This is the very first time I viewed this film and it held my interest from the very beginning of the film to the very end. Van Heflin, (Luke Fargo) plays the role of a Civil War soldier who returns to his home town and is very well known for his past with wine, women and song. Luke takes it upon himself to become a minister and set up a church which had been burned down to the ground. The rectory was still standing but a wild young girl was living in the house and was using a shot gun mainly at Luke's head and did not want him anywhere near her home as she called it. This wild young gal's name is Lissy, (Joanne Woodward) who never takes a bath and is a typical tom boy so to speak. There is a bad dude in town named Yancey Huggins, (Raymond Burr) who hates Luke and does everything in his power to destroy Luke's chances of building a church and accuses Luke of living with a girl under age and things not be fitting a man of the cloth. There is lots of laughs and some very dramatic scenes which makes this film a great family film and very worth your while to view this picture from 1955.

Post-Civil War southerner--who left his small town for battle with the reputation of a brawler and a womanizer--returns home a changed man; he has heard God's calling, and intends to build a church from scratch and be its self-appointed parson. Rather offbeat, entertaining, if modest western drama from screenwriter Herb Meadow (adapting his short story, "Calico Pony") offers a strong starring role for Van Heflin. Focused and determined, but not above a little unorthodox behavior, Heflin's Luke Fargo is a charming, thoroughly-realized creation: a man who wants to preach but isn't even sure how to begin a prayer. The film has lightly humorous character bits, also a ready-made villain in Raymond Burr (whose determination to trip Fargo up at every juncture is never made quite clear). Joanne Woodward debuts as a scruffy, orphaned tomboy; she's miscast, and is used mostly for comic relief, but she manages to make a connection with the audience--and with Heflin, although their final walk together (however subtly presented) is a bit tough to swallow. Not a big, rousing western, though completely unpretentious and engaging on a minor level. **1/2 from ****

Awful, miserable film probably remembered as it was Joanne Woodward's first motion picture.

This colossal bomb deals with a post-Civil war gentleman returning home to the south. He finds utter contempt from the people living there as he fought on the side of the north. What else should he expect- a ticker-tape parade?

Van Heflin is our turncoat and along the way, having survived Vicksburg, he has gotten religion and plans to be a preacher.

The heavy in the film is none other than Raymond Burr who does everything in his power to thwart the goals of Luke Fargo (Heflin) even if it means burning down the church or spreading horrendous gossip about Heflin and his sudden 18 year old charge, Lissy, played nicely by Woodward. Throughout the film,she appeared to be a tom-boy like character, who Heflin tries to tame.

The problem with the film is that every time Burr strikes at Heflin, there is really no excitement. Even at the end, Burr just drives his horse and buggy away. A Gunfight At The OK Corral like ending was needed here.