When The West Was Young – DVD

Black-hearted gambling hall proprietor Judson Holderness has long coveted Adam Naab's ranch, but Naab has repeatedly made it clear that his land is not for sale. Adam is unaware that his son Snap has been dealing with Holderness on the side, rustling livestock to pay off his huge gambling debts. To make matters worse, Snap's best girl, Judy, finds herself irresistibly drawn to Jack Hare, a land surveyor hired by Naab to help legally protect the ranch's boundaries. Backed into a corner, Snap is primed to explode in anger and frustration, creating the perfect opening for Holderness to execute his heinous land grab.

When The West Was Young (originally titled Heritage of the Desert) presents a pair of future western notables at their humble beginnings. Randolph Scott, who portrays greenhorn land surveyor Jack Hare, would begin to make his mark a decade later, appearing with Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Errol Flynn and Lee Marvin in some of the better westerns of the 40s and 50s. This fine western marked the directorial debut of the great Henry Hathaway, whose later screen credits include Niagara (1953), How the West Was Won (1962), The Sons Of Katie Elder (1965), True Grit (1969) and many other classics.

• western