They Rode West

Straight out of medical school into his first Cavalry commission, young Francis has his work cut out impressing battle-hardened frontier commander Carey. And treating the local Kiowa after a malaria outbreak wins the new medic little initial favour in this liberally inclined Western. Will his concern stack up the against threat of a war party? A predictable enough encounter, making play on the relative status of the medicine men in each camp, but Karlson perks it up with his usual snappy action. Handsome leading man Francis shows poise and sincerity in his first feature, but a year later (at the age of 25) he died in a private plane crash. Although he went on to The Caine Mutiny, another case of promise unfulfilled.