I wasn’t expecting much from this contemporary western. It’s not a title TCM airs very often. Someone posted that in this film we get to see Steve Cochran smile. That’s true, but he’s still playing a down-on-his-luck guy who has seen better days. We are told a bit of his backstory, that he owns a spread in Wyoming, but due to a hard winter, he was wiped out financially. So, he’s had to hit the road chasing wild horses, which he can sell.
One day he comes across a beaut named Wildfire, who won’t be tamed by anyone else but him. Cochran decides he can’t sell this one, but he still does not have enough money to properly board and feed Wildfire. Someone else (Ray Teal) claims the horse and puts him in a wild animal show. Teal is an abusive owner, entering Wildfire in rodeos where men pay to try to ride him without getting bucked off. This part of the plot was done in Fox’s equestrian drama SMOKY (1946) which had the same director, Louis King.
A key difference here is that Warner Brothers has taken the cast and crew to the Kanab Canyon in Utah for filming. There are some breathtaking rock formations in the background, but the focus remains on Cochran and the horse, which he soon rescues from Teal’s villainy. He and Wildfire wind up at the ranch of an elderly man (Harry Antrim) and his granddaughter (Sherry Jackson) who let him board the animal there, in exchange for labor.
There are some nice scenes with Cochran getting to know the other hands, including an excellent sing-a-long in the bunkhouse. In addition, Cochran gets to know Jackson, who doesn’t have a father…meaning he becomes a surrogate one to her. Incidentally, Cochran and Jackson would team up again in Republic’s COME NEXT SPRING (1956), and that time Cochran played her long-lost dad. They have some wonderful moments together on camera, including a fun bit where she introduces her animal friends to him. One is a gentle raven named Jimmy.
There is also a muskrat named Mr. Jones, a skunk named Willy, a horse named Susie and a dog named Dog (guess all the names couldn’t be too original!). Other scenes play up danger on the ranch, with Cochran stuck in quicksand, then later saving Jackson’s life during a stampede.
One thing I love about the film is how leisurely paced it is. We know that Cochran is still struggling to earn money, in order to return to his home up north, but during this time, he forms relationships with people who can help him. During the earlier sequence where he rescued Wildfire from the wild animal show, there were shots of a lion in a cage. We know Brutus the lion will show up again, or he would not be mentioned in the film’s title.
Sure enough, Brutus the lion does get away from the show and heads to the ranch. Teal is on his trail, and he’s also looking to reclaim Wildfire. This leads to the inevitable clash between Teal and Cochran. Teal is chased off, but returns and attempts to steal Wildfire. By now Wildfire is considerably spooked and tramples Teal to death, which he probably deserved after the countless lashings he gave Wildfire.
Meanwhile the drama with Brutus the lion is not over, since the savage cat is still on the loose. Fearing a sheriff will have Wildfire put to sleep for killing Teal, Cochran packs up his gear.
He takes off on Wildfire then encounters Brutus at a campsite. There is a ghastly fight between horse and lion, with horrific shots of clawing and stomping. I bet the sequence was filmed with the idea of having the film presented in 3-D. But perhaps the studio decided against it, because that scene with Wildfire killing Brutus is quite graphic as it is.
After Brutus’s death, the sheriff catches up to Cochran. However, since Wildfire eliminated the lion and saved the region from terror, he will now be pardoned and not put to sleep. Cochran will also be able to collect a hefty bounty. It’s a happy ending. And of course, that is what we want with these kinds of movies.
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