It's really a shame that this B&W southern-western has been forgotten. It much reminds me of the much better remembered "The Southerner", only it's better, in my opinion. This screenplay took place in the contemporary world in which it was filmed, with jeeps, trucks and trailers. Yet, for the most part, the audience feels they are back 50 years before. Certainly, it doesn't lack for star power, with Dale Robertson acting as the original Texan returning from a 7 year stay in Kansas City, to the farm he grew up on, bringing his 2 young boys and father(Walter Brennan) with him. He buried his wife in KC, and sorely misses her, but is lucky to have his aged father to help around the house. Brennan steals the show, with his cantankerous mumblings and 'down home' philosophizing, along with some illegal hunting on his neighbor's property that causes friction between the two owners. Then, there's Richard Boone, who is the closest thing to a villain in the film. He's part owner of the neighboring ranch, having achieved this position by marrying one daughter of the previous owner. The other daughter, played by Joanne Dru("Red River", "The Wagon Masters", etc.)owns the other half of her father's spread, and is still up for grabs. She spends most of the film trying to decide whether to marry Dale or Dr. Harris(Robert Horton), to whom she is betrothed. Her heart mostly says Dale, but he's been shy about pursuing her, and she fears she will never be able to supplant Dale's love or that of his boys for his deceased wife. Near the end, it looks like the Dr. is going to win her, as everyone expected. But, the audience should expect that something will change that at the last moment. That 'something' is the death of grandpa from a 2nd stroke, his first stroke occurring just a few days before. Dale needs a new mate, ASAP, to take grandpa's place as his house keeper and cook. Joanne could fill that role if she cancelled her imminent wedding(She already has her wedding dress on!). Thus, grandpa's death symbolically opens the door wider for Joanne's role as a replacement mom. We see this symbolic replacement in various other films. One that comes to mind occurs in "The Far Country". when Brennan, again, is shot dead, opening the flood gates for 2 women who have been flirting with Stewart for some time. They compete for nursing Stewart back to health after he is wounded, strengthening their romantic bonds to this confirmed bachelor. The familiar western song "Don't Fence Me In" serves as the theme song, being played during the opening credits and sung by Dale and Joanne as they drive down the road. It's an especially appropriate theme song, as fences play a significant role in the screenplay. Dale makes most of his money for several months putting up new fencing for Boone. Then, there are the problems with holes in the fence between the Crockett's (i.e. Dale) property and Boone's property. When they arrived, the Crocketts found Boone's cattle grazing on their land because of a hole in the fence that Boone had no reason to fix. In one instance, Boone made a hole in the fence near Dale's watermelon patch which he had already contracted to deliver. Boone's cattle came through the fence and trampled some melons before he herded them back on the other side. Boone presumably did this in retaliation for grandpa poaching some of his deer and turkeys. This incident also precipitated grandpa's stroke. Apparently, there was no game on the Crockett's smaller holding, and grandpa was bored if he couldn't do some hunting.I would classify this as a family film, with the caveat that there is some shooting at one point, although no one is injured. Also, there is one street brawl between Dale and Boone, over Boone being late to pay Dale for his fence work. See it at YouTube

Return Of The Texan stars Dale Robertson a young widower returning with his two young sons and his grandfather Walter Brennan to the small town in Texas they came from. The property is a small and rundown farm that's going to need a lot of work.Which comes in the form of a job of building a fence for his next door neighbor Richard Boone. Boone was once white trash like Robertson but he was fortunate enough to marry the boss's daughter and then inherit half the ranch with his sister-in-law Joanne Dru. As Dru tells Robertson the last thing Boone wants to be reminded of is his humble origins and he doesn't want Robertson courting Dru. He much prefer she marry nice respectable doctor Robert Horton.Robertson who can be quite garrulous at times is somber and subdued and very much in a shell in this role. But the real star of this film is Brennan. He's at his most cantankerous and at the same time quite sublime. His final scene with his two grandsons is one of the eloquent and yet simple scenes he ever did in his long career.This easy B film from 20th Century Fox holds up well as good family entertainment.

A "modern" western by a specialist of the genre,"return of the Texan" is an endearing film,if only for its simplicity and for Dudley Nichols's interesting script.The writer walks a fine line between drama and a happy-go-lucky attitude,epitomized by the rather dull hero (the Texan who returns home after his wife's death in the city) and his reckless grandpa ,roguishly portrayed by Walter Brennan.The generation gap in reverse.Besides ,every time the plot seems to turn tragic (shots in the woods,the old man's stroke,the threat of seizure -the banker's letter is not what we expect-),dramatic impact is immediately defused.The rivalry between the hick and the doctor always remains friendly,never the two men show any animosity or hard feelings.The villain,Richard Boone,is the only real flaw of the story,the part being underwritten to a fault.The tragedy only happens at the very end ,but all in all ,it's not really one,after all,c'est la vie.The next to last scene is the best:Delmer Daves' s love for nature -which was radiant in "broken arrow"-shines as grandpa explains to his two little boys,Steve and "Yo-Yo" how precious life is.

It's ironic that this movie -- one of those brisk, efficient products designed to be shown on a double-bill -- features three future stars of TV westerns: Dale Robertson of "Wells Fargo" and "The Iron Horse," Richard Boone of "Have Gun Will Travel," and Robert Horton of "Wagon Train." After all, it's TV series such as these which put an end to movies such as "The Return of the Texan."As an example of its soon-to-be-extinct genre, this movie exhibits the expected strengths and weaknesses. On one hand it tells its story in an economical 88 minutes so it avoids needless padding and slow pacing. On the other hand its plot and characters, though pleasant enough, have a bland, predictable quality. And while the use of b&w photography gives the movie a certain nostalgic tone, it also limits the visual appeal of all those Texas vistas.Dale Robertson makes an appealing hero, holding back on his usual twinkle-in-the-eye heartiness, and he looks mighty good with his shirt off when he's sweating under the hot sun while putting up a fence. (There's such an innocent quality about early 1950's "beefcake.") Joanne Dru is one of those women who comes off even better in jeans than she does in a wedding dress. Rounding out the cast are veteran actors Walter Brennan and Tom Tully.