Roughshod

Robert Sterling, John Ireland and Gloria Grahame star in this Western noir gem directed by two-time Oscar nominee Mark Robson. Warned that an enemy named Lednov (Ireland) has escaped from prison and intends to shoot him on sight, Clay Phillips (Sterling) heads back to his ranch with his kid brother, Steve (Claude Jarman, Jr.), driving a herd of horses. Stumbling upon four dance-hall girls (Grahame, Martha Hyer, Myrna Dell and Jeff Donnell) stranded on the road, a reluctant Cole has no choice but to let them tag along. Riding across the Sonora Pass, Clay wrangles the women and horses, fully aware that Lednov is on their trail and closing in for the kill. Co-written by Out of the Past's Geoffrey Homes and little known today, Roughshod is definitely one Western that deserves a renaissance. The climax is a nail-biting wilderness showdown.