mark.waltz Even the most mediocre of movie West westerns looks a heck of a lot better in color, and this one ain't half bad. It's a familiar story, one made famous by "High Noon", this time with marshal Randolph Scott having a legendary reputation that makes dishonest men seek revenge and the women who love him leave him rather than watch him increase the notches on his gun.Somebody is out to get him, obviously putting a hit on him through an old enemy who ends up dead himself . The arrival of stage actress Angela Lansbury stirs the pot even more with her engagement to ruthless Warner Anderson who has his own plans for Scott. A ton of veteran actors support Scott and Lansbury, including the salty Ruth Donnelly, hysterically funny as a restaurant proprietor who flirts with Scott while looking out for him like a mother, Wallace Ford as the town doctor, Frank Ferguson as the loyal saloon owner and Jean Parker as an aging glamor girl who seems to have mixed dealings. Jeanette Nolan is featured as the widow of the man Scott killed in self defense, while Don Megowan is excellent as her brother- in-law who hates guns and knew his brother deserved what he got yet can't help but seek revenge. His performance reminded me of Lon Chaney Jr. in "Of Mice and Men".Lansbury is a stronger female lead than Grace Kelly in "High Noon", getting to perform a musical number from the very first American musical, "The Black Crook". While I couldn't confirm it, she did sound like it was her singing, although it's far less brassier than how she sounded in " Mame". Scott is excellent, although he lacks the emotional conflict of Gary Cooper. Still, there are enough sides in his character to make him very complex. This isn't a classic western by any means, but it has enough tension to keep your interest.

rickdumesnil-55203 not a very bad western......predictable.....but fun to see Randolph Scott practically always in a good humour and looking good for his advancing age. the action is alright and the actors do their jobs....but i don't get Angela lansbury. in all her roles she ruins the movie for me I'm sorry but she doesn't pull my heart strings at all. yes luckily randy was in this film because i don't think i would have reached the end. i have 4 more Scott westerns to watch i hope they fare better than this one and Angela is not co starring or even a character actress. oh i forgot the atmosphere of the movie really passes well and the town is well depicted. maybe a few known character actors....gabby Hayes...Andy devine...Walter Brennan would have helped it get better

whitec-3 Posters' reactions to A Lawless Street divide sharply between most who think it's a comfortable classic and a few who complain of its poor writing and flat acting. I'm a considerable Randolph Scott fan, and Angela Lansbury looks great in her tight period costumes, but there's little chemistry and their script doesn't help. The theme of civilizing the west is respectable, with the town as "beast" a fair metaphor, but aside from horses and drinking, the words don't become flesh as Columbia earns its rep as the cheap studio. The only interesting part of the writing is the names: Calem, Asaph, Harley. The score is strangely inappropriate, and the second half seems rushed compared to the building of character in the first half. The populous cast is of some talent and interest, but some characters look alike and appear after such long intervals that they're hard to tell apart. Still and all, Scott has the power of his generation to turn any part into his trademark character of integrity, and Angela seems like a visitor from another planet or studio.

Terrell-4 "This town is like a wild animal in chains, Molly," says Marshal Calem Ware to his landlady while she fries his bacon and eggs for breakfast. "It doesn't fight back right away. It just lies there and snarls, waiting for a chance to pounce on you." "Be careful, Calem," is Molly's helpful advice. A Lawless Street is the story of Calem Ware (Randolph Scott) and his determination to bring law and order to Medicine Bend. Unknown to Ware, there is a faction in town determined to run things wide open. Money -- big money -- is involved. This means Ware has to be taken care of. A hired killer with a draw as fast as Calem's might be the answer. Complicating matters for Ware is the arrival of Tally Dickerson (Angela Lansbury), a music hall singer engaged to play with her troupe at the town's new opera house. Nine years ago the two were man and wife, then Tally left him. They're still married. "I didn't know what it was like for a man to make his living with his gun," Tally tells Caleb when they meet again, "walking the streets a living target. I died a little more each day and I died more at night." Even Lansbury can't do much with lines like that. The movie is packed with such poor writing that we don't believe a minute of it. The script is full of characters who tell each who they are and what motivates them, instead of demonstrating this. At frequent intervals an out-of-breath minor character rushes up to Caleb to announce another crisis is at hand. Thank goodness we have Scott's steadfastness to believe in and the smiling sleaziness of John Emery, playing one of the bad guys, to enjoy. The writing is so poor it makes even a fine actress like Angela Lansbury sound like someone from a daytime soap opera. We have Lansbury singing and dancing once, but I'd swear her singing was dubbed, a strange decision. Although I thought the movie might be interesting with the odd duo of a 57-year-old Randolph Scott with the 30-year-old Angela Lansbury, the pairing seemed uncomfortable and unlikely. The film's modest pleasures come from a handful of long-time character actors, such as Wallace Ford, who died a memorable death in a steam room in Blood on the Sun, Ruth Donnelly, always good in many movies as the often irascible but good-hearted motherly type, and, of course, Emery. I always admired the way he tried to put the moves on Ingrid Bergman in Spellbound.