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The Wolf Tracks Phenomenon

In the Pantheon of Western cinema, Wolf Tracks to provide a definitive example of Robert N. Bradbury's stylistic genius.

After striking a rich gold vein, miner Bob Meredith writes two letters, one to summon Jean, his school teacher granddaughter from Indiana, and another to his best friend Jack Hastings asking him to meet Jean's stagecoach at the state border. Coming upon Jack's camp, notorious outlaw Steve "Wolf" Santell steals Bob's letter and Jack's horse, leaving behind his exhausted mount. Later, recently deputized Lemuel Blatherwick recognizes Wolf's horse and, believing Jack is Wolf, tries to arrest him. Jack resists, however, and flees Blatherwick and his posse. Later, Jean receives Bob's letter that includes a map detailing the location of the gold claim and advising her to trust no one but Jack. Meanwhile, tracking Bob by information from his letter to Jack, Wolf tries to force the old miner to reveal the location of the gold, but Bob refuses. Later, Jack finds Bob parched and wandering in the desert, having lost his mule. Jack tends to Bob, who pleads with him to go to Rangely to meet Jean on the stage, unaware that Wolf is listening nearby. Arriving at the border, Jean is disappointed to learn that the Rangely stage operates infrequently due to constant attacks by Wolf. Swindler Laroque overhears Jean's dilemma and gallantly offers to drive her to Rangely on his buckboard. Late in the afternoon, Laroque pulls into at a lonely rest stop called the Tavern, explaining they cannot travel by night. When a drunken gambler tries to force himself on Jean, Laroque comes to her aid, but he is stopped from knifing the man by the Tavern owner, "border queen" Rose Romaine. Although uncomfortable with the presence of the respectable Jean, Rose listens attentively when Jean tells her of the contents of Bob's letter. Rose later plots with Laroque to get the map, not realizing that Wolf is listening outside. Later that night while Jean sleeps, Rose goes through her belongings, but is unable to find the map. Wolf then breaks into the Tavern, claiming that he is Jack and has come to tell Jean that Wolf has murdered Bob and he is there to escort her to safety. Believing that Wolf is Jack, Jean entrusts him with the map, which she has hidden in her compact. Wolf then flees, but Laroque chases him to a creek where, during their fistfight, Wolf loses the compact. The next morning, when Jack rides into the area and sees the shiny compact in the creek, he picks it up and, finding a picture of Jean inside, keeps it. Later, at the Tavern when Rose asks Jack his name, he playfully replies that he has recently been called "Wolf," convincing Jean that he is the man who has murdered her grandfather. In Rangely, Blatherwick's wife, Kitty O' Brien, aggravated by her husband's tall tales of chasing away Wolf, urges him to resume looking for the outlaw. Back at the Tavern, Rose regretfully bids farewell to the cheerful Jack, after which Laroque tries to attack Jean. Terrified, Jean flees with Laroque in pursuit, but falls into the river, where Jack rescues her. Confused by "Wolf's" kindness, Jean wonders if he is truly wicked. Having followed the others, Rose again prevents Laroque from attacking with his knife. Jack insists on escorting Jean back to the Tavern, where, privately, Rose frets that Laroque has not been able to secure the map. Aware of Jean's attraction to Jack, Rose tells the couple they can depart, but Laroque angrily intercedes. They are interrupted by the arrival of Wolf who has led Blatherwick there in order to arrest Jack, but Rose helps Jack and Jean escape. Wolf reveals his identity to Rose and informs her that Jack has the map in the compact. Wolf fights off the bumbling Blatherwick and chases Jack and Jean into the nearby hills, unaware that they are near the site of Bob's mine. Jack carries the exhausted Jean into the canyon, followed by Wolf, Rose and Laroque. Attracted by the ensuing gunshots, Bob, who has recovered completely, stops Laroque from attacking Jack. Rose is unable to shoot Jack, who engages in a fistfight with Wolf. Meanwhile, Blatherwick and his posse arrive, and upon learning Jack's identity, arrest Wolf. Jean intervenes on Rose's behalf, then reunites with her happy grandfather and Jack.