Screen Directors Playhouse: Partners (1956)
** (out of 4)
Average entry in the series has a young boy (Brandon DeWilde) working on a ranch where he's abused by the owner and another worker. He goes to a rodeo one day with a stranger (Casey Tibbs) not knowing he's actually the famous rodeo star. To say anything more would pretty much ruin the twists and turns in the story but if you've ever seen a movie before in your life then you're going to figure out what they are within the first ten-minutes anyways. Overall this is a fairly decent story but there are just a few problems with it including one major one. The biggest problem is the performance of Tibbs who is playing himself here but he seems to be trying to get away with a Dean or Brando impersonation. At times the performance is very laughable including one scene where he first shows up on the ranch and see the young boy get thrown from a horse. Just look at the expression on his face for one of the biggest laughs of your life. This is one of the most moments of overacting that I've ever seen and I can't believe that the director and producer would be mean enough to keep it in the film. DeWilde, best known for his role in SHANE, is pretty good in his part and makes it quite believable. I thought the story of friendship between the two was quite touching even if it is predictable from start to finish.
