Rancher
Randolph Scott rides right into a romantic triangle in this moody western. He is forced to stand by as his mercenary girl friend (
Joan Leslie) is lured away by a wealthy neighboring rancher (
Alexander Knox). When the neighbor is killed, Scott is accused of the murder, and spends the balance of the film clearing himself. After a blood-spattered fistfight with a gunslinger (
John Russell) and several gun battles, Scott consoles himself with schoolteacher
Ellen Drew. Based on a novel by Ernest Haycox, Man in the Saddle was the first of the lucrative collaborations between star
Randolph Scott and producer
Harry Joe Brown. The film's title song is sung over the credits by Tennessee Ernie Ford. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide