Review of Rocky Mountain (1950) by Tom H — 06 Mar 2010

"Rocky Mountain" was Errol Flynn's last western at Warner Brothers. This stalwart little 83-minute oater occurs against the backdrop of the American Civil War with Captain Lafe Barstow (Errol Flynn of "Virgina City") and a squad of Confederate soldiers riding into California to rendezvous with Southern sympathizers.

While they are waiting for the man they were told would show up, they spot a stagecoach underattack. Our heroes rescue Johanna Carterr (Patrice Wymore), but they discover to their chagrin that she is engaged to a Union officer at a nearby encampment.

Our heroes are not able to complete their mission so they stick around on Rocky Mountain and later decide to help wipe out the Indians. The western convention that the U.S. Cavalry always rides to the rescue at the last moment doesn't happen here.

The Southerners die fighting the Indians and the grateful Union officer holds a memorial for them. "G-Men" director William Keighley concluded his career with this feisty little western and "Rocky Mountain" is a good western, unlike the previous Flynn vehicle "Montana.

" Errol looks pretty tough in the opening scenes with a beard, but he shaves it off later so that he appears as he usually did with a mustache. Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams co-stars with Flynn as he did in both "Dodge City" and "Virginia City," and Slim Pickins made his cinematic debut as a Confederate scout.

Sadly, "Rocky Mountain" was lensed in black & white, but the rugged mountain scenery is simply spectacular. Flynn doesn't romance the girl in this horse opera, but in real life he married Patrice Wymore and she was his third and final wife.