Bill Mayhew (John Payne) struggles to make a living with his volatile younger brother Sam (Skip Homeier). Eventually they split ways, however ill chance reunites them in a frontier town – and on different sides of a local turf war.

The Road to Denver is a smart, well-developed western with a focus on well-drawn characters and their subsequent conflicts. It marks director Joseph Kane’s second western released in 1955; both this film and that, Timberjack, were produced by Republic Pictures. I have yet to track down a watchable copy of the earlier film, but based on the qualities demonstrated here I am keen to try it out. This is rock-solid, entertaining stuff.

For star John Payne this is one of three westerns released in 1955. I have previously reviewed his other appearances, in Tennesee’s Partner and Santa Fe Passage, and I think he delivers his strongest work here. It is far more noble and archetypal western hero he is playing here, and it is a type that appears to suit him very well. Co-star Skip Homeier is likewise working in an apparent comfort zone: most of his screen roles tended to be of a similar hot-heated, objectionable variety. Their on-screen relationship – Sam angry and resentful, Bill down-to-earth and weary – works very well.

Bill thinks he has found solid employment in Central City, managing a stagecoach business for local investor John Sutton (Ray Middleton). He even seems to be finding romance with Sutton’s daughter Elizabeth (Mona Freeman). Complications come when Sam rides into town, still filled with resentment for Bill abandoning him, and immediately sets himself up with local crime figure Jim Donovan (Lee J. Cobb).

Lee J. Cobb shows off a formidable presence as Donovan, and it is a somewhat surprising role for him, appearing as a B-movie villain hot on the heels of his Oscar-nominated turn in On the Waterfront (1954). If it felt like a step down for Cobb, he doesn’t show it on-screen: he presents a strong and eminently watchable performance. It is also worth noting that, among his various heavies and henchmen, Cobb has Lee Van Cleef on the payroll. The actor has been turning up in small and supporting roles throughout 1955’s westerns, foreshadowing a much more successful run of roles in future.

The Road to Denver works well because it cements itself in characters, and then allows the narrative to flow out of their conflict. It pushes the Mayhew brothers into a series of competitions – over work, over romance, and most dominantly over respect. It is driven by Bill’s disappointment in Sam, Sam’s resentment at a perceived lack of respect, and their emotional contest for Elizabeth’s affections. It is a decent screenplay by Horace McCoy and Allen Rivkin.

This is not a classic film by any means, but it presents a rock-solid and entertaining one. It represents the ideal B-movie, quite frankly: well-paced, well-played, and well-told.

1955 West is a review project to watch as many western features from 1955 as possible, in order to gain a ‘snapshot’ view of the genre at its height. According to Letterboxd, there were 72 westerns released that year; this is the 30th film reviewed. You can see all of FictionMachine’s reviews to date by clicking here.