THE MAVERICK QUEEN On Blu-ray From Kino

 

This is a 1956 Republic Western that I had never seen, despite the fact that it stars one of my favorites, Barbara Stanwyck. 

Stanwyck plays the title role, a hard-edged woman named Kit Banion. Kit has managed to make herself a bigwig in the Wyoming town she resides in, mostly due to her association with Butch Cassidy (Howard Petrie) and the Sundance Kid (Scott Brady). A drifter named Jeff (Barry Sullivan) rides into town, convincing Kit he's one of the Younger gang....but he's actually an undercover Pinkerton agent who is trying to infiltrate the Wild Bunch. Kit starts to fall for Jeff, but he has an interest in local cattle rancher Lucy (Mary Murphy). 

THE MAVERICK QUEEN was based on a Zane Grey novel, but its most notable quality is that it was shot on some spectacular locations in Colorado. There's some stunning scenery here, all rendered in a widescreen process that Republic called "Naturama" and a technique the studio referred to as "Trucolor". Director Joe Kane makes great use of the outdoor locations, and the result is one of the best looking Westerns of the 1950s. 

The story is rather predictable--Stanwyck had already played a number of roles just like Kit, and there isn't much surprise in how the ending comes out (especially considering that Mary Murphy, who gets as much screen time as Stanwyck, is the "Good Girl" equivalent to Kit). The main notable aspect of the plot is that it involves Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, over a decade before their famous big-screen portrayals by Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Here Butch and Sundance are about as far away from Newman and Redford as you can get. Howard Petrie and Scott Brady are scruffy, ornery, and violent....and in this movie they are most assuredly not good buddies. 

Like most Westerns of the 1950s, THE MAVERICK QUEEN has plenty of recognizable actors, such as Jim Davis, Wallace Ford, and John Doucette. Mary Murphy is very good as the spunky Lucy, and of course it's a treat to watch Barbara Stanwyck in anything. Barry Sullivan may not be most people's choice as a formidable Western hero, but he and Stanwyck work well together (the two would reunite in Sam Fuller's FORTY GUNS). Being that this is a Republic film, the stunt work is as excellent as expected. 

Kino's presentation of THE MAVERICK QUEEN on this Blu-ray is simply astounding. The movie is shown in the 2.35;1 aspect ratio, and the colorful transfer looks gorgeous. Other than some trailers for some similar films, the only extra is a new audio commentary by Dwayne Epstein, a somewhat ragged talk in which he spends most of the time reciting personal details about many of those involved in the production. 

THE MAVERICK QUEEN isn't what I would call a game-changing Western, but it is an entertaining one, and it is one of the best-looking 1950s movies I've seen on Blu-ray.