A cattle baron takes in an orphaned boy and raises him, causing his own son to resent the boy. As they get older the resentment festers into hatred, and eventually the real son frames his stepbrother for fathering an illegitimate child that is actually his, seeing it as an opportunity to get his half-brother out of the way so he can have his father's empire all to himself.
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A 1951 MGM color western, lapsed into public domain. Several copies available at YouTube: all with frequent washed out colors and slightly fuzzy image. Nonetheless, they are good enough for the determined viewer. Also available in "The Great American Western" DVD pack.The screenplay focuses on an unwed mother(Sally Forrest as Lily),and the question of who is the father. Lily won't tell and neither will the father, who doesn't want to suffer retribution at the hands of her 2 big brothers Hub(John Ireland) and Dick(Hugh O'Brien), or his wife or father. Although neighbor Hewie, a young ranch hand, has long had a crush on Lily, suspicion falls on Owen(Burt Lancaster): one of two brothers who run a neighboring ranch for their ailing father(Arch). Owen's guilt is assumed by some after he visits Lily, staying at a neighbor's house, and leaves her $500. Later, it's discovered that Owen's brother Lee(Robert Walker) withdrew $500. from their account, making his wife, Jen(Joanne Dru) assume that he is the likely father. She tells Owen she wants to leave, but Owen talks her into staying, although she locks Lee out of the bedroom. Owen has also figured out that Lee is the father but, like Jen, won't tell anyone. Lily's brothers still believe Owen is the father, and stick him up when he again visits Lily. Owen has a fist fight with one, until Lily appears with a rifle to end it, and send her brothers to jail for a week. I should explain that Owen was adopted as an orphan, while Lee is Arch's(father) natural son. Amazingly, the narrator in the introduction gets this backwards! Owen appears to be a little older and definitely taller and bigger. He's the foreman, and certainly more responsible than Lee. One wonders why Jen married Lee rather than Owen. Owen suggests to Lee that if he values his life, he best leave for other parts before Lily's brothers get out of jail. Lee sends mixed messages as to whether he is leaving. He asks for and receives a half ownership share of the father's ranch. Yet, he sells 3000 head of cattle, supposedly to get him started in parts unknown. Arch says that Owen will inherent the other half interest in the ranch when he(Arch)dies. Lee arranges for Lily's brothers to join the cattle herding, arranging with them to ambush Owen when Lee leads him to the place. Well, you can more or less guess what actually happens. Unfortunately, there is no hint whether Owen and Jen are likely to marry, or whether Owen or Hewie will likely marry Lily. Lily seems a pretty independent person, but my guess is she will eventually marry Hewie, as someone who will not try to be too dominating over her.
Burt Lancaster Saddles Up for the First Time and Seems Home on the Range in This Underrated Western. It's Got Everything a Thinker's Western Could Have. A Detailed "Adult" Script When the "Adult" Western was Just Being Born and Would Flourish with Anthony Mann and Budd Boetticher.This One Feels Different. With a Voice Over Narration Uncommon in the Genre, it Lays Out Details About Cattle Ranching and Roundups that are Interesting and Add Flavor to the Proceedings. The Baby Out of Wedlock Story (that is the vengeance of the title) Must have had the Production Code Squirming, is Unique for the Time and Almost Unheard of in Westerns.It's Got a Good Cast, a Prolific Director, an MGM Budget, Color, Wide Open Spaces, Gritty Violence, and a Crackling Mature Mixture of Morality and Money Grubbing. Robert Walker is as Slimy as They Come as the Spoiled and Evil Son, and John Ireland and Hugh O'Brian as Dim-Witted Thugs Using Family Ties to Justify Their Lust for Violence. As In Most Westerns the Females are Peripheral to the Story Even Though They are Central to the Motivations of the Hard Living Men. Overall, this is an Offbeat Film that Seems to have Elevated Itself Spontaneously as the Unusual Elements Rose to the Forefront and Made This a Unique Entry in the Usually Stodgy Western Formula.
Burt Lancaster started his career in the late forties starring in films noirs like "The Killers" or "Sorry, Wrong Number", and then in the early fifties became an action hero in swashbuckling adventures like "The Flame and the Arrow" and in Westerns like this one. There are similarities between the plot and that of "The Man from Laramie", another Western from the fifties. Both films feature a power-struggle within the family of an elderly, wealthy rancher. In each case the old man has a single son of his own, and has adopted his trusted ranch foreman as a virtual second son. In both films the old man's biological son is a dissolute, worthless character. The main difference lies in the personalities of the adopted sons. In "The Man from Laramie" the adopted son, Vic, initially seems like a decent character, but eventually turns out to be as villainous as his adoptive brother Dave; the real hero of that film is a stranger, the titular Man from Laramie. In "Vengeance Valley" the adopted son initially seems like a cad, but later turns out to be the film's hero. In 19th century Colorado, a young woman named Lily Fasken gives birth to an illegitimate child, and refuses to identify the father. Her brothers Hub and Dick believe that the culprit is Owen Daybright, the adopted son of a wealthy cattleman named Arch Strobie. Hub and Dick know that Owen has given their sister $500 to take care of the baby and come looking for him, hoping to force him to marry Lily. What they don't know is that the real father is Strobie's real son Lee, who is already married. The film then explores the complications arising from this situation and from Lee's attempts to cheat his own father over a cattle deal. The film's main faults are the poor quality of the colour, which appears dull and washed-out, and of the sound, which is sometimes muffled. It lacks the power of the really great fifties Westerns like "Shane", "The Big Country" or, for that matter, "The Man from Laramie" itself, which has a similar plot but a greater depth of characterisation and is an excellent film as opposed to a merely good one. Those points apart, however, "Vengeance Valley" is a very watchable Western with an exciting plot. Lancaster was perhaps not yet the great actor he was to become later in his career, but he makes an attractive and sympathetic hero as Owen, and he makes this a very decent example of a "second division" Western. 7/10
Enjoyed this great Classic 1951 film since Burt Lancaster was born and raised in New York City and since this was his first western film, he had to learn how to ride horses and took plenty of instructions from professionals. Burt plays the role as Owen Daybright who was adopted by a very rich cattle baron and he was very much loved. However, Lee Strobie, (Robert Walker) was the real son of the cattle baron and he was spoiled rotten and a big trouble maker. Owen always protects him from trouble and fought his battles whenever they occurred. Lee marries Jen, (Joanne Dru) and they live happy for a few years and then Lee has an affair with Lily Fasken, (Sally Forrest) and he gives her a baby. This is when the trouble starts and Owen is accused of being the father of the child and Owen takes the rap and is hunted down by Lily's brothers and family. Great film with plenty of drama and a great Burt Lancaster Western. Enjoy.
