Abilene Town: Cowboys, Conflict, and Conundrums

When I sat down to watch “Abilene Town,” an old Western from 1946, I had a flashback to when I was a kid and watched Johnny Cash perform in Järvsö back in the early ’70s. That gritty, Americana vibe seeped into the Swedish countryside like the notes of his guitar. This film kinda does the same thing, dragging you right into the dust and moral ambiguity of Western life.

Randolph Scott, you know, the iconic cowboy actor, fits his role like a well-worn pair of boots. As Marshal Dan Mitchell, he’s kind of the buffer between settlers and greedy cattlemen. You get that classic Western feeling, with Scott’s calm grittiness guiding the narrative along the dusty trail. It ain’t flashy, but oh boy, it’s effective.

There’s also Ann Dvorak, who lights up her scenes as Rita, a showgirl with as much spark as a New Year’s firecracker on Skansen! Her character brings a bit of glitz into the gritty world of Abilene, and it’s that kind of contrast that keeps things interesting. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes it feels like you’re boiling potatoes for too long—might need a bit more salt in the drama stew.

The film’s directed by Edwin L. Marin, a name that ain’t as familiar as Ford or Leone when it comes to Westerns. But he knows how to capture the conflicting vibes of a town caught between old and new worlds. There’s a kind of honesty to it that reminds me of an ABBA song—simple but gets you right in the feels.

If you’re in the mood for pondering about lawlessness or housing issues while sipping your kaffe, “Abilene Town” isn’t a bad way to spend an afternoon. It’s an oldie, but sometimes you gotta appreciate the past to make sense of the now—or that could just be me being nostalgic again.

watch the full movie on CinemaOneMovies on YouTube – if you are from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark