It's a pre-Johnny Guitar battle of the bitches in this rather odd Western of a catfight that takes 90 minutes to unleash any fur. Set in a town where the woman owned saloon is built right on the Mason/Dixon line where two flags of battling brothers reveals the hatred between a once friendly public space became a political battleground. Joan Leslie, billed lower than others, is a feisty saloon owner who puts up with no nonsense with the still battling soldiers from the civil war who haven't ended the feud with the flag of surrender. Along comes a gang of the most famous bandits of the era, the most dangerous of them being the vindictive Audrey Totter who resents Leslie for beating the cheap out of her after she caused trouble by singing a confederate song. A gun duel follows, leaving one of the two women at the mercy of the other as a posse arrives to get ahold of the bandits, dead or barely alive.This feminist themed western has its admirers, but I found it a bit pretentious in spite of good intentions. Certainly, women gained social power during the times of war when men were away but were reluctant to give it up when the men returned. I was rather put off by Totter's masculine but jealous female who simply started the feud with the livelier Miss Leslie simply out of envy.This is a case of mistaken identity mixed with female protection when a of a sudden Leslie disguises Totter as a saloon singer, all of a sudden bringing out her feminine side.I am surprised that Republic producer Herbert Yates didn't cast Vera Grubs Ralston in Totter's part, making her resemble her with the strange close- ups which did nothing to accelerate her looks. The male characters are secondary here even though Brian Fonlevy is billed above both Totter and Leslie. Jim Davis of "Dallas" fame and John Lund are among the other men. I will single out Nina Varela as the town's imperious matron who steals every moment she is on screen, while Minerva Urecal and Ellen Colby are among the other town biddies. This is an interesting failure that at times seems to be unintentionally funny.

On a gray line between a comedy and a drama this film is a delight to see for western lovers like me who used to thrive on just hearing the names Jesse James, Cole Younger etc. they sure meant a lot of action. Just the scene where Jesse's identity is revealed is worth the movie. Allan Dwann, the director made films as far back as 1911 and his expert touch is here. The conventional is broken by making the women the most important characters. There is Sally (Joan Leslie), the good girl who is forced to run the saloon after her brother is killed, Kate Quantrill (Audrey Totter), wife of the famous raider (Brian Donlevy) and Mayor Delilah Courtney (Nina Varela) who rules the town with a strong hand. The good guy, Lance Horton (John Lund), does not have much of a chance to show his skills, surrounded by such a strong trio. The town is divided between Confederates and the Union, and the Mayor handles the situation by not allowing uniformed soldiers to enter. Worth seeing.

One of those unusual westerns with two women as the central characters... such as in "Johnny Guitar" and "Jubilee Trail," among others. During the Civil War in a town run by ruthless people, bad Kate has it in for darling Sally but stay tuned to the climactic ending to see how this all works out. Definitely a cheap oater with few production values, but it does have lively performances from Joan Leslie and Audrey Totter. If you know these actresses, then you know who plays whom. Fourth-billed Leslie is actually the star of this dopey-titled film and is always a joy to watch. For those who love women fight scenes, this has one of the fun ones. So glad I have it on my homemade VHS as this little-seen film is unlikely to ever be on DVD.

The movie is unusual because the ladies are the powerful ones in this movie. Audrie Totter is the cowgirl Emma Peel Because of her sexy leather pants and riding boots. Audrey is also the opposite of Emma because of her evil disposition. Warren O'Leary.