Lew Kelly's comic relief steals this movie

Lew Kelly as Rocky O'Brien gives this movie much of its comic relief. He lives in a virtual ghost town with only two residents. Kelly's character wears many hats. He is mayor, sheriff, postmaster and veterinarian. At one point, he tells a man that his horse has a number of diseases including "the epizooties." (The other resident of town is a real medical doctor as well the biggest property owner in town, although, since it's a ghost town, that means he owns 100 percent of almost nothing--it's never made clear how he came to this state of affairs--perhaps he was swindled into buying the town the way the main characters are swindled into buying something else [spoiler avoider].) Rocky's many hats are pulled out as needed with great matter-of-fact-ness. At the end he puts on a hotel porter's hat. John Wayne's character allows that this must be a comedown for a man with so many more important titles, but Rocky notes that hotel guests would be less apt to tip the mayor, and he shows that his pockets are full of money.