Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

Lack of good storyline.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Robert Sterling is a Winchester-toting rancher in "Peyton Place" director Mark Robson's "Roughshod," a romantic western epic, where our stalwart hero finds his fortunes changed by a quartet of women that have been run out of Aspen by social reformers. Clay Phillips (Robert Sterling of "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea") has nine horses and his little brother Steve (Claude Jarman, Jr., of "The Yearling") and he herding them to their new ranch in Sonora. They encounter a buggy load of prostitutes broken down on the trail to Sonora. Reluctantly, rather than leave them to die by the elements, Clay decides to load their things and them in the back of his wagon and deposit them at the first ranch that they see. Meantime, Sheriff Gardner (Ed Cassidy) warns Clay about the trio of desperadoes that have broken out of prison, shot down three innocent gents, and stolen not only their horses but also their hardware. Actually, this is the first thing that happens in "Roughshod." The man who leads this threesome, Lednov (John Ireland of "Red River" in an outfit that resembles his Red River garb) wants to even up a score with Clay. As it turns out, our hero took part in arresting Lednov because he killed of his best friend. Mary Wells (film noir femme fatale Gloria Grahame of "The Big Heat") and the three of her dancehall girl friends with her, Elaine (Jeff Donnell), Helen (Myrna Dell) and Marcia (Martha Hyer of "The Sons of Katie Elder"), are literally fish out of water on the frontier. One frontiersman (Jeff Cory of "True Grit") helps the women navigate their way down a sloping road. Eventually, the wagon that they were run out of town in breaks down on them, and this is when they meet Clay. Nothing of significance, "Roughshod" is still an above-average oater with strong performances and great photography.

Brothers Robert Sterling (Clay) and Claude Jarman Jr ((Steve) are heading to Sonora with 9 horses to start up ranch life. On the way they pick up 4 ladies of ill-repute who are heading the same way – Gloria Grahame (Mary), Myrna Dell (Helen), Jeff Donnell (Elaine) and Martha Hyer (Marcia). Sterling also has John Ireland (Lednov) and two other escaped outlaws after him for revenge. We follow Sterling and his merry band as they follow their dreams to Sonora. Not all of them make it there, though.This engaging western is easy to watch as the fates of the 2 brothers and 4 women is revealed. The end shoot-out scene is well done with a degree of tension that sustains itself throughout. The cast are all good with particular mention to John Ireland, Gloria Grahame and Myrna Dell. Robert Sterling in the lead isn't as memorable as these three. John Ireland makes the most of his screen time and he is definitely not a good guy. The fate of Myrna Dell is the most unfortunate and is dealt with in, what was for me, the film's most powerful segment. It will leave you asking yourself what happened.I usually find children in films quite annoying, especially if they run around saying "swell". Well, Claude Jarman Jr is the exception to this rule and he adds some nice moments to the developing relationship between Sterling and Grahame. I would have liked to see some Indian trouble as well but you can't have everything! And there is no need for it, really. It's an enjoyable character-driven western.

Usually, westerns have a lot more action than "Roughshod". This one, however, is a character study starring Robert Sterling and Gloria Grahame and is a likable, well made picture. Peculiar storyline has Sterling and his younger brother trying to herd some horses to another town. Along the way they encounter Grahame and 3 other dance hall girls with a broken-down wagon enroute elsewhere, having been deemed morally bankrupt and driven out of a neighboring town. Sterling is also being chased by a vengeful John Ireland and 2 other escaped cons for some payback.The story is mainly about a budding -or not- romance between Sterling and Grahame which Sterling is trying to fight off. He is trying to maintain a righteous front for his younger brother played by Claude Jarman, Jr. in an excellent performance. As noted by other users, Gloria Grahame fans will enjoy seeing her in an admittedly routine role, but she has never looked prettier than here.The action is all in the last 10 minutes in an exciting finale. It is an unremarkable, ultimately satisfying film that grows on you and lasts only 88 minutes. It almost makes you forget that is mostly a talking picture that could have used a little more energy and maybe some second unit stuff.

The first western by Robson who had already made some extraordinary movies (who says they were Val Lewton's work?) such as "the seventh victim" 'the ghost ship" or "bedlam".And his western is quite good ,if not as mind -boggling as his precedent efforts.First of all,Gloria Grahame,who was often cast in films noirs ,shines in her part of a dance hall gal who dreams to be a housewife and to educate her young protégé,Robert Sterling's kid brother:my favorite scenes show her teaching him the alphabet and the "true" culture;it's a destruction of the bad gal cliché;and I love when Sterling tells her that he knows a lot of things she can't teach him: the nature ,the animals,the weather,an empirical knowledge for sure ,but one that is more useful than the culture you get from the books,when you are in the wilderness tracked down by outlaws (John Ireland is the ideal bandit,but his part is underwritten and his relationship with the hero is skimmed over);it seems the director was more interested in the Sterling/Grahame relationship:a hero who is (perhaps?We are not told about it) illiterate but who demands a "respectable" woman for his wife :the other one is just good for a kiss,but you cannot marry a chick with a racy past;his kid brother knows better than he does:the young actor is excellent and endearing.A rare thing in the forties (and in the westerns of the era),the action begins a few seconds before the cast and credits.