On its way from San Francisco to St. Louis, a stagecoach makes a stop at Rawhide Station, a remote post attended by Sam Todd (Edgar Buchanan) and Tom Owens (Tyrone Power). Disembarking the stage for a meal at the station are, among others, Vinnie Holt (Susan Hayward), and the small child she carries with her. Before the passengers can depart the station, a soldier informs the stage driver that condemned prisoner Rafe Zimmerman (Hugh Marlowe) has escaped. In the interest of safety, Vinnie and little Callie are left behind at Rawhide, while the remainder of the passengers continue on their journey.
Locked in a room with Vinnie most of the time, will Tom be able to warn the stage driver of the impending danger? And once the robbery is accomplished, is there any hope for Tom, Vinnie, and Callie to escape? These are the questions which play out in this film.
While Rawhide is not a spectacular film, it is definitely entertaining and exciting. I found the storyline interesting and the acting quite good. Susan Hayward was her usual exceptional self. She was appropriately strong and hard---traits she always exhibited perfectly. Ty Power---in what I think was an unusual role for him---was quite believable here. Hugh Marlowe---who I've only seen as a "good guy"---did great in his role as well. Jack Elam was quite terrific too. If I was more into Westerns, I probably would be rating this one 4 stars. So, 3 stars, from a non-Western fan means this is a very solid film.
Rawhide is out on DVD; however, I tracked it down through a site called "Westerns on the Web" (HERE). If you like Westerns, definitely stop by that site. They have dozens of movies, all available for free viewing on their site. Additionally, the film is available in its entirety on YouTube.
Happy viewing!!