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Best movie of this year hands down!

Very well executed

One of my all time favorites.

I wanted to but couldn't!

Audy Murphy was always good at what he did and carries this oater along its familiar ground. The story is patchy and was given a far better treatment in 1948 with the more interesting "Relentless" (recommend this one in preference) The IB Technicolor that Universal often used is superb, as is the classy Cinematography by Award-winner Russel Metty ( Spartacus '60, The Misfits '61, A Woman's Vengeance '48). The cast are OK with some exceptions but the unusual horse offers the best element of interest. There are far better Murphy westerns out there but those not overly demanding may enjoy this - if nothing better on offer.

With lesser performers and a less-capable director, probably this would have been a lesser movie. But with the terribly under-rated Audie Murphy, the veteran and versatile character actor Chill Wills, the lovely Lori Nelson, and the later-in-his-life-wildly-popular Lee Van Cleef, among many others, "Tumbleweed" earns high praise. Oh, and the title character himself? No credit is given for the superlative horse actor. Which is a shame, especially considering how many movies have the performing horse's name above the title, even when he doesn't show as much talent as this one. This story is involved, although I figured out the bad guy early on. Still, even if you know pretty quickly, you will be on edge wondering how he finally gets caught and, more important, how the hero manages to clear his name -- IF either ever happens. "Tumbleweed" is a movie I never had heard of before seeing it at YouTube on 13 April 2016. That print is out of sync for much of the presentation, and another print is too dark to watch. Still, never mind: It's a good movie. I recommend it.

If you're an Audie Murphy fan like I am, you have to be just a little bit troubled by the way circumstances dictated his character here. When Yaqui Indian Tigre (Eugene Iglesias) killed the deputy guarding Jim Harvey (Murphy) in the jail cell, any rational mind would have believed that Harvey was complicit in the murder. Yet at the same time, sticking around to plead his case would have been a disaster. Like the deputy said, "...fly with jailbirds and you get dirty wings." Well who would have figured that the title of the picture referred to the name of a horse. A rather clever horse when you get right down to it, but looking like a mangy old swayback that didn't look like he should be teaming up with the star of the picture, much less being one himself. There was actually a rather nervous looking scene when Harvey, atop Tumbleweed, attempted that very first climb up the mountain trail. Tumbleweed looked like he was slipping and losing his balance and about ready to make the first part of his name stick. But he got himself straightened out quickly enough; I wonder if Audie Murphy said a little prayer of thanks after that one.This might be the only picture I've seen Lee Van Cleef in where he does something to make his character look kind of dumb. He starts to take off along the same trail Tumbleweed did and his horse went butt over tincups with the rest of the sheriff's bunch laughing at his attempt. Come on, who laughs at Lee Van Cleef? I'm sure he got his revenge in another picture.Realistically speaking, I can't say that I found the resolution to this story to be very credible, in as much as the Indian Chief Aguila (Ralph Moody) fingered Lam Blanden (Russell Johnson) as the villain who set up the Yaqui ambush of the wagon train. Sure he did it, but Aguila died immediately, and how would Sheriff Murchoree (Chill Wills) have convinced an entire town that Harvey was innocent with nothing else to go by. I guess if he ever had to stand trial, Harvey could have brought in Tumbleweed as a character witness. That horse could do anything.

I wish this would come out on DVD. Audie was my first movie-star crush and it lasted from junior high through most of high school until I met my future husband. I saw everything he made in the 50's and Tumbleweed was one of my two top favorites (the other was The Cimarron Kid). I still remember the scene when he and the homely, incredibly smart horse (take that, Trigger!)was in a rocky, arid place with no water. Audie's character was sitting against a rock, waiting to die from thirst while Tumbleweed walked from spot to spot pawing the ground. After weakly telling him to stop, he finally said, "Go ahead, you fool. Dig." And of course the horse pawed up some water. The movie was exciting and funny and I can't believe it's been forgotten or that it's never come out on VHS or DVD. I hope it does. I hope his first one does, too, Bad Boy.