Peck shared top billing with Anne Baxter in the western "Yellow Sky" (1948), the namesake setting as the ghost town Peck's group of bank robbers seek refuge in, encountering the spunky tomboy, Baxter, her grandfather, alongside their gold. Peck gradually develops an interest in Baxter's character, who in turn seems to rediscover her femininity and develops an interest in him. Critics which commented on Peck's performance felt it to be solid. as being slightly unbelievable, The film was only moderately commercially successful. A year later, Peck was paired with Ava Gardner for their first of three films together in "The Great Sinner" (1949), a period drama-romance where a Russian writer, Peck, becomes addicted to gambling while helping Gardner and her father pay back their debts. Peck ended up becoming great friends with Gardner, and would later declare her his favorite co-star. Their friendship lasted the rest of Gardner's life, and upon her death in 1990, Peck took in both her housekeeper and her dog. The film received unfavorable reviews usually describing it as dull, and the public was not interested, rendering it a commercial disappointment. In modern times, the film has received mixed reviews but "TV Guide" says "this often gripping film" has strong performances, that "Peck is powerful" in his portrayal. Peck initially rejected the film, his last movie under his MGM contract, eventually agreeing to do it as a favor to the studio's production head.