One of my all time favorites.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Interesting, but all too predictable story of a young man, out of control, who is taken under the wing by his dead father's best friend. The solution to his problems in this western is to get a wife.Buddy Ebsen shines here as the guy who searches for Keir Dullea. Lois Nettleton becomes the bride. She brings to the marriage a young son. Widowed, her character is totally not allowed to be developed here.Naturally, there are cattle rustlers who take advantage of the situation and a scene where the young boy's life is put in danger when a fire breaks out, started by the crooks, in the area where he is sleeping.The ending, naturally when things calm down, is poignant and comical as Ebsen shows that it's never too late to find love.

This movie was on TCM so I tried it out. Its the story of Will Lane, an older man who travels to Montana to seek Lee Carey, the son of an old friend. The reason Lane does this is to try to make Carey into a responsible man, apparently a promise he made to Carey's deceased father. Carey turns out to be fond of drinking, women and gambling, so in order for Lane to calm him down he travels to find him a mail order bride. From there, we'll see whether Carey is tamed. This is a basic western, with drama and light comedy. Buddy Ebsen as Lane is fine, and the film is easy to watch. Its nothing special but I still didn't mind it. I'm not particularly fond of Westerns, and this does not rank anywhere near John Wayne's best but its not bad. I was never a big fan of Mr. Ebsen's TV work, but this is a decent film. A curious bit of casting is Jimmy Mathers, Jerry's brother, as the bride's son. He is in a very small role but it was interesting anyway (I didn't know he had a brother). So, if you like westerns or are just looking to pass the time, I think its watchable. Go ahead, its worth it.

Minor comedic western has rural newlyweds (a hot-tempered rebel and a widow with a young son) forced together into matrimony, but attempting to make the union work if only to spite the town's naysayers. Buddy Ebsen's role as a potential troublemaker isn't well-defined--and worse, he keeps popping in and out of scenes without any character motive. Keir Dullea and Lois Nettleton fare much better as the married twosome, and Jimmy Mathers (brother of Jerry) is a cute youngster. Nettleton in particular looks very much at home in these rugged settings; she's a warm, reassuring presence on the screen, like a younger version of Deborah Kerr. The scenery is attractive and the pacing is lively, however a bit more action or excitement in the narrative might've helped. Still, fast-paced, innocuous fun. **1/2 from ****

Old fashioned western comedy with an interesting cast. Keir "2001" Dullea plays a wild young man and Buddy "Barnaby Jones" Ebsen plays a friend of his dead father who should learn him how to behave. Warren Oates and a very young William Smith play his bad friends.