Spoilers of the Forest (1957)

Director:

Joseph Kane

Writer:

Bruce Manning (writer)

Release Date:

5 April 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Western

Tagline:

The Last Frontier Of Untamed Woman...And Fighting Men!

Plot Keywords:

Montana | Lumberjack | Forest | Trucolor

Cast

Rod Cameron	...	Boyd Caldwell
Vera Ralston	...	Joan Milna
Ray Collins	...	Eric Warren
Hillary Brooke	...	Phyllis Warren
Edgar Buchanan	...	Tom Duncan
Carl Benton Reid	...	John Mitchell
Sheila Bromley	...	Linda Mitchell
Hank Worden	...	Pat Casey
John Compton	...	Billy Mitchell
John Alderson	...	Big Jack Milna
Angela Greene	...	Camille
Paul Stader	...	Dan
Mary Alan Hokanson	...	Marie Milna
Raymond Greenleaf	...	Clyde Walters
Eleanor Audley	...	Mrs. Walters

Runtime:

68 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Trucolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved

Company:

Republic Pictures

Trivia:

Final film of Hillary Brooke.

Film has an environmental plot ahead of its time

Though only 68 minutes, Spoilers of the Forest, a modern western that replaces the horse with the jeep, has a lot to recommend it. Its basic plot involves the preservation of Montana forests from an unscrupulous logging firm headed by the actor who played Perry Mason's Inspector Tragg, Ray Collins. Hillary Brooke plays Collin's wife in what at first might appear to be an unlikely pairing, but they play well together as the villains. Rod Cameron works for them as their logging foreman. Collins and Cameron stumble upon a large, 50 tract parcel of Montana forest owned by Vera Ralston and her stepfather and his family. They want to log only one of the 50 tracts for environmental reasons, but Collins and Cameron want to log all 50 tracts and set about with a plan to trick Ralston into betraying her stepfather. Cameron is to romance Ralston, get her used to expensive things, so that she will agree to further logging. In wide screen Naturama and Trucolor, the film is beautifully shot by Jack Marta, director of photography. Directed by Republic's famous house director, Joseph Kane, Kane keeps the action moving right along. This film received three stars from the New York News when it was reviewed in 1957 and was featured as the "A" movie on many double bills. Finally, this is one of a handful of Ralston films in which she performs very well. I am surprised that the film hasn't been remade in the almost 50 years since Kane first produced and directed it.