As the Civil War spills our nation’s blood, Capt. John Hayes fights on a vital but little-known battlefront. He aims to ship gold to Union banks through a small Colorado town, defying Southern sympathizers who aim to stop him at any cost.
Direction
Boetticher's ruthless economy—no frame wasted.
Acting
Scott's granite jaw doing 90% of the emotional lifting.
Cinematography
Colorado locations shot with crisp, cruel beauty.
Director
Budd Boetticher
Randolph Scott
Capt. John Hayes
Virginia Mayo
Norma Putnam
Karen Steele
Jeanie Miller
Michael Dante
Rod Miller
Andrew Duggan
Clay Putnam
Michael Pate
Mace
Wally Brown
Stubby
John Daheim
Russ
Walter Barnes
Willis - Stage Depot Cook
Peter Brown
Army Sentry Outside Tent (voice) (uncredited)
Gary Epper
Boy at Stagecoach Accident (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was the fifth of seven Scott-Boetticher westerns, shot in just twelve days on a lean $500,000 budget.
Released during TV's western boom, it fought for screens against 'Rawhide' and 'Gunsmoke'—hence the breakneck runtime.
US
