Cattle Queen Of Montana [VHS]

yes it was better than i was told and the packed was good as well

Film producer Benedict Bogeaus and veteran director Allan Dwan (Robin Hood 1922) teamed up in the 1950's to give us several films mostly westerns. Among those was the excellent SILVER LODE (1954) and TENNESSEE'S PARTNER (1955) John Payne was the hero of these two, with Ronald Reagan as Tennessee's partner in the second. Both of these are also available through Amazon on VCI Entertainments DVD.Unlike the above-mentioned movies, CATTLE QUEEN OF MONTANA (1953) seems to have come in for a bit of "stick". Starring Barbara Stanwyck in the title role, no doubt it she cuts a fine figure in western garb and she is the best thing in it, although it has been said elsewhere that she hated it. That maybe true but she is still very watchable against the backdrop of Montana's Glacier National Park. The acclaimed-cinematographer on this film was John Alton who was also responsible for the cinematography in the aforementioned SILVER LODE and TENNNESSEE'S PARTNER.Miss Stanwyck gives an energetic performance as the woman whose cattle and land are at risk from rustlers and claim jumpers, she is helped by college educated good Indian Colorados (Lance Fuller) and hindered by bad Indian Natchakoa we also have the white-heavy Tom McCord (Gene Evans) and his sidekick Yost (Jack Elam). Thrown in for good measure is a mysterious gunman called Farrell (Ronald Reagan). The Blackfeet Indians hired as extras, were so impressed with Stanwyck (who done her own stunts) they gave her the Indian name of Princess Many Victories and made her a blood sister.Any film now that starred pre-1981 Ronald Reagan has or should have additional interest because at that time he became the 40th President of the USA. In the film BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985) the hero Marty is transported back in time to 1953. On an advertising hoarding is a poster advertising THE CATTLE QUEEN OF MONTANA starring Barbara Stanwyck and Ronald Reagan. When Marty (Michael J Fox) was asked by Dr Brown (Christopher Lloyd) "Tell me young man from the future: "Who is the President of the United States in 1985?" Marty replied "Ronald Reagan" amid hoots of laughter from those present--A classic never-to be-forgotten moment of cinema history!On some shots in the film the colours seem to be a bit faded, but not so much as to spoil your enjoyment. Also included on this DVD is the original theatre trailer as well as restored-trailers for TENNESSEE'S PARTNER and two LONE RANGER movies. All well worth viewing on a wet afternoon.

I have always enjoyed this film with the men taking a background roll leaving Barbara Stanwick as the heroin. Brilliant.

Great movie classic, destroyed because of a bad blur picture , and bad sound..such a shame.. was looking forward to adding this movie to my collection.

Out of RKO Radio Pictures comes Cattle Queen of Montana, directed by Allan Dwan and written by Robert Blees, Howard Estabrook (screenplay) & Thomas Blackburn (story). It stars Barbara Stanwyck, Ronald Reagan, Gene Adams, Lance Fuller, Anthony Caruso, Jack Elam & Yvette Duguay. The music is scored by Louis Forbes and it`s a Technicolor production with John Alton on photography. Locations used for the film are Glacier National Park, Montana & Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, California.Stanwyck plays Sierra Nevada Jones, a tough cowgirl who along with her father, drive the family herd up from Texas to Montana. Planning to build a ranch to set themselves up, tragedy strikes when they are attacked by some renegade Blackfoot Indians. However, all is not as it seems, just what has shifty Tom McCord (Evans) got to do with things? Why is gunslinger Farrell (Reagan) working for McCord? And can war between the Blackfoot and the white man be averted?Standard formulaic stuff that is only really of interest for the photography of Alton. Cowboys and Indians, good and bad on each side, go head to head in a cliché riddled movie bogged down by a pretty turgid script. Not even the normally classy Stanwyck can lift herself to a performance capable of saving the piece. There`s some credit due for making the lead protagonist a strong willed woman, and even tho it`s a bit late in the cycle of topic, depicting the Indians as not all savages-as the white man encroaches onto their land-is a bonus. But with American character actors Fuller & Caruso playing the in fighting leaders of the Blackfoot tribe, it just comes across as corny and wholly unbelievable, while Dwan was indeed a more than capable director, here the action lacks zip and the film gasps for some dramatic air as the narrative goes around in circles.The story off screen is more entertaining than the film itself, where Reagan was constantly at odds with producer Benedict Bogeaus. The future President of the United States of America took one look at the script and voiced concerns, suggesting many changes, all of which were ignored. Royalty status was afforded Stanwyck while Reagan got next to no help from the producer, this perhaps goes someway to explaining his limp performance. Tho, again, the script calls for him to be part of one of the most lukewarm and pointless romances in 1950s Oaters, he got no help either way on this picture. Still, there`s Alton`s photography of the Glacier National Park to hold the attention, even if the "new" scrubbed up print of the film is far from doing it justice.That its claim to fame is being the film playing at the theater in Hill Valley in the film Back to the Future, says volumes, this is poor all told, and not even worthy of recommending to those after a time filling Cowboys & Indians no brainer. 3/10