It may be a B-Western, but Universal popped for some of the best scenery (southwestern Colorado) found in any Western, A or B. I really liked the story's first part, dealing with topics seldom found in any oater—like raising money to buy a farm, horses, a wagon, plus making a home without a woman. In other words, elements of real frontier life too unexciting for most horse operas. But then the plot turns into more conventional cops and robbers, which is okay but hardly memorable.
Telling the story from the boy's point of view is a helpful touch—that way we understand the changes he and his dad are going through. Little Jimmy Hunt is excellent as young Joshua, looking like a real kid instead of a Hollywood charmer. And of course there's McCrea. No cowboy actor gave off an air of quiet nobility better than this underrated actor. Always low-key, he never swaggered like many of his peers or called undue attention to his character. Yet he could exert a quietly persuasive authority when necessary, made more effective by that low-key background. In my little book, he's one of the best of all cowboy actors.
Anyway, it's a good little Western distinguished by the stunning, well-photographed alpine scenery.