This was the cutest Western. It was like Curly Sue meets City Slickers. Wil Andersen (John Wayne) has 1500 head of cattle he needs to get to market and precisely zero hired hands, since they all abandoned him in order to give gold mining a shot. Wil is forced to hire on ten boys, aged nine to seventeen, in order to drive the cows. They are joined by trail cook and fount of wisdom Jebediah Nightlinger (Roscoe Lee Brown) as they navigate long hours and rough terrain. Unfortunately, they are also being targeted by a gang of cattle rustlers (led by Bruce Dern) who think they are easy marks.
John Wayne plays very much to type as the gruff, hard-bitten rancher with a secret soft spot. Roscoe Lee Brown was an absolute delight to watch in every scene. The boys are mostly forgettable, as far as individual performances go, but collectively they are adorable. I don't know that I would buy it (though I seem to be buying a lot of westerns lately), but it's definitely worth a rental.
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