randolph Scott)Date of birth: 23 January 1898 - Orange County, VirginiaDate of death: 2 March 1987 - Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California3. Virginia Mayo [aka:Virginia Clara Jones]Date of Birth: 30 November 1920 - St. Louis, MissouriDate of Death: 17 January 2005 - Thousand Oaks, California3, Karen SteeleDate of Birth20 March 1931, HawaiiDate of Death12 March 19884. Michael DanteDate of Birth: 2 September 1931 - Stamford, ConnecticutDate of Death: Unknown5. Andrew DugganDate of Birth: 28 December 1923 - Franklin, IndianaDate of Death: 15 May 1988 - Westwood, California6. Michael Pate [aka: Edward John Pate]Date of Birth: 26 February 1920 - Drummoyne, New South Wales, AustraliaDate of Death: 1 September 2008 - Sydney, New South Wales, AustraliaMr. Jim's Ratings:Quality of Picture & Sound: 4 StarsPerformance: 5 StarsStory & Screenplay: 4 StarsOverall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]Total Time: 72 min on DVD ~ Warner Bros. Pictures ~ (June 22, 2009)