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Westerns are generally divided into the A westerns and the B westerns. Somewhere in between there is another class. Hollywood shot them in colour and often with wide screen, but they just never make the list of top 10 or 20 or even 30. Generally they cost too much to make to get double bill or Saturday Matenee playing and weren't 'classy enough' to run in the big movie houses.

These I call the Never-Neverland Westerns because they just didn't fit into either A or B classes. So the bread and butter for these movies was the small town theatres across the country. They would be run on the Friday - Saturday shift (movies changed 3 times a week in the environment described) and were for the most part, pretty good movies. They just weren't in the same league as something like High Noon or She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.

Nearly every movie Audie Murphy ever made fit into this category.

Saddle the Wind is one such western that I saw last night. It stars Robert Taylor, Julie London, and John Cassavates.

Taylor is a reformed gunfighter who has settled in a peaceful valley, owns a cattle ranch, and is the biggest man one-third of the place. The other two-thirds (i.e. controlling interest) is run by Donald Crisp who is untypically for a western, benevolent in nature. His number one rule is 'no shootings'.

John Cassavates is Taylor's hero worshipping but also psycho gun loving brother. Just back from a cattle drive he has brought saloon girl Julie London back with him with the notion that they will be married. Other than looking good and providing window dressing Julie's only real contribution to the picture is to sing the theme song twice.

Cassavates personality of course drives her away but the expected secondary spark between Taylor and London never developes. Cassavetes causes escalating trouble for everbody in the valley including Taylor who really works hard at keeping his gun in his holster. Things come to a real head when a small wagon train full (about 3 wagons was all the budget would allow) of nesters arrives with the intent of settling on Taylor's land. Taylor tells them that he wants them off and Cassavates tells them the same thing but more forcefully.

All leads to the inevetable brother vs. brother showdown and Taylor and London ride off down the trail with each other so that Julie can get in one last scene before the end credits fade in over their receeding figures.

I'd give it 6 out of 10.