Beth Martin (Adele Mara) finds herself completely unprepared for the realities of the wild west as she makes her way towards California from back east. After being rescued from an Indian raid by crude frontiersman Mike Prescott (Forrest Tucker), she is thankful but utterly repulsed by his brash and unpolished nature. Thinking she's through with him forever, she is surprised to become caught up in a feud between Prescott and Lincoln Corey (Jim Davis) regarding ownership of a saloon. Although Lincoln tries to win the heart of the lovely Beth, she surprisingly finds herself attracted to the dashing Mike which causes their the ongoing conflict between the two men to turn white-hot!

A step above most low budget "Pulp Westerns," California Passage was Republic's bid to make Forrest Tucker a star. Joseph Kane's directing, as usual, shows a genuine command for the western genre, and James Edward Grant's script constructs a layered tale that is a good mix of action and character banter. Forest Tucker stars as the brash and handsome leading man, Mike Prescott. Jim Davis is sullen and moody as Lincoln Corey, which gives his character a serious villainous tinge, particularly during a scene where he attempts to "woo" Adele Mara. Charles Kemper as the humorous Sheriff Willy almost steals the show - working as a very effective foil to some of the violence by providing some welcome comic relief. A great Old West film from Republic, who certainly knew how to churn them out!