Thunder Over The Plains (1953)

In 1869 post-Civil War Texas, the state has not yet been readmitted into the Union. An army officer and native Texan (Randolph Scott) tries to keep the peace between the poverty stricken farmers and the corrupt carpetbaggers taking advantage of their plight. Directed by Andre De Toth (HOUSE OF WAX), this is a routine western barely distinguishable from the rest of the pack. It's one of those westerns which were prolific in the 40s and 50s with an inordinate sympathy for the defeated South and portraying the Northern victors as rigid and unyielding. It's gussied up a bit by an uninteresting domestic subplot with Phyllis Kirk as Scott's unhappy wife and Lex Barker as the sneaky army captain who attempts to seduce her. Other than that, it's a straight forward oater. I wish the script had made Scott's character a little smarter. We're always one step ahead of the naive doofus. With Charles McGraw, Fess Parker, Henry Hull and Elisha Cook Jr.