In 1949, Ella Raines shared top billing with Randolph Scott in a movie called The Walking Hills. This was a re-teaming of these two Hollywood personalities...they had previous appeared together in Ella Raines' first film, Corvette K-225.
The Walking Hills is a fun movie, ostensibly a Western (but not set in the Old West) and presumably something made in the wake of the popular Treasure of the Sierra Madre. It's quite a feat that the filmmakers were able to so seamlessly insert a female character into a macho adventure like this. Ella Raines does quite well with her character in The Walking Hills and, of course, she looks wonderful.
This was made about 5 years after the lovely actress had appeared in another classic Western movie, Tall in the Saddle. She is able to match the beauty she brought to the screen in that picture and, with the benefit of the wisdom gained from several years in front of the cameras, she is able to give an engaging and nuanced performance.
Any fan of Ella Raines would be most likely be well served by viewing The Walking Hills. Regardless of the presence of Ella Raines, it's a fine film..but her participation perhaps lifts it up to the next level. Had they used a less beautiful or less talented actress, the end result would have suffered immensely.
