Nevada (1944)

As Good As It Gets

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The first must-see film of the year.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Robert Mitchum plays an amiable cowpoke named Jim Lacy in Edward Killy's "Nevada" based on the Zane Grey novel of the same name. Lacy and his compadres Chito Rafferty (Richard Martin) and Dusty (Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams) hear about the sudden gold strike nearby in the Comstock Lode. Lacy wants to take a crack at it, while Dusty is hesitate. Chito is up for it, especially for the women. Speaking of women, a carriage with a runaway horse attracts Lacy's attention, and he stops the runaway. The lady in charge, Julie Dexter (Anne Jeffreys), thanks Lacy for his gallant gesture. Later, our trio get into a game of dice and Lacy wins over seven thousand dollars. The man who runs the gambling table tries to pulls a fast one on Lacy and slip him a pair of loaded dice. Fortunately, Lacy sees through the trick and wins more money before his compadres and he have to flee. Meantime, Julie learns from an assayer that it isn't gold that is showing up in the Comstock but silver. An old man racing to register his claim is bushwhacked by two riflemen. Lacy hears the shooting and rides to investigate. About the same time that he shows up so does a posse. They arrest Lacy because they found him at the scene of the crime and they dug seven thousand dollars out of his jeans. Lacy has to be resourceful to change the low opinion that most people around town have toward him. "Nevada" is strictly a B-western with a better than average scenario and a strong cast. It is interesting to watch Mitchum in his youth.

Once again a well-made RKO Radio Picture from yesteryear provides a fine entertainment in a summer when TV is a total washout and there are no movies at the multiplex for grown-ups over 13.This noteworthy formula western introduces Robert Mitchum in a story that moves along fast while focusing on the early days of the Comstock Lode in Gold Hill, CA. The story is good, the acting fine, the cinematography just great. They got the history straight and everything is on-the-level except that the real Gold Hill is on a steep grade, not flat; and that's the only flaw in the movie. Filming at Lone Pine, CA certainly fooled me, as the terrain is exactly the same as around Carson City, NV and Gold Hill.They knew how to make westerns in 1944; they don't in 2007. Unlike 3:10 to Yuma, this one doesn't turn stupid in the final 16 minutes.Look for NEVADA in recent DVD release. Then look around the house for an old $20 Gold Double Eagle minted from Comstock gold in 1870 at the mint in Carson City. It'll be worth $200,000 in poor condition; lots more if it still looks pretty.

It's always interesting to speculate on how different careers turn. RKO Pictures needed a new B western star because Tim Holt was going in the service. So this guy Mitchum was spotted in one of the Hopalong Cassidy films he played a bit role in and in fact Mitchum had done other parts like Thirty Second Over Tokyo, etc. So he got signed to a long term contract with RKO for this to be the first in a series of B Westerns.To show how much he was supposed to be a Tim Holt stand-in, Mitch was given Richard Martin who played Chito Rafferty the same part he played as Holt's sidekick. He also got a second sidekick in Guinn Williams. And the billing for Nevada read "introducing Robert Mitchum."The western itself is standard fare, nothing truly spectacular about it. It's source was a Zane Grey story which is a plus. But even then you could tell the camera loved Robert Mitchum. It's a must for Mitchum fans of which I'm one.The thing I wonder about though is if William Wellman hadn't spotted Mitchum and given him that career making part in The Story of GI Joe, would Mitch have continued as a B western star with his career petering out in the mid 50s or earlier. Food for thought.

Apart from westerns, Robert Mitchum always looks slick in these black and white films, particularly in the 40's. He has an arched lip which sometimes has an evil curve when he's angry. He's usually pushed to his limit, but it's always the tall, broad shoulders that surfaces in every film he's in.