Fighting Man of the Plains was the first film where Dale Robertson got noticed and Dale plays real life Quantrill veteran Jesse James. You could tell that Dale was going to have a substantial career. Summary: Former bandit Jim Dancer becomes marshal of a Kansas town and cleans up the criminal element - with the help of his old pal, Jesse James. There is a rough realism in his stories, and that has translated beautifully in this film, thanks in part to Gruber's also writing the screenplay, and thanks to excellent directing by Edwin L. Marin, and thanks especially to a superlative cast. The actual crooked town boss appears to be Slocum (Barry Kelley), the real assassin of Randy’s brother. Coincidence, huh? There are other amazing coincidences and stretches to credibility, such as when Joan Taylor as Evelyn, the daughter of the man Dancer shot in Lawrence, happens to live in Lanyard and doesn’t recognize him. In fact she falls for him. But then stretches of credibility are part of the joy in Westerns, n’est-ce pas? Lanyard, Kansas is a railroad boom town. There is the inevitable crooked town boss. Such bosses are nearly always saloon owners and nearly always Victor Jory, so when we see saloon owner Jory being decent, and nice to Cummings (the new Cummings) too, we are confused.

The thing about "Fighting Man of the Plains" is that whilst many movies use that as the entire story this one develops further with more twists. Now you could say well it isn't exactly original as an outlaw using a fake identity ending up being asked to become a lawman has been done a few times as has the outlaw saving the life of the daughter who hates him but it works. There is a nice amount of complexity to it which sets up an element of surprise because you are not entirely sure how this is going to play out. Another mark of a great movie is the number of speaking and participating characters, even with relatively small parts. Best performance in the film however without a doubt is that of Bill Williams of young on the prod gunfighter in Kelley's employ. He proves a bit too much for Kelley to handle. Most of his Westerns were, if not exactly identical, cut from the same mold so the comparison of one to any of the others must depend on fine judgments about details. Is the film in glorious color? This one is not. Is the location interesting and evocative? Not this one, which looks like the San Fernando Valley used to look before the last inch of it was paved over. Better than usual support? No. Is Scott given any help from the script? An oddity of character? A quirk? An occasional wry turn of phrase? Not here. The result is a typical and not unrewarding Randolph Scott Western that doesn't distinguish itself from the many others he made in these years.As a result … well, let’s just say this isn’t one of Scott’s more memorable Westerns. It is notable for a couple of debuts, however. Randolph Scott plays Jim Dancer, a member of Quantrill’s raiders (spelled Quantrell in the opening credits) who finds himself a wanted man after the end of the Civil War. He’s eventually caught by a detective named Cummings. But when Cummings dies in a river crossing, Dancer sees an opportunity for a fresh start. He tells the passers-by who find him that the dead man is Dancer and that he’s Cummings.

It marked the first credited role for Dale Robertson, who plays Jesse James and shows up in two scenes over the course of the film. And it marked the film debut for Joan Taylor, who’d wind up being cast as an Indian maiden in several Westerns to come and closed out her career in the 1960s with a recurring role in The Rifleman. One mark of a well-written and -directed film is the realism of the interaction of minor characters. Fighting Man on the Plains" is the perfect late-40's Western, a fully mature old-fashioned good-guys vs. bad-guys bit of adult theatre, a genre film crafted to its full potential; and it sets the stage nicely for the more psychologically complex Westerns of the 50's. Frank Gruber was a darn good writer of often very gritty stories. He wrote more than one story about Jesse James, a character who figures in this movie, too.

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Meanwhile, Charles Lanyard has had a similar idea and has taken steps to deal with Slocum by hiring the James–Younger Gang to rob the bank. The gang arrive as Dancer is being led down the main street to a hanging tree. Tancred realises they have no rope and shouts for one. Jesse James rides forward with his rope. A shootout begins after Yancey recognises James. Slocum, Tancred and Yancey are all shot dead. Lanyard town leader: “We want the Texas men to bring their cattle here, but that doesn’t mean they can shoot up the town. Now go out and stop them.” I had high hopes for this movie, but became gradually disappointed, especially towards the implausible ending. There's a lot going on in Lanyard, with various underhand plottings and a few vengeful motivations. While of course there's some simmering passion waiting to explode. The many key characterisations are richly born out, the action healthy, and there's even a couple of surprises along the way to keep the plotting interesting.

Dancer's cover is blown, however, when he is recognised by an outlaw called Yancey (Fix) who is a former Quantrill man. Dancer is obliged to resign and Tancred takes over as Marshal, releasing Yancey and his friends from jail. They kill Oldham and other leading citizens. Dancer is arrested and Tancred, encouraged by Slocum, stages a kangaroo court trial which ends with Dancer being "sentenced" to hang for the murder of Slocum's brother. Tancred and Yancey tell Slocum they are going to rob his bank and leave the town, so Slocum will be bankrupt. Aided by his psychotic associate Johnny Tancred (Williams), Slocum sets about trying to monopolise the town and its surrounding territory including the railroad run by Charles Lanyard (Harry Cheshire), the town's founder. Slocum is suspicious of the Marshal and summons Cliff Bailey (Berry Kroeger), a Chicago detective who knew Cummings, to identify him. Bailey is an old friend of Dave Oldham who tells him the full story and, realising that Slocum is crooked, Bailey confirms that the Marshal is George Cummings. Dancer agrees to take the job, even though the town is run by Bert Slocum, the man who killed his brother during the war; and the home of Evelyn Slocum, whose father Dancer killed during the raid on Lawrence, Kansas, in an attempt to avenge his brother’s death. Wow, the script writers didn’t worry about a high plausibility factor when they wove this tale of one unlikely coincidence after another. And they didn’t stop weaving until the very end when they present the most well-timed coincidences of all.Fighting Man of the Plains is a 1949 American Western film produced by Nat Holt and directed by Edwin L. Marin. It starred Randolph Scott, Bill Williams, Victor Jory, and Jane Nigh. The supporting cast included Joan Taylor, Barry Kelley, Douglas Kennedy, Paul Fix, Rhys Williams, James Millican and, in his first credited role, Dale Robertson as Jesse James. [1] Plot [ edit ] Renowned western novelist Frank Gruber wrote the script of FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS (1949) based on his own book. It tells the story of Jim Dancer (Randolph Scott), a fugitive outlaw who'd been part of Captain William Quantrill's infamous raid on Lawrence, Kansas on August 21, 1863. Dancer is apprehended by a "Pleasanton" (read: Pinkerton) detective who is then killed in an accident, allowing Dancer to take his identity and wind up in Lanyard, Kansas, where he's pressured into taking the job of Marshal after fearlessly subduing some rowdy cowboys. It's a fairly corrupt town, but the new Marshal does a good job of keeping the peace and gets aid from some unexpected quarters at the local gambling hall.

Victor Jory appeared in many post war Randolph Scott films usually as a bad guy. It was unusual to see him as Scott's friend in this film. I also enjoyed Rhys Williams as the moneygrubbing justice of the peace. Too bad indie producer Nat Holt apparently spent everything on casting since it left him little for filming outside of studio sets. This results in a basically 'indoor' western with some action in the streets. Maybe that's the result of adapting Gruber's novel to the screen and leaving little out. So you may need a scorecard to keep up with all the characters and plot developments. The whole story has a pleasant Zane Grey feeling about it--although it's an original one written for the screen. BILL WILLIAMS is cast against type as a villain and JANE NIGH is the romantic interest as Jory's business partner.As for the rest of the cast, Bill Williams plays a trigger-happy deputy named Johnny Trancred who had his eyes on the marshal’s badge before Dancer/Cummins came along; and Victor Jory plays a sympathetic character for once. Without breaking any new ground this still manages to get the key ingredients right in the name of entertainment. The script is sharp, the performances equally so (Jory is excellent), and Marin being the good old pro that he was, pushes things along at a good clip.