Lust for Gold *** (1949, Ida Lupino, Glenn Ford, Gig Young) – Classic Movie Review 9077

Producer-director S Sylvan Simon’s 1949 Lust for Gold stars Ida Lupino, who is suitably tough and completely believable as Julia Thomas, the ruthless woman trying to steal a gold mine from her equally money-obsessed cohorts in this enjoyable little flashback-told black and white Western.

A well-cast, involved Glenn Ford co-stars as the grabby German miner, Jacob ‘Dutch’ Walz, who has a fling with Lupino but prefers the lure of gold. It is easy to forget the simple ‘money is the root of all evil’ message and enjoy the appealing crime adventure entertainment.

Ted Sherdeman and Richard English’s screenplay is based on Barry Storm’s novel Thunder God’s Gold.

Also in the cast are Gig Young, William Prince, Edgar Buchanan, Will Geer, Jay Silverheels, Eddy Waller, Paul Ford, Will Wright, Virginia Mullen, Antonio Moreno, Arthur Hunnicutt, Myrna Dell, Tom Tyler, Elspeth Dudgeon, Paul E Burns, Hayden Rorke, Fred Sears, William J Tannen, Kermit Maynard, Edmund Cobb, Richard Alexander, George Cheesebro, Arthur Space and Percy Helton.

Lust for Gold is directed by S Sylvan Simon and George Marshall (uncredited), runs 90 minutes, is made and released by Columbia Pictures, is written by Ted Sherdeman and Richard English, based on Barry Storm’s novel Thunder God’s Gold, is shot in black and white by Archie Stout, is produced by S Sylvan Simon, is scored by George Duning and Morris Stoloff, and is designed by Carl Anderson.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9077

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com