South of St. Louis

They stick together and separate occasionally, taking opposite stands, sometimes with the confederates and sometimes with the unionists, but in spite of wide gulfs of differences they always end up together again, Joel McCrea, Zachary Scott and Douglas Kennedy, they are bound together by a ranch which they share called "Three Bells", and that's why they attach small bells to their spurs to make them tinkle more distinctly wherever they go. Two dames are also involved, the lovely and adorable Dorothy Malone, who is marrying Joel McCrea, and Alexis Smith as a saloon entertainer, singing occasionally and sticking her fingers into their business occasionally. She is the best acting performance here, with great nuances making her character the most intriguing, occasionally (when no one sees it) wiping off a tear or two. There is a great villain also, Victor Jory at his most unpleasant, a thoroughly vicious sadist who likes to burn ranches, kill people and steal any kind of loot. The frame of the drama is the civil war and how it affects Texas, being torn apart by unionists and confederates and ultimately in the hands of the Texas Rangers, and the political shifts of the drama add to its interest. Joel McCrea never gets his Dorothy Malone as another gets her instead, but he finds someone else, or perhaps she is the one who finds him, after having looked for him throughout the film.

Moviecut—South of St. Louis

Joel McCrea, Zachary Scott, and Douglas Kennedy were three friends who tried to ranch together, and dorothy Malone was the good girl they all loved. Then came the Civil War, and now in its closing days, their ranch is destroyed, so they turn to arms smuggling. But cracks show in their friendship, and when the War ends, will it mean the start of their battle? Warner Brothers had been putting Erroll Flynn in handsome westerns for some time, and this looks like it was intended as another. It's handsome, engaging, has a fine cast, including Alan Hale as a politician, Alexis Smith as the bad girl with a heart of gold, and Bob Steele as the mean henchman. But despite Karl Freund's typically fine camerawork, it all seems like a b western writ large. Perhaps it's because the villain of the piece is Victor Jory as Quantrell, but they were afraid of a lawsuit, so they called his 'Cotrell'. There are no obvious errors, just a feeling it has too many moving parts that never quite mesh.

Joel McCrea, Douglas Kennedy, and Zachary Scott are partners in the Three Bell Ranch in Texas as the Civil War starts. When war does come it splits the partners up. The ranch is raided by Victor Jory and his cutthroats and the partners are wiped out. Kennedy opts for enlisting in the Confederate Army. McCrea and Scott decide to go into gunrunning to make enough money to re-stock the ranch. McCrea makes enough, but Scott likes the profits and he wants to keep on gunrunning. As you can see the three partners all have different agendas. In fact everyone in this movie is working on his own agenda. The female leads Alexis Smith and Dorothy Malone have a hankering for McCrea. Victor Jory rides for the Union the Confederates and for himself. Bob Steele who's a slimy sort that Scott recruits in the gunrunning business has his own plans. Believe it or not it all jells into a very nice plot and is good entertainment. Joel McCrea was his usual stalwart hero as was Douglas Kennedy. Zachary Scott was no better than he had to be on any occasion. It's a good western and I wish it was shown more often.

This movie is filled with every cliche you can think of, and absolutely none of them work. The plot is predictable and the characters are not interesting, but boring. The acting is pretty bad, even by Joel McCrea. Even western fans should stay away from this one.

Superb photography in Technicolor which is sublimated by the Blu Ray. A film to see if only for the photography, its colors, its resolution. The Blu Ray allows to perceive the mark on Joel McCrea's horse or the stains on his shirt. But this is not necessarily important to appreciate the film. Because the film benefits from an exciting scenario that mixes the adventures of three friends, whose paths will diverge for reasons of choice: one joins the army (Douglas Kennedy), one becomes a gun smuggler for the money (Zachary Scott), the third makes less radical choices and hesitates (Joel McCray). The story brings them together with two female characters: Dorothy Malone, in a small role, but important in the evolution of two of the three characters; Alexis Smith, who absorbs the shots where she appears, as a businesswoman, bar singer, secretly in love with one of the three. Her songs come across well! The film also benefits from two villains, vile and perfidious: Victory Jory and Bob Steele. On a short duration, without dead time, without useless dramatic fat, the film embraces its story with alacrity and richness, and also beauty thanks to the Technicolor.

Unimpressive Western with an Impressive Cast and Production. Joel McCrea, Zachary Scott, Bob Steele, Dorthy Malone, Alexis Smith are in the Expensive Cast-List. Max Steiner is the Composer. The Movie was Shot in Technicolor. What's Unimpressive about the Movie is the that it Fails to Deliver much in Entertainment Value. Relying on Dull Dialog, Routine Characters in a Recycled Plot about Long-Time Friends Finding it Difficult to Remain Loyal. The Civil-War and its Ramifications on, well, Everything and Everybody finds the "Three Amigos' Burned-Out of Their Ranch by Ruthless "Yankee" Scumbags. The Ranch was Named "The Three Bells". And as a Symbol They All Wear "Tinkling" Little Bells on Their Spurs. Pay Attention Now because this is a "Key" Thread Running throughout the Movie. A Silly and Goofy Tie-In to the Disenfranchising of a Once-Bonded Team, By 1949 Hollywood had Perfected its Craft of Assembly-Line Art with a Studio-System. Peeking in 1939 and 10 Years Later, the Formulaic Nature did the Art of Motion Pictures No Favors. 1949 was the Beginning of the End of Such Robotic Capitalization. Because the Inherent Influence of Money in the Production caused a "Play it Safe at All Costs". The Industrialized Stifling of Otherwise Talented Artists that were Under Strict, Binding Contracts by the Studios. This Movie is a Good Example of Coasting. Uninspired By-the-Numbers "Product" to be Sold to the Masses with Guaranteed Return on the Investment. Problem is...It would Not be Guaranteed Forever. 10 Years Later the Studio-System would Begin to Collapse Under its Own Weight.

Entertaining western film. Suitable for family viewing. Follows the lives of three friends; the different paths their lives take. Watch for the mole on Alexis Smith face. In one scene, when she sings "Dixie", the mole has left her face and is seen on her chest area.In the closing scene there is no trace of the mole.

"Coroner Creek" director Ray Enright's Civil War-era western "South of St. Louis" ranks as both entertaining and distinctive for the three Texas cattle ranchers (Joel McCrea, Zachary Scott, and Douglas Kennedy) who share a bond of kinship as stout as brotherhood. This heroic threesome is symbolic because their communal ranch, called 'The Three Bell Ranch,' is burned down by the villainous likes of Victor Jory and his raiders. Jory's Luke Cottrell is equivalent to the murderous William Quantrill who committed atrocities galore. Kip Davis (Joel McCrea of "The Virginian"), Charlie Burns (Zachary Scott of "Mildred Pierce," and Lee Price (Douglas Kennedy of "Dark Passage") all wear one small bell attached to their spurs. The first glimpse we get of this trio in action occurs they corner obnoxious Yankee guerrilla fighter Luke Cottrell in a Brownsville, Texas, saloon. Kip refuses to slap leather with the evil Cottrell. Nevertheless, he sheds his gun belt and batters Cottrell into submission with his fists before he banishes the brigand from Texas. The American Civil War that spawned Cottrell shatters the solidarity of our three protagonists. Lee decides to enlist in the Confederacy and dons a gray uniform. Meanwhile, Kip and Charlie enter the gunrunning business. The color of their hats reflects the morality of their characters. For example, Lee wears a white hat, while Charlie sports black headgear. Kip comes up in the middle with a brown one. Indeed, Lee is virtue incarnate; Charlie is malevolent incarnate, while Kip stands somewhere between them. During all these early shenanigans, we see Kip and his future wife Deborah Miller (Dorothy Malone of "The Big Sleep") delay their marriage plans indefinitely because the three men aim to punish Cottrell for his act of arson. "Humoresque" scenarist Zachary Gold and "The Big Country" writer James R. Webb have drummed-up a historical oater that chronicles the way that the Civil War fractures the tight bond among the three. The other recurring character--introduced later--that takes a fancy to Kip is red-haired, dance-hall warbler Rouge de Lisle (Alexis Smith of "Gentleman Jim") who dresses seductively and knows how to belt out a song. Confederate sympathizers will like the way that the rebels triumph over Union. This rugged western shoot'em up is a mite more complicated because it thrusts Kip into a predicament. Charlie and he are running guns across the Texas/Mexico line dressed up in stolen Union outfits when Confederates attack them. Initially, Kip refuses to return fire, but Charlie convinces him otherwise. German lenser Karl Freund of "Metropolis" is responsible for the exemplary cinematography.

Despite having Joel McCrea in the lead, this is a rather dull western...dull and pretty predictable. About the only part that was unexpected was how less than honorable McCrea's character was through much of the movie. The story is set during the Civil War. Three buddies all arrive in Yankee occupied Texas on the lookout for Cottrell (Victor Jory). Cottrell is fashioned after the real life Civil War raider, Quantrill...though oddly he's fighting for the Union in this one. Despite Kip Davis (Joel McCrea) and his friends wanting to kill Cottrell, soon Lee (Douglas Kennedy) joins the Confederate army and Kip and Charlie (Zachary Scott) help the South by running the blockades. Eventually, however, Charlie comes to enjoy getting rich much more than helping the Confederacy and this brings a very predictable showdown at the end. Everything about this film is mediocre at best and the story only occasionally interesting. I had a hard time caring about the characters and the story.