"Fargo" follows the tried and true story line of the cattlemen trying to drive out the nesters plot. For a "B" series western, I thought it was pretty good.
Bill Martin ("Wild Bill" Elliot) returns home when his brother, a farmer, is murdered by stampeded cattle. He encounters Red Olsen (Myron Healey) and his co-horts Link (Robert J. Wilke) and Alvord (Terry Frost) and gets into a fight with Olsen when he berates Martin's brother. It turns out that Olsen is working for "respectable" townsman Austin (Arthur Space) to drive out the arriving nesters in order for the cattlemen to retain control of the range.
Lining up with Martin are ranchers McKenzie (Jack Ingram), who has a feisty daughter Kathy (Phyllis Coates), and Tad Sloan (Fuzzy Knight). Martin and Sloan develop a form of barbed wire which is successful in preventing the cattle from encroaching on their lands. In a bizarre, if not frightening sequence (for kids), Martin is captured by Olsen and wrapped up in barbed wire and delivered to the town meeting. Meanwhile Austin orders his men to drive out the nesters at any cost. But Martin, recovering from his ordeal, decides to stop them and...............................................
Elliott, always the straight laced ever serious no nonsense hero, is in top form as Martin. His experience with the barbed wire was unusual for a series western but is nonetheless an integral part of the story.
In an unusual bit of casting, perennial bad guy Ingram is a crusading good guy rancher and Fuzzy Knight, who usually played the comic relief, plays it straight this time around. Myron Healey is as nasty as can bee as he mercilessly guns down several people over the course of the film. Others in the cast are Robert Bray, Denver Pyle and House Peters Jr. as ranchers. Peters incidentally, is listed in some sources as having played Elliot's brother. In fact he as stated, plays one of the ranchers. Elliot's brother's face is not shown.
Bill Martin ("Wild Bill" Elliot) returns home when his brother, a farmer, is murdered by stampeded cattle. He encounters Red Olsen (Myron Healey) and his co-horts Link (Robert J. Wilke) and Alvord (Terry Frost) and gets into a fight with Olsen when he berates Martin's brother. It turns out that Olsen is working for "respectable" townsman Austin (Arthur Space) to drive out the arriving nesters in order for the cattlemen to retain control of the range.
Lining up with Martin are ranchers McKenzie (Jack Ingram), who has a feisty daughter Kathy (Phyllis Coates), and Tad Sloan (Fuzzy Knight). Martin and Sloan develop a form of barbed wire which is successful in preventing the cattle from encroaching on their lands. In a bizarre, if not frightening sequence (for kids), Martin is captured by Olsen and wrapped up in barbed wire and delivered to the town meeting. Meanwhile Austin orders his men to drive out the nesters at any cost. But Martin, recovering from his ordeal, decides to stop them and...............................................
Elliott, always the straight laced ever serious no nonsense hero, is in top form as Martin. His experience with the barbed wire was unusual for a series western but is nonetheless an integral part of the story.
In an unusual bit of casting, perennial bad guy Ingram is a crusading good guy rancher and Fuzzy Knight, who usually played the comic relief, plays it straight this time around. Myron Healey is as nasty as can bee as he mercilessly guns down several people over the course of the film. Others in the cast are Robert Bray, Denver Pyle and House Peters Jr. as ranchers. Peters incidentally, is listed in some sources as having played Elliot's brother. In fact he as stated, plays one of the ranchers. Elliot's brother's face is not shown.