Robert Young in "Relentless" (1948)
324While celebrating their rich gold strike at the local saloon, prospectors Len Briggs (Paul E. Burns) and Bob Pliny (Hank Patterson) meet drifter Nick Buckley (Robert Young), who has come to town seeking shelter for his pregnant mare. Tex Brandaw (Barton MacLane suggests that Nick and his horse occupy an empty stall in the town stable. Later that night, Brandaw and his partner, Jim Rupple (Frank Fenton), murder the two prospectors at their shack and steal their map of the claim.
The next morning, Luella Purdy (Marguerite Chapman), the feisty owner of a traveling general store, befriends Nick and gives him blankets and medicine for his ailing mare. Nick then leaves town, and shortly afterward, his mare gives birth along the trail.
Brandaw lays in ambush for Jim. Nick calls on him to draw his gun and then fires and kills him. Brandaw, who has been following Jim, witnesses the shooting and promises to explain to sheriff Jim Moyer that Jeff was killed for horse stealing. However, Brandaw reports to the sheriff that Nick has committed all three murders.
Luella finds Nick and his starving foal on the trail, and takes them to an old prospector , Sam (Will Wright), who owns a nursing burro. When the foal eagerly suckles the burro, Nick buys the animal, named Sappho. Nick and Luella journey on with Sappho and the foal. They confide their dreams to each other and Nick tells her about killing Jim for stealing his mare. When the sheriff gallops from the hills to arrest Nick for the murder of the prospectors at their shack, Luella, knowing that Nick spent that night in town, defends him. After the sheriff refuses to believe Nick's story, Nick overpowers him, chains him to Luella's wagon and vows to bring back Brandaw.
While Nick rides out on his quest for justice, Luella cares for the colt, whom she names Breeze. After may fruitless months spent searching for Brandaw, the sheriff and his posse appear and fire at Nick, wounding him. With the posse on his tail, Nick seeks refuge in a ghost town saloon owned by Joe Faringo (Akim Tamiroff). Recognizing Nick as a wanted fugitive, Faringo thinks that he must know the location of the gold and shields him from the sheriff. After the sheriff departs, Faringo takes Nick prisoner and physically coerces him into drawing a map to the mine.
Leaving Nick in the care of his henchman Jake, Faringo then rides in search of the gold. Luella helps Nick escape, and the two gallop off in Luella's wagon. Faringo shoots at them.
In the blazing sun, Nick discovers that Sappho has been shot during their escape from Faringo's saloon. After removing the bullet from her thigh, Nick builds the burro a shelter and is about to leave her with a bucket of water when Breeze, who has broken free from Luella, appears in search of his friend.
Nick finds Brandaw at the mine. As Brandaw begins his confession, a shot rings out, felling him, and Nick turns to see Faringo and Jake. The sheriff and Luella then arrive just as Faringo takes aim at Nick. With his dying breath, Brandaw admits that he killed the prospectors and Jim and names Faringo as his assailant. Exonerated at last, Nick, with Luella's help, loads the wounded Sappho into the wagon. With Breeze trailing behind, they decide to permanently unite their little family.
A 1948 American Technicolor B-Western film directed by George Sherman, produced by Eugene B. Rodney, screenplay by Winston Miller, based on Kenneth Perkins' story "Three Were Thoroughbreds" originally published in the June 1938 issue of Blue Book and then as a hardcover novel in 1939, cinematography by Edward Cronjager, starring Robert Young, Marguerite Chapman, Willard Parker, Akim Tamiroff, Barton MacLane, Mike Mazurki, Robert Barrat, and Clem Bevans.
Kenneth Taylor Perkins (1890 – 1951) was an American author of Western, mystery, adventure, and horror stories. Perkins wrote plays, novels, radio and television scripts, and numerous short stories. Perkins used several pseudonyms, with stories appearing by Randolph Hale, King Phillips, Kim Knight, Charles Dustin, and J.O. Quinliven.
George Sherman was an American film director and producer of low-budget Western films. He worked as an assistant director on the Mack Sennett comedy "The Lion and the House" (1932), then a number of short features. He directed his first film, "Wild Horse Rodeo" (1937), and would go on to direct scores of low-budget Western films for Republic Pictures (1938 - 1944), Columbia Pictures (1945 - 1948), and Universal Pictures (1948 - 1956). In his later career, Sherman directed a TV series episodes of "Naked City", "Route 66", "Daniel Boone" and "Gentle Ben."
On June 7, 1948, Lux Radio Theatre presented a radio broadcast of the story, starring Robert Young and Claire Trevor.
This handsome Columbia programmer remains a rather affecting little low-key B-Western,
featuring magnificent Technicolor photography of Arizona. A pleasing Oater sure to entertain fans of 40s and 50s Westerns, and good family fare.