Whispering Smith (1948)

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

That's what Brenda Marshall finds out when her husband Robert Preston has a falling out with life long pal Alan Ladd in this western where enemies of Ladd's seek to hurt him where it really counts: the blood lines of brothers not related through family ties. Ladd plays Whispering Smith, a railroad man who kills several members of the Barton clan, stirring up patriarch Donald Crisp against him, basically stirring Preston up to destroy their ties, and thus get revenge in a more vindictive way. Preston changes as a result of his association with the nefarious Crisp and his associates, lives a loose life while away from Marshall, and eventually finding his way to a life of illegal activities, destroying three people while really only after one.When taken in a psychological context, this is interesting, if perhaps too analytical a theme for a western. Sometimes a script of too much intelligence can be boring, and this has some moments that are close to snoozefests. William Demarest is there for light comedy relief, with "Ma Hardy" Faye Holden his loving wife who plays welcoming mother figure to everybody she encounters. There are a couple of key scenes that stand out: the opening scene on a train that sets up Ladd and Preston's past, the scene where Preston and a group of men clearing up the debris from a train crash decide they'd rather get drunk and work (setting up their falling out), and Ladd's attempt to talk some sense into the much changed Preston. It's what's in between that slows this down, although there's some might pretty color scenery along the way.

Railroad cop Alan Ladd tracks a trio of train robbers to his old hometown, where he tangles with local bad guys and tries to stop old friend Robert Preston from getting irreversibly involved with a gang of thieves, led by Donald Crisp, who derail and loot trains.In the title role, Ladd is both smooth and tough, in a good performance, while the villains are appropriately ugly and cruel looking. Sets, costumes, and Technicolor photography are first-rate. Suspense is handled nicely. This is an entertaining movie.One flaw though, is that Preston's character is neither likable nor sympathetic in the least, making one wonder, not only why Ladd tries to give him a break, but why he's even friends with him in the first place!

Two railroad buddies drift apart when one decides to join a local gang.Good "buddy" western. The soft-spoken Ladd and the voluble Preston play off one another really well. Their friendship appears touchingly real, unusual for movie make-believe. Then too, the movie has a lot of colorful aspects, especially the train wreckage scene that's both well-written and well-mounted, and like no other western set-up I've seen. There's also some great Sierra scenery along with a fine supporting cast. I especially like Frank Faylen's droopy-eyed gunman and Donald Crisp's friendly bad guy. And catch the lovely Brenda Marshall, unusually soulful for a western heroine. In fact, each of the supporting players manages a distinctive personality.Certainly, no one could ever accuse Ladd of over-acting. He was always best when asserting a kind of quiet authority as he does here. Actually, that's an effective way to compete with Preston's naturally big personality. So, when the two have a showdown, it's almost like two complementary personalities tragically splitting apart. Something should also be said of the skillfully thought-out script that manages to mesh the complex plot into a believable whole. Anyway, in my book, it's a colorfully done, generally underrated oater from Hollywood's golden period.

This was an awfully mediocre Western even though it featured Alan Ladd and Robert Preston--two actors capable of much better films than this. This isn't to say it's bad--just very ordinary and only a time-passer.Ladd is a special agent that works for the railroad. He comes in town to round up a trio of brothers who have been robbing trains. He makes pretty short work of these three in only the first 10 minutes or so of the film and the focus then is on his renewing an old friendship with Preston--a guy who also works for the railroad and a guy who married the woman who was stuck on Ladd years earlier. Well, the two friends are as happy as two clams, though the fact that Preston is a bit crooked it telegraphed so that everyone in the audience and all the other actors seem to know it long before Ladd. Either Ladd is really dumb or blinded by loyalty. However, as the film progresses, this friendship is in tatters and the inevitable confrontation between them eventually occurs and the movie ends. All this looks like something I've seen before several times and it's too bad the stars weren't given better material, as nothing seemed to occur that wasn't expected.