The Maverick Queen *** (1956, Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan, Scott Brady, Mary Murphy, Wallace Ford, Jim Davis, Howard Petrie, Emil Meyer) – Classic Movie Review 11,703

Director Joseph Kane’s 1955 Western film The Maverick Queen is filmed in Naturama widescreen and Trucolor, and stars Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan, Scott Brady, Mary Murphy, Wallace Ford, Jim Davis, Howard Petrie and Emil Meyer.

Sullivan plays undercover Pinkerton detective Jeff Young, who is sent to stop saloon-keeper Kit Banion (Stanwyck), who is running a bar called The Maverick Queen and also an even more profitable sideline with a cattle-rustling outlaw gang called the Wild Bunch (Brady as Sundance, Petrie as Butch Cassidy). But, naturally, Sullivan soon falls for the maverick queen.

Despite the humble production and lack of surprises, this is a professionally done, fair-to-middling Western, based on a Zane Grey novel.

It is kept fast moving by director Kane and is lifted by the always-reliable Stanwyck (as usual at her best being bad) and by one or two of the support performances from the Western stalwarts.

The cast are Barbara Stanwyck as Kit Banion, Barry Sullivan as Jeff Young / Younger, Scott Brady as Sundance, Mary Murphy as Lucy Lee, Wallace Ford as Jamie, Howard Petrie as Butch Cassidy, Jim Davis as The Stranger, the real Jeff Younger, Emile Meyer as Leo Malone, Walter Sande as Sheriff Wilson, George Keymas as Muncie, John Doucette as Loudmouth, Taylor Holmes as Pete Callaher, Pierre Watkin as McMillan, Joni James as Title Song Singer, Jack Kenny as Barfly, and Ethan Laidlaw as Henchman.

The Maverick Queen is directed by Joseph Kane, runs 90 minutes, is made and released by Republic Pictures, is written by Kenneth Gamet and DeVallon Scott, shot by Jack A Marta, produced by Herbert J Yates and Joseph Kane (associate producer), and scored by Victor Young.

 © Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,703

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