Rachel And The Stranger (1948)

A widower (William Holden) in the colonial wilderness decides he needs a wife to help him raise his son (Gary Gray) so he goes to the local settlement where he buys an indentured servant (Loretta Young) and takes her as his wife. The relationship between them remains platonic until a traveling man (Robert Mitchum) visits and takes an interest in her and Holden begins to re-assess the situation. This is a heartwarming western tale that manages to avoid sentimentality and more concerned with its characters' inability to communicate rather than action though there is a spirited Shoshone attack at the end of the film. The screenplay by Waldo Salt (MIDNIGHT COWBOY) based on the Howard Fast (SPARTACUS) short story is solid and Norman Foster's quiet and unobtrusive direction lets the three stars shine. Young actually displays a modest sex appeal while Holden and Mitchum demonstrate a reserved masculine charm though the young Gray can't disguise that fake child actor behavior so prevalent in the so called "Golden Age" of Hollywood. With Tom Tully, Frank Ferguson and Sara Haden.