The fourth film produced by Jaguar Productions, the company Alan Ladd founded in 1953, was somewhat predictably another Western, his seventh since his first foray into the genre with Whispering Smith (1948). Unfortunately, by this point in Ladd's career, every step he took into Wild West territory was compared to his iconic role in Shane (1953) and doomed to coming up short.

Ladd plays a cattle driver angered by the low prices offered by the only buyer in the territory with access to the railroad essential to shipping the beef back east for consumption. Hooking up with a washed-up alcoholic whose life he saves, he sets out to create his own town with a railroad stop where cattlemen can sell their stock at reasonable prices. Although his experiences in the Civil War made him reject violence, Ladd is finally forced to take up his guns against the powerful villain.

Film rights to Frank Gruber's novel The Big Grass were purchased in 1955, but it was two years before Alan Ladd's own Jaguar Productions brought it to the screen, the fourth production under his banner. Shot under the working titles "Buffalo Grass" and "Stampeded," the film's premise was stated right after the credits by a narrator, who explained the bitterness that remained between Southerners and Northerners after the Civil War and the common practice among Confederate veterans of driving their herds to Missouri. The film, however, was shot not in Missouri but around Sonora, Calif., a location not far from Yosemite National Park that has been used for at least a couple of dozen movies and television shows. That scenery didn't really help the picture's reviews, with New York Times critic Bosley Crowther calling the whole thing "synthetic" and describing Ladd's work here as "a pasteboard cutout of the cowboy performance he gave in Shane."

Crowther's carping notwithstanding, fans of Ladd and Westerns will find enjoyment here, and film buffs can revel in another--and little seen--entry in the career of one of Hollywood's most acclaimed cinematographers, John Seitz, known chiefly for his masterly film noir work in Double Indemnity (1944), The Lost Weekend (1945), Sunset Boulevard (1950), and the film that made Alan Ladd a star, This Gun for Hire (1942). Seitz was frequently the director of photography on Ladd's 1940s Paramount pictures, including the noir-ified version of Fitzgerald's classic, The Great Gatsby (1949), and Ladd thought highly enough of him to hire Seitz for nearly all of the films produced by Jaguar. All in all, the two worked together a remarkable 25 times.

The supporting cast does some good work as well, especially Edmond O'Brien as Jagger the drunk. This was the second time Ladd co-starred with Virginia Mayo, with whom he had a good relationship while shooting The Iron Mistress (1952). Also in the cast are Ladd's children, Alana and David. Although screen credit for David on The Proud Rebel (1958) read "introducing David Ladd," this was actually his debut, except for a bit part in Shane.

The New York Times reported in July 1956 that the ten-wheeled railroad engine, named "Three Spot," used in the film hauled gold from the Chinese camp mines and Twain Hart, Calif., in the 1890s and, in 1956, was still operating near Sonora on a track owned by Sierra Railroad.

According to a March 1957 Hollywood Reporter news item, comic books based on The Big Land were published by Dell featuring photos and production credits from the film. At least one of these comics is still available from several sources on line.

David Dortort, who adapted Gruber's novel for film, made his mark with his very first screenplay, Nicholas Ray's sensitive rodeo drama The Lusty Men (1952), but his big screen work never quite lived up to that promise. He did, however, achieve great success with his creation of the TV Western series Bonanza and High Chaparral.

Director: Gordon Douglas
Producer: Alan Ladd
Screenplay: David Dortort, Martin Rackin, based on the novel The Big Grass by Frank Gruber
Cinematography: John F. Seitz
Editing: Thomas Reilly
Art Direction: Malcolm C. Bert
Original Music: David Buttolph
Cast: Alan Ladd (Chad Morgan), Virginia Mayo (Helen Jagger), Edmond O'Brien (Joe Jagger), Anthony Caruso (Brog), Julie Bishop (Kate Johnson)

By Rob Nixon