Short Grass (1950): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1950, Short Grass is a western film directed by Lesley Selander, running about 82 minutes. “ROD CAMERON...as the fabulous "Man from Santa Fe" who battled the Southwest's deadliest badmen!” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Steve Llewellyn hung up his guns after killing a man in self-defense, left Willow Creek and went on the drift for five years. Now he’s back. And the bad blood stirred up by his return and the violence caused by a cattleman’s grab for all the good grasslands mean Steve must strap on his sidearms again. Rod Cameron -- who became a marquee draw with a pair of espionage serials in the 1940s and went on to establish himself as a popular cowboy star -- makes Steve a hero to reckon with in Short Grass, one of the actor’s 10 films with busy shoot-‘em-up director Lesley Selander. Johnny Mack Brown, a sagebrush stalwart in his own right, plays the marshal who allies with Steve. Adding to the Western pedigree is costar Cathy Downs, who plays the title role in the iconic My Darling Clementine. Buffs will note other familiar faces, including Alan Hale, Jr., well remembered as the skipper who takes a “three-hour tour” to Gilligan’s Island.

Who’s in it. Short Grass stars Rod Cameron as Steve Llewellyn, Cathy Downs as Sharon Lynch, Johnny Mack Brown as Sheriff Ord Keown and Raymond Walburn as Doctor McKenna, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.0/10, Short Grass has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video and Apple TV Store. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Short Grass page.

If you liked it. Fans of Short Grass tend to enjoy The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Django Unchained, Once Upon a Time in the West and For a Few Dollars More.