Copper Canyon (1950)

Following the Civil War, a vaudeville sharpshooter (Ray Milland) with a mysterious past is coerced into helping a group of Southern miners who are being prevented from selling their ore by a corrupt group of rebel haters. He's also smitten with a beautiful gambler (Hedy Lamarr) but can he trust her? Directed by John Farrow (THE BIG CLOCK), this is standard western fare enhanced by the star power of Milland and Lamarr and the impressive Technicolor lensing of the Sedona, Arizona locations by Charles Lang (SOME LIKE IT HOT). Milland's character is a bit irritating in that he never seems to trust the right people or foresee the obvious. There was a subplot featuring a romance between a young Confederate widow (Mona Freeman) and a Union soldier (Harry Carey Jr.) that I wouldn't have minded seeing more of. Western fans could do worse. The large supporting cast includes Macdonald Carey, Hope Emerson, Frank Faylen, Peggy Knudsen and Ian Wolfe.