The title of this movie is a little misleading, but it doesn't really matter. When you see the promotional poster, you know you're going to see a Randolph Scott western, and who cares what the title or the plot is? I've probably seen more than thirty of his movies without knowing a thing about them.
If you do care about the plot, though, here it is: Scottie McScottie Pants is happily settled down on a ranch in Arizona. He's visited by his old pal, Lester Matthews, and throws him a welcome party. As Scottie grins away and dances at the fiesta, Lester's son, Skip Homeier, gets into trouble. He dances with a beautiful senorita, Donna Martell, not knowing she's already spoken for. Donna's guardian, Richard Boone, is extremely protective over her and doesn't want her to get carried off by any young scoundrel. So, when she runs away from home and Scottie takes Skip's side, Richard gets mad.
What ruins this movie is Skip Homeier. He has such a terrible attitude problem, and the chip on his shoulder takes up nearly the entire screen. How are we supposed to root for him when he's so unlikable? At the fiesta, he doesn't even bother finding out if Donna even wants his protection from her guardian, or if she's as taken with him as he is with her. He basically claims her as his and doesn't care about the consequences - which is the same thing Richard does. The only difference is that Richard is older and rugged-looking, which, frankly isn't very nice. Humphrey Bogart was rugged-looking, and he snagged Audrey Hepburn (onscreen) when he was in his fifties! And since when does a ward-guardian relationship get in the way of romance? The Seventh Veil, Adam and Evelyn, Daddy Long Legs, and the 1959 version of The Sound and the Fury have romanticized it. Richard has known Donna her entire life and he's fallen in love with the woman she's become. Skip dances with her for three minutes.
I'm going on a little too much about this love triangle, but it is supposed to be the motivation for the plot. If you don't really care about it and just want to see Scottie battle it out with Richard Boone, go for it. You can also see them together in The Tall T, which I liked better.
If you do care about the plot, though, here it is: Scottie McScottie Pants is happily settled down on a ranch in Arizona. He's visited by his old pal, Lester Matthews, and throws him a welcome party. As Scottie grins away and dances at the fiesta, Lester's son, Skip Homeier, gets into trouble. He dances with a beautiful senorita, Donna Martell, not knowing she's already spoken for. Donna's guardian, Richard Boone, is extremely protective over her and doesn't want her to get carried off by any young scoundrel. So, when she runs away from home and Scottie takes Skip's side, Richard gets mad.
What ruins this movie is Skip Homeier. He has such a terrible attitude problem, and the chip on his shoulder takes up nearly the entire screen. How are we supposed to root for him when he's so unlikable? At the fiesta, he doesn't even bother finding out if Donna even wants his protection from her guardian, or if she's as taken with him as he is with her. He basically claims her as his and doesn't care about the consequences - which is the same thing Richard does. The only difference is that Richard is older and rugged-looking, which, frankly isn't very nice. Humphrey Bogart was rugged-looking, and he snagged Audrey Hepburn (onscreen) when he was in his fifties! And since when does a ward-guardian relationship get in the way of romance? The Seventh Veil, Adam and Evelyn, Daddy Long Legs, and the 1959 version of The Sound and the Fury have romanticized it. Richard has known Donna her entire life and he's fallen in love with the woman she's become. Skip dances with her for three minutes.
I'm going on a little too much about this love triangle, but it is supposed to be the motivation for the plot. If you don't really care about it and just want to see Scottie battle it out with Richard Boone, go for it. You can also see them together in The Tall T, which I liked better.