a_chinn
I had to start this movie over twice because I realized I'd stopped paying attention, which should tell you something about the quality of storytelling here. Randolph Scott plays an undercover government agent investigating some Confederate sympathizers who want California to secede and become a rebel state. Routine western offers nothing original. It's not terrible, but it's so routine and bland that it hardly held my interest.
FightingWesterner
Supposed killer and Army deserter Randolph Scott heads to Los Angeles sometime before the Civil War. Posing as a schoolteacher who can't shoot straight, he gets knee-deep in some intrigue involving a group of separatists, the assassination of a US senator, and their attempts to split California into free and slave states.Costumes and sets are lavish and there's lots of great old-California atmosphere. However, The Man Behind The Gun is disappointingly routine. It's really too bad, because this is really one handsome production!The actors are game and some of their characters are quite colorful. The filmmakers should have pumped a little more action and suspense into the script, or trimmed the final product to about an hour.
weezeralfalfa
In contrast to most reviewers, I found this one of the most interesting Randolph Scott westerns I have seen. However, it could have used a better descriptive title. For a start, "The man behind the masquerade" would apply to several of the main characters, including Randy.The plot centers around two things: the secret effort of the US army to infiltrate and break up a pre-Civil War secession movement in southern CA, and the shiftings in the romantic quadrangle between Randy, as Major Callicut, Captain Giles(Phillip Carey), Lora(Patrice Wymore) and Chona(Lina Romay). The two female leads are cast as opposites in personality as well as looks. Chona is a worldly Mexican spitfire singer in an L.A. nightspot, whereas Lora is a straight-laced rosy-cheeked striking blond school teacher from the East. Randy is clearly smitten by both, as is Captain Giles, who will unexpectedly be working with Randy to squash the secession movement. Lora is engaged to Giles, but she soon cools toward him, while warming up to Randy, whom she met on the stage to L.A. Meanwhile, Giles has been dallying with Chona, in Lora's absence. Now, Chona is angry that Giles has stopped seeing her, after Lora's arrival. She briefly hints at a romance with Randy, but this fades after he discovers that she is in with the rebels and she discovers that he is a secret agent for the army. Chona eventually initiates a spirited but remarkably inept cat fight with Lora over Giles. It ends in a draw, but tragedy soon strikes one.Meanwhile, Creegan, a vocal supporter of an independent southern CA, as a slave state, is at odds with Senator Sheldon, supposedly a staunch supporter of a united free CA. However, Sheldon also has plans for an independent southern CA, with himself as kingpin. But first, he wants to relieve Creegan of his monopoly of the water supply for L.A. It takes Randy a while to figure out that it is the supposedly deceased Sheldon, not Creegan, that he must subdue.Dick Wesson And Alan Hale Jr. are Randy's sidekicks, providing occasional comic relief. Wesson served other supporting roles during this period, usually as an effeminant daffy character.(examples: "Desert Song" and "Calamity Jane"). Here, he masquerades as a woman in one scene, but is laughingly unconvincing, with his moustache and unshaven face! He usually sports a bull whip which, among other things, he uses to remove the dress from the derriere of a saloon girl! Hale is easily confused with his father, who played similar supporting roles, especially in Errol Flynn movies. Patrice Wymore was the last official Mrs. Errol Flynn. She would interrupt her rather short Flynn-promoted film career to tend her ailing husband, whom she eventually divorced. Unfortunately, her daughter by Flynn turned out to have Flynn's addiction to drugs and died a beach bum cocaine and rum addict, reduced to stealing coconuts to support her habit. Lina Romay was primarily known as a Latin singer. She should not be confused with the younger actress of mostly horror and pornographic films, with the same name.In some respects, this film reminds me of the earlier Wayne western "Tall in the Saddle". Again, Wayne simultaneously becomes tenuously involved with a raven wildcat and a cool blond from the East. Again, Wayne is initially misled as to who the real villain is he is looking for. This was a B&W film, in contrast to the Technicolor treatment the present film was given. Color films rapidly took over Hollywood in the '50s, largely because of increased competition from TV and reduced complexity of making color films. Color TVs didn't become common until the '60s. Thus, color served as another reason for people to go to theaters.
jcohen1
Hey I liked this flick more than I would have thought given it's from Scott's earlier block of films. An interesting plot with lots of characters, many of who standout. I liked Alan Hale as Olaf and sidekick Monk (Dick Wesson). They provided comic relief not usually present in a RS flick. Scott is his usual coxcomb, cool self. Romancing two lovely ladies (a first?) and not too shabbily. He takes his uniform off to provide a look at his less than ripped (but not too shabby frame) The film unfortunately lacks a compelling villain. Some nice California scenery (not as good as One Eyed Jacks) They kinda threw the kitchen sink into this B movie. Hey it even has a catfight where the two kittens in question manage to do no damage. Lina Myway per favor.Enjoy.
