ROCK HUDSON 'BACK TO GOD'S COUNTRY' W/ MARCIA HENDERSON

Dog attacks Steve with a whipped Rock at bay YEAR: 1953

BACK TO GOD'S COUNTRY, based loosely on two silent films, leans on the strength of b-starlet Marcia Henderson, who's been covered already in THE HYPNOTIC EYE and CANYON RIVER...

She saves both the picture and her ship captain husband, played by newly-famous heartthrob Rock Hudson, almost solely beaten-up by main menace Steve Cochran before unfairly teamed by Cochran and his more ambiguous partner-in-crime, a randomly crooning Hugh O'Brien, in this rather strange little adventure featuring a faithful killer dog and a confusing heist-plot involving a load of coveted cargo on Hudson's boat: one that must set sail before being frozen into dock, and much of the initial time's spent making up for the sheer loss of it: Rock and chubby partner Chubby Johnson go after two arrant sailors, who turn out being a red-herring distraction all along...

Steve Cochran is of course the villain, and a timely one RATES: ***

The second half has a severely injured, pill-popping Hudson being sledded around by his wife, yet it's never exactly clear why or where. Eventually, Cochran's on their trail... one sled after another.... but the best scenes had occurred back at the neat looking, matte-painted town during his dark-eyed attempt at seducing the assertive ingenue...

Henderson, far prettier without the caked-on, circus clown makeup, is a bland match for Hudson but has terrific anti-chemistry against Cochran, who outwardly looks the leading man but usually plays the heavy: From cheating with Virginia Mayo first against Dana Andrews in THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES and then James Cagney in WHITE HEAT, he's always great at not being a good person, and is much better than Rock is the hero, headlining this particular ride while it's Marcia Henderson's vehicle throughout.

Steve Cochran, Marcia Henderson and Rock Hudson in Back to God's Country

Marcia Henderson vs Steve Cochran in Back to God's Country directed by Joseph Pevney

The wide face and lovely lips of Marcia Henderson in Steve Cochran's grasp going Back to God's Country

A matte-painting of a river with the men marching up on the right side BACK TO GOD'S COUNTRY

Marcia Henderson & Rock Hudson-looking French actor Jacques Bergerac in The Hypnotic Eye