Westerns has been recognized as the most popular Hollywood film genre from the 1920s through the 1960s. And while Western films were a Hollywood staple since the 1920s, perhaps in no other decade did Westerns flourish than the '50s.
This was the post-war era of the so-called adult and psychological westerns - noteworthy examples of this genre include: Shane (1953), The Searchers (1956), High Noon (1952), and 3:10 to Yuma (1957). Aside from the ubiquitous barroom brawls, cattle drives, shootouts and showdowns, many Westerns of the 1950's were more character studies - whose heroes had to conquer their own inner demons before vanquishing their foe.
In earlier Westerns with their more formalistic good guys in while hats vs. villains in black hats, Native Americans were typically demonized and rarely portrayed as anything more than dishonorable "Injuns". The '50s brought us a more rounder, humanistic portrayal - though typically still villainous.
The early '50s began to see the meteoric rise of television - a growing medium for Westerns and a pressing concern for the studios. In answer to this, an increasingly larger number of big-budget Westerns eschewed filming on studio backlots in favor of the scenic vistas of Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, and other actual American West locales.
These "on-location" shoots were then produced and promoted using the newer wide screen filming formats such as Cinemascope and VistaVision. Films were now shot in color, and even in this genre, films were presented 3-D technology - a gimmick, for sure in answer to the rise of television.
Noteworthy actors in the '50s Western genre:
John Wayne, Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, Henry Fonda, Randolph Scott, Robert Ryan, James Stewart, Joel McCrea, and Gary Cooper.
This was the post-war era of the so-called adult and psychological westerns - noteworthy examples of this genre include: Shane (1953), The Searchers (1956), High Noon (1952), and 3:10 to Yuma (1957). Aside from the ubiquitous barroom brawls, cattle drives, shootouts and showdowns, many Westerns of the 1950's were more character studies - whose heroes had to conquer their own inner demons before vanquishing their foe.
In earlier Westerns with their more formalistic good guys in while hats vs. villains in black hats, Native Americans were typically demonized and rarely portrayed as anything more than dishonorable "Injuns". The '50s brought us a more rounder, humanistic portrayal - though typically still villainous.
The early '50s began to see the meteoric rise of television - a growing medium for Westerns and a pressing concern for the studios. In answer to this, an increasingly larger number of big-budget Westerns eschewed filming on studio backlots in favor of the scenic vistas of Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, and other actual American West locales.
These "on-location" shoots were then produced and promoted using the newer wide screen filming formats such as Cinemascope and VistaVision. Films were now shot in color, and even in this genre, films were presented 3-D technology - a gimmick, for sure in answer to the rise of television.
Noteworthy actors in the '50s Western genre:
John Wayne, Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, Henry Fonda, Randolph Scott, Robert Ryan, James Stewart, Joel McCrea, and Gary Cooper.
ACTION & ADVENTURE FILMS OF THE 1950s
3 HOURS TO KILL (1954) (77 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Three Hours to Kill is a "message" Western that manages to entertain without preaching. Jim Guthrie (Dana Andrews), unjustly accused of murder, is forced out of town by an angry mob. After several tough years living off the land, Guthrie returns to clear his name. Fearing that Guthrie is out for blood, the townsfolk arrange a "necktie party." The one person who might show some compassion is ex-fiancée Laurie Mastin (Donna Reed), who'd been left pregnant by Guthrie and had married another man on the rebound. But Laurie's brother was the murder victim, so she's just as determined to rid the world of Guthrie as everyone else. With the help of sympathetic Chris Plumber (Dianne Foster), Guthrie traps the real murderer. The mentality of mob rule is exposed for all its ugliness in Three Hours to Kill, ironic in that real-life Hollywood had been governed by mob pressure to enforce the Blacklist during the same period.
Starring: Dana Andrews, Donna Reed, Dianne Foster, Richard Coogan | Directed by: Alfred L. Werker
3:10 TO YUMA (1957) (92 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Desperate for money, frontier rancher Van Heflin holds outlaw Glenn Ford at gunpoint, intending to collect the $200 reward. While both men await the train to Yuma that will escort Ford to prison, the cagey outlaw offers Heflin $10,000 if he'll set Ford free. The rest of the film is a sweat-inducing cat-and-mouse game between captive and captor, interrupted with bursts of violence from both Ford's gang (commandeered by Richard Jaeckel) and the vacillating townsfolk. 3:10 to Yuma is one of the best of the character-driven "psychological" westerns of the 1950s. Its only flaw is Ford's unconvincing character turnaround towards the end. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, Felicia Farr, Leora Dana, Richard Jaeckel | Directed by: Delmer Daves
ABANDON SHIP (1957) (100 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
In this supenseful and provocative high-seas drama, the captain of a luxury liner is suddenly faced with life or death decisions when his ship sinks, leaving himself and a few survivors floating at sea in an overcrowded lifeboat that does not contain enough food, water and medical supplies to support them all. The captain, Alec Holmes (Tyrone Power) is a decent fellow, and initially intends to save everyone. But it soon becomes clear to one of the ship's men, Frank Kelly (Lloyd Nolan) that this is impossible. As Kelly sacrifices himself by leaping overboard and into the sea, he shouts out a warning to Holmes that it will be necessary to rid the boat of its ill passengers if the rest are to survive, as not enough food and water exists to provide for everyone. Defying the requests of his sweetheart, Nurse Julie White (director Mai Zetterling), and his buddy and fellow officer, Will McKinley (Stephen Boyd), Holmes disposes of the sick individuals on board. He initially gains the support of the rest of the passengers, but when a rescue ship finally turns up, their support turns to contempt and hostility. In Great Britain the story is titled Seven Waves Away.
Starring: Tyrone Power, Mai Zetterling, Lloyd Nolan, Stephen Boyd, Moira Lister | Directed by: Richard Sale
ACTION OF THE TIGER (1957) (91 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
In one of her few English-speaking appearances, French leading lady Martine Carol plays Tracy, the daughter of a political prisoner. Tracy hires soldier-of-fortune Carson (Van Johnson) to smuggle her into Albania by way of Greece. Once behind the Iron Curtain, Tracy and Carson enlist the aid of a group of freedom-loving Albanian outlaws, led by Trifon (Herbert Lom). The final third of the film details the desperate escape attempt involving Tracy, her father and Carson. Filmed in Spain and released in the U.S. by Van Johnson's home studio of MGM, Action of the Tiger was based on a novel by James Wellard. Watch for Sean Connery in a barroom-brawl sequence.
Starring: Van Johnson, Martine Carol, Herbert Lom, Sean Connery | Directed by: Terence Young
ADVENTURERS, THE (1951) (74 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
The Adventurers is set in South Africa at the end of the Boer war. Commando Pieter Brandt (Jack Hawkins) comes across the dead body of a diamond courier. Brandt buries both the courier and his valuable cache of diamonds then heads back to his regiment. After the cessation of hostilities, Brandt raises money for an expedition back into the mountainous regions where the diamonds are hidden. There's no love lost among Brandt and his three treasure-hunting companions; particularly prickly is the relationship between Brandt and Clive Hunter (Dennis Price), whose wife is Brandt's former fiancé. Sort of an African variation of Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Adventurers is buoyed by an unusually vicious performance by Jack Hawkins.
Starring: Jack Hawkins, Peter Hammond, Dennis Price, Gregoire Aslan | Directed by: David MacDonald
AMBUSH (1950) (89 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Ambush is a tight, well-paced western, expertly assembled by veteran director Sam Wood, whose last film this was. Robert Taylor stars as an Indian scout, sent to rescue a woman who is somewhere deep in Apache territory. The woman's sister, naturally, goes along for the ride: she is played by Arlene Dahl, then in her considerable prime. Outside of its feminine angle, Ambush is packed with action from first frame to last. Released to theatres at the tail end of 1949, the film was an unqualified success with holiday audiences. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Robert Taylor, John Hodiak, Arlene Dahl, Don Taylor | Directed by: Sam Wood
AMBUSH AT CIMMERON PASS (1958) (73 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Despite the glut of TV westerns in 1958, 20th Century-Fox's Regal Films subsidiary continued grinding out profitable sagebrushers. In Ambush at Cimarron Pass, cavalry sergeant Scott Brady is ordered to escort a prisoner through treacherous Indian territory. A diehard Union sympathizer, Brady is forced to rely upon a group of ex-Confederates to successfully complete his mission. This may be difficult, however: the Apaches drive off the troop's horses, forcing them to complete the arduous journey on foot. Billed third in Ambush at Cimarron Pass is Clint Eastwood, no longer a bit player but not yet a star. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Scott Brady, Margia Dean, Clint Eastwood, Baynes Barron | Directed by: Jodie Copelan
ANGRY HILLS, THE (1959) (105 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Robert Aldrich (Kiss Me Deadly) directed this cloak-and-dagger yarn (based on a bestseller by Leon Uris), filmed on sumptuous locations in Greece. Set in Athens in 1941, before the Nazis overran the country, Robert Mitchum plays American war correspondent Mike Morrison, who has come into the possession of a list of 16 Greek underground leaders that he agrees to deliver to British intelligence in London for a $20,000 fee. Trying to keep him from getting there is the local Gestapo chief Conrad Heisler (Stanley Baker) and fifth columnist Tassos (Theodore Bikel). Morrison also becomes involved with a group of Greek freedom fighters -- particularly the beautiful Eleftheria (Gia Scala). But then Morrison comes down from the mountains and back to Athens, where he finds himself trailed, not only by the Nazis, but by charming widow Lisa Kyriakides (Elisabeth Muller).
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Elisabeth Müller, Stanley Baker, Gia Scala, Sebastian Cabot | Directed by: Robert Aldrich
APACHE (1954) (87 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Apache was based on Paul I. Wellman's novel Broncho Apache, which in turn was inspired by a true story. Burt Lancaster plays Massai, a lieutenant of the great Apache warrior Geronimo (here depicted as an old man, played by Monte Blue). Though his tribe has signed surrender terms with the conquering whites, Massai refuses to do so. He escapes from a prison train and conducts a one-man war against the white intruders-and against some of his own people. Along the way, he claims Nalinle (Jean Peters), whom he previously regarded as a traitor to his cause, as his wife. John McIntire plays famed Indian scout Al Sieber, who-in this film, if not in real life-is sympathetic to the Indians' plight and Massai's single-purposed cause. The real-life counterpart to Massai was killed by Sieber's minions after agreeing to call off the hostilies; United Artists objected to this, forcing producer/star Burt Lancaster to shoot an unconvincingly happy ending. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Jean Peters, John McIntire, Charles Buchinsky | Directed by: Robert Aldrich
APACHE AMBUSH (1955) (68 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Longtime B-western favorites Tex Ritter and Ray "Crash" Corrigan are among the supporting players of the Columbia oater Apache Ambush. Star of the proceedings is Bill Williams, cast as Indian scout James Kingston. In the last days of the Civil War, President Lincoln (James Griffith) selects Kingston and two other men — cattle driver O'Roarke (Ray Teal) and "reconstructed" Confederate major McGuire (Don C. Harvey) — to help speed along a major cattle shipment from Texas to the Northern states. One of the obstacles facing the three men is Mexican fanatic Joaquin Jironza (Alex Montoya), who wants to get his hands on the Henry Repeating Rifles which Kingston and his confreres carry with them. Undermining the good guys is embittered ex-rebel Lee Parker (Richard Jaeckel), who is in cahoots with Jironza. So much happens in the first five reels that the titular Indian ambush is almost anticlimactic (a warning to more sensitive viewers: neither the Apaches nor the Mexicans are shown in a particularly sympathetic light).
Starring: Bill Williams, Richard Jaeckel, Alex Montoya, Ray "Crash" Corrigan | Directed by: Fred Sears
ARROW IN THE DUST (1954) (79 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Arrow in the Dust is an intelligently assembled story of regeneration. Deserting cavalry trooper Bart Laish (Sterling Hayden) is forced by a series of circumstances to assume the identity of his dead commanding officer. In this guise, Laish is put in charge of a wagon train heading through Indian country. At first intending to weasel out of the responsibility, Laish eventually takes his duties seriously, and in so doing he restores his own innate courage and self-respect. Alas, he is undermined by duplicitous Tillotson (Tudor Owen), who intends to betray his fellow passengers and sell guns to the Indians. Coleen Gray costars as Christella, who comes to love the renegade Laish and helps him to rebuild his tarnished reputaton.
Starring: Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Keith Larsen, Tom Tully | Directed by: Lesley Selander
ARROWHEAD (1953) (105 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Adapted from a novel by W.R. Burnett (which hadn't yet been published when the film was released), Arrowhead is a tough, uncompromising western dealing with the delicate issue of White-Indian relations. Charlton Heston is at his most truculent as Indian agent Ed Bannon, who though raised by Apaches has a very low opinion of the tribe's trustworthiness. Bannon's warnings about Indian treachery would seem to be borne out by a series of bloody raids upon the cavalry, but the officers in charge refuse to believe him. It turns out that the man behind the Apache attacks is Toriano (Jack Palance), the chief's college-educated son, who has rejected the ways of the White Man and intends to reclaim his birthright. The film boils down to a mano y mano battle between Bannon and Toriano, personal enemies from way back. Hardly politically correct, Arrowhead is worth seeing if only for the multitextured performance by Jack Palance. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Charlton Heston, Jack Palance, Katy Jurado, Brian Keith | Directed by: Charles Marquis Warren
ASSIGNMENT: PARIS (1952) (84 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Assignment - Paris is based on a serialized Saturday Evening Post yarn by Paul and Pauline Gallico. The film stars Dana Andrews as reporter Jimmy Race, assigned to the Paris bureau of the New York Herald Tribune. Race makes the acquaintance of French journalist Jeanne Moray (Marta Toren), who is forced to suppress a white-hot news story about an impending Iron Curtain political conspiracy because she lacks proof. At great risk to himself, Race heads to Budapest to ferret out the facts, sometimes right under the noses of the communist "damage control" experts. George Sanders co-stars as editor Rick Strang, who dispatches Race on his fact-finding mission—partly because of his dedication to truth, and partly because he has designs on the gorgeous Jeanne himself. One of the more palatable anti-Red tracts of its era, Assignment - Paris makes excellent use of authentic Parisian and Hungarian locations.
Starring: Dana Andrews, Märta Torén, George Sanders, Audrey Totter | Directed by: Phil Karlson, Robert Parrish
AT GUNPOINT (1955) (81 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
One of the best of the High Noon derivations, At Gunpoint is the story of reluctant hero Fred MacMurray. When a band of gunmen invade a small frontier town, storekeeper MacMurray fires off a lucky shot and kills the leader. Hailed as a hero, MacMurray realizes deep down that he's a coward. When the surviving gunmen return to town, thirsting for revenge, the townsfolk expect MacMurray to singlehandedly stand up to the villains. When he asks for help, his neighbors turn their backs on him, ordering him to get out of town to avoid further trouble. Only doctor Walter Brennan and MacMurray's wife Dorothy Malone remain loyal. Facing certain death,MacMurray discovers that he's not as yellow as he thought he was-a revelation that brings about a change in the rest of the town.
Starring: Fred MacMurray, Dorothy Malone, Walter Brennan, Skip Homeier | Directed by: Alfred L. Werker
BADLANDERS, THE (1958) (85 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Alan Ladd stars in Badlanders as the mastermind of a gold robbery. The victim-to-be is Kent Smith, whose perjured testimony had sent the innocent Ladd and Ernest Borgnine to prison. Ladd and Borgnine conspire with "sporting woman" Katy Jurado to rob Smith of his ill-gotten gains; meanwhile Smith is planning to ditch his wife and run off with his mistress Claire Kelly. Aligning with dynamite expert Nehemiah Persoff, Ladd and his companions pull off the heist, only to be arrested at Smith's command. Borgnine exacts final vengeance on Smith, allowing Ladd to escape with Jurado. If you look closely, you'll discover that Badlanders is a sagebrush remake of The Asphalt Jungle (1950), a fact confirmed by the on-screen credits. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Alan Ladd, Ernest Borgnine, Katy Jurado, Claire Kelly | Directed by: Delmer Daves
BADMAN'S COUNTRY (1958) (85 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
A veritable honor roll of famed western heroes and villains appears in the fanciful oater Badman's Country. It all begins when Sheriff Pat Garrett (George Montgomery) draws up plans to lure the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang, headed by Butch Cassidy (Neville Brand) and the Sundance Kid (Russell Johnson) into a trap. To do this, he enlists the aid of fellow peacekeepers Wyatt Earp (Buster Crabbe), Bat Masterson (Gregory Walcott) and Buffalo Bill Cody (Malcolm Atterbury). By the time everyone is introduced, the film is half over. No matter: Badman's Country is redeemed by a truly impressive climactic gun duel.
Starring: George Montgomery, Neville Brand, Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Karin Booth, Gregory Walcott | Directed by: Fred Sears
BARRICADE (1950) (75 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Gold-mine operator "Boss" Kruger (Raymond Massey) has certainly earned his nickname. A frontier dictator, Kruger runs his mine like a prison colony; indeed, most of the workers are fugitives from justice, given dubious "protection" by Kruger. Two of the laborers are Judith Burns (Ruth Roman) and Bob Peters (Dane Clark), both on the lam from the law. Judith and Bob befriend lawyer Milburn (Robert Douglas), who seeks to prove that Kruger is a murderer. A bit too talky for the tastes of most western fans, Barricade redeems itself with a spectacularly violent conclusion.
Starring: Ruth Roman, Dane Clark, Raymond Massey, Robert Douglas, Frank Marlowe | Directed by: Peter Godfrey
BATTLE AT APACHE PASS (1952) (85 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Two of the cast members from the 1950 western Broken Arrow, Jeff Chandler and Jay Silverheels, recreate their earlier roles in 1952's Battle at Apache Pass. Chandler plays temperate Indian leader Cochise, while Silverheels is the more explosive Geronimo. The film takes place several years before the events depicted in Broken Arrow, a time in which Cochise attempts to prevent war between his people and the white settlers. Though Cochise's wife dies at the hands of a bigoted cavalry officer and a crooked Indian agent, the stoic Native American continues to believe that a lasting peace is possible. Two years after Battle at Apache Pass, Jeff Chandler would again reprise the role of Cochise (this time as a dying old man) in Taza, Son of Cochise (54).
Starring: John Lund, Jeff Chandler, Beverly Tyler, Bruce Cowling | Directed by: George Sherman
BEAT THE DEVIL (1953) (89 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Humphrey Bogart stars as one of five disreputable adventurers who are trying to get uranium out of East Africa. Bogart's associates include pompous fraud Robert Morley, and Peter Lorre as the German-accented "O'Hara", whose wartime record is forever a source of speculation and suspicion. Becoming involved in Bogart's machinations are a prim British married couple (Edward Underdown and blonde-wigged Jennifer Jones). As a climax to their many misadventures and double-crosses, the uranium seekers end up facing extermination by an Arab firing squad. The satirical nature of Beat the Devil eluded many moviegoers in 1953, and the film was a failure. The fact that the picture attained cult status in lesser years failed to impress its star Humphrey Bogart, who could only remember that he lost a considerable chunk of his own money when he became involved in the project.
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida, Robert Morley, Peter Lorre | Directed by: John Huston
BEND OF THE RIVER (1952) (91 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Another of the collaborations between actor James Stewart and director Anthony Mann, Bend of the River casts Stewart as a former outlaw, now working as trail guide for a group of Oregon-bound farmers. He is aided in this endeavor by Arthur Kennedy, a far-from-reformed horse thief. Upon arriving in Portland, Stewart gets in the middle of a scam operated by trader Howard Petrie, who has reneged on his promise to ship goods to the settlers. Unable to take action through legal channels, Stewart and farmer Jay C. Flippen steal the provision and scurry back to the settlement by boat. On their return, they discover that Kennedy has sold out to the crooked Petrie and intends to reclaim the supplies, taking Flippen and his daughter Julie Adams as hostages to ensure safe passage. It's up to Stewart to turn the tables on his former friend and save the day. As in the other Stewart-Mann productions, Jimmy breaks away from his usual easygoing screen persona to play a tough, self-serving rugged individual, whose true motives and loyalties remain in doubt until the very end of the film. Bend of the River was adapted by Borden Chase from Bill Gulick's novel Bend of the Snake. Watch for Stepin Fetchit, Rock Hudson, Royal Dano, and Frances Bavier in minor roles.
Starring: James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Julie Adams, Rock Hudson, Lori Nelson, Frances Bavier | Directed by: Anthony Mann
BEST OF THE BADMEN (1950) (84 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Though RKO Radio Pictures was, in 1951, still faithful to the concept of "B" westerns starring Tim Holt, the studio was more than capable of turning out an "A" oater from time to time. Best of the Badmen stars Robert Ryan as a former Union officer who persuades a fictional vigilante group which closely resembles Quantrill's Raiders to lay down their arms and seek out new and honest lives. Ryan is undercut by shifty Pinkerton man Robert Preston, who wants to collect the rewards on the heads of the ex-vigilantes; to that end, he frames Ryan for murder. With the help of Preston's embittered wife Claire Trevor, Ryan escapes and turns outlaw with the men whom he'd earlier convinced to turn honest. Best of the Badmen was produced in Technicolor, enhancing its already potent box-office appeal.
Starring: Robert Ryan, Claire Trevor, Robert Preston, Walter Brennan | Directed by: William D. Russell
BIG SKY, THE (1952) (138 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
The Big Sky is based on a popular novel by A.B. Guthrie. Kirk Douglas and Dewey Martin play a pair of Kentucky frontiersmen who embark upon the first keelboat trip up the Missouri River way back in 1830. Joining Douglas and Martin are Martin's grizzled old uncle Arthur Hunnicutt and garrulous Frenchman Steven Geray. Running afoul of various Indian tribes, Douglas nonetheless romances Sioux princess Elizabeth Threatt (their off-screen relationship was on the kinky side, as an embarrassed Douglas reveals in his autobiography). Director Howard Hawks leavens the Boys' Own Adventure atmosphere of the film with a few isolated comic sequences, including a sidesplitting scene in which Douglas' gangrenous finger is cut off. Produced for RKO Radio by Hawks' own Winchester Pictures, The Big Sky was released at 141 minutes, though the TV print runs 122 minutes. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Dewey Martin, Elizabeth Threatt, Arthur Hunnicutt | Directed by: Howard Hawks
BIG STEAL, THE (1950) (71 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Filmed on location in Mexico, RKO's The Big Steal was one of the shortest of the major film noirs of the 1940s—and one of the best. The film is essentially one long chase, with a stolen Army payroll as the grand prize. Uneasy allies Lieutenant Duke Holliday (Robert Mitchum) and Joan "Chiquita" Graham (Jane Greer) chase after erudite crook Fiske (Patric Knowles), and in turn are pursued by detective Captain Blake (William Bendix). Seemingly detached from the proceedings is official lawman Colonal Ortego (Ramon Novarro), who manages to turn up at all the right times. Part of the fun lies in guessing the good guys and bad guys (Greer and Mitchum had previously played "bad lots" in Out of the Past, so even they aren't above suspicion). The Big Steal was tautly directed by Don Siegel, who manages to pack plenty of twists and turns into the film's crowded 71 minutes. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, William Bendix, Patric Knowles | Directed by: Don Siegel
BLACK WHIP, THE (1956) (77 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
After closing down his film studio, producer Robert L. Lippert took charge of Regal Films, a subsidiary of 20th Century-Fox designed to turn out low-budget, non-CinemaScope productions. One of the first of these films was the modest western The Black Whip. Colleen Gray, Angie Dickinson, Adele Mara and Dorothy Schuyler play four women of questionable morals who conspire to help a notorious outlaw escape the law. The ladies are ushered into a stagecoach by the village elders and ordered to get out of town and stay out. En route to their next destination, the ladies' coach breaks down at a way station managed by Hugh Marlowe. As Marlowe repairs the wheels, an outlaw gang rides up, demanding that the girls be handed over to them. By this time, the ladies have no use for the bad guys, but Marlowe is too mild-mannered to intervene. He finally outfoxes the villains by using brains instead of brawn.
Starring: Hugh Marlowe, Coleen Gray, Angie Dickinson, Strother Martin, Richard Gilden | Directed by: Charles Marquis Warren
BOOTS MALONE (1952) (103 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
William Holden plays Boots Malone, a dishonest--and impoverished--jockey's agent. Malone sees a chance to crack the big time through the talents of young jockey John Stewart. Stewart's wealthy mother wants to remove the boy from the rarefied world of the race track, but it is Malone himself who destroys his friendship with Stewart by ordering the boy to throw the race, or else they'll be put on the spot by gangsters. Malone's last-minute regeneration restores Stewart's faith in him. Filmed on location, Boots Malone is a satisfying horse-race drama, though one might expect a little something extra from star William Holden and director William Dieterle.
Starring: William Holden, John Stewart, Stanley Clements, Ed Begley, Sr. | Directed by: William Dieterle
BOUNTY HUNTER, THE (1954) (85 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Randolph Scott once more contributes mightily to Warner Bros.' annual box-office gross in the well-mounted western The Bounty Hunter. Filmed in 3D but released "flat", the film casts Scott as the title character, who is hired by the Pinkertons to bring in three train robbers. Riding into the town of Twin Forks, Scott quickly ascertains that the outlaws are hiding somewhere in the vicinity. He then bides his time, hoping that the crooks will tip their hands, lead him to the stolen money, and let down their guard long enough to allow for a speedy capture. Scott's leading ladies on this trip are Dolores Dorn as the daughter of the town doctor, and Marie Windsor as the postmistress with Something To Hide.
Starring: Randolph Scott, Marie Windsor, Ernest Borgnine, Howard Petrie | Directed by: André De Toth
BRASS LEGEND, THE (1956) (80 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
During the summer lay-off of the TV series Wyatt Earp, Hugh O'Brian found time to star in the superior sagebrusher The Brass Legend. O'Brien plays a sheriff who takes full credit for the arrest of dangerous outlaw Raymond Burr. In fact, young Donald McDonald, the brother of O'Brien's fiancee Nancy Gates, was largely responsible for Burr's capture, but the sheriff refuses to reveal McDonald's part in the arrest for fear that the boy will be killed by Burr's cohorts. Unfortunately, the local newspaper editor believes that O'Brien simply wants to cheat the boy out of his share of the reward money. The editor blithely prints up the full story in his paper, leading to a near-disastrous denoument.
Starring: Hugh O'Brian, Nancy Gates, Raymond Burr, Reba Tassell | Directed by: Gerd Oswald
BREAKING POINT, THE (1950) (97 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
This second screen version of Ernest Hemingway's To Have and Have Not is closer in spirit to the original than the first version, though it still is far from faithful to its source. John Garfield stars as Harry Morgan, who has metamorphosed from Hemingway's gun-runner to an ex-PT boat captain, now running a charter boat service in Southern California. Deeply in debt, Morgan agrees to smuggle aliens and later tries to sneak a bunch of gangsters out of the country. By the time he's been given a wake-up call by his conscience, Morgan has caused the death of a close friend. Patricia Neal and Phyllis Thaxter make the most of their limited footage as, respectively Harry Morgan's casual mistress and faithful spouse. Many critics feel that The Breaking Point represents Michael Curtiz' finest directing job—no small praise for a man who helmed such classics as Casablanca and Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Starring: John Garfield, Patricia Neal, Phyllis Thaxter, Wallace Ford | Directed by: Michael Curtiz
BULLET IS WAITING, A (1954) (83 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
A young woman (Jean Simmons) manages a remote California sheep ranch with her father (Brian Aherne). A plane carrying a sheriff (Stephen McNally) and a convicted murderer (Rory Calhoun) crashes nearby. Both men are cared for by the girl, who doesn't know at first which is the cop and which is the criminal. She falls in love with the convicted man and believes protestations of innocence, but the vindictive sheriff tries to dissuade her of these feelings. Given several chances to finish each other off, both sheriff and convict relent. Under the influence of the girl, they agree to return to Utah together, where (it is implied) the criminal will be given a bias-free trial.
Starring: Jean Simmons, Rory Calhoun, Stephen McNally, Brian Aherne | Directed by: John Farrow
BURNING HILLS, THE (1956) (94 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
The plot of The Burning Hills is motivated by revenge, which only a few years earlier had been on the Motion Picture Code's no-no list. Cattleman Trace Jordan (Tab Hunter) seeks retribution for the murder of his brother, killed at the behest of cattle baron Joe Sutton (Ray Teal). Before long, however, it is Jordan who is being pursued by Sutton's henchmen. Accompanying Jordan on his flight is his Anglo-Latino girlfriend Maria Colton (a miscast Natalie Wood). Clearly designed to cash in on the teenaged fan following of Tab Hunter and Natalie Wood, Burning Hills is nonetheless entertaining enough to please even nonfans of the stars. The film is based on a novel by Louis L'Amour.
Starring: Tab Hunter, Natalie Wood, Skip Homeier, Earl Holliman | Directed by: Stuart Heisler
CAPTIVE GIRL (1950) (73 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Number three in Columbia's "Jungle Jim" series was the misleadingly titled Captive Girl. Johnny Weissmuller returns as Jim, who this time out comes to the rescue of a white girl named Joan (Anita Lhoest), who has been raised as a "jungle goddess," complete with revealing costume and pet tiger. The heavy of the piece is Native witch doctor Hakim (John Dehner), who killed Joan's parents years earlier and who fears exposure. The most fascinating aspect of the film is the presence of Buster Crabbe—whose own career (Olympic swimmer turned film star) closely resembled Weissmuller's—in an unsympathetic role as a mercenary explorer. Original prints of Captive Girl were released in Sepiatone.
Starring: Johnny Weissmuller, Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Anita Lhoest, John Dehner | Directed by: William A. Berke
CARVE HER NAME WITH PRIDE (1958) (119 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
The true story of Violette Szabo, a heroine of the Second World War for her espionage activities on behalf of the British government. Born Violette Bushell (Virginia McKenna) to a French mother and an English father, she chances to meet Etienne Szabo (Alain Saury), a French officer, whom she later marries. They have a child, Tania, but Etienne is fatally wounded in the Battle of El Alamein. Violette is already contributing to the war effort at home, but soon discovers that her bi-lingual skills make her a potentially valuable member of England's Special Operations Executive, the country's wartime overseas espionage unit. She agrees to join and, after extensive training, is sent into France in the spring of 1944, on a mission to salvage a resistance unit in Rouen area. Szabo completes that mission successfully and returns home, intending to resume her life as a mother raising her daughter -- but she is offered a second mission in France, immediately after the Normandy landings, and accepts, with tragic consequences.
Starring: Virginia McKenna, Paul Scofield, Jack Warner, Denise Grey, Sydney Tafler | Directed by: Lewis Gilbert
CHINA GATE (1957) (97 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Writer-director Samuel Fuller applies his kino-fist to this raw-boned war drama -- one of the first American films to deal with Vietnam. The film concerns the battle between the Vietnamese and the Chinese, through the efforts of a small band of soldiers to locate and destroy a hidden communist arms depot. Gene Barry stars as Sgt. Johnny Brock, the cynical leader of the patrol, who is an American Korean War veteran. Leading the expedition to find the munitions dump is the half-Asian Lucky Legs (Angie Dickinson), Brock's ex-wife. One of Brock's less-endearing qualities is his rabid racism -- he can't accept the fact that their five-year-old son is completely Oriental in appearance. The other members of the patrol are also haunted by past memories -- Goldie (Nat "King" Cole) is a veteran of Korea and World war II who hates war and wants to see peace at all costs; Corporal Pigalle (George Givot) is an ex-French gendarme who doesn't like taking orders; and Private Andreades (Gerald Milton), is a hard-nosed Greek expatriate. When the patrol arrives at the compound, they are greeted by Major Cham (Lee Van Cleef), the communist commander who immediately falls in love with Lucky Legs -- complicating the situation immensely.
Starring: Gene Barry, Angie Dickinson, Nat "King" Cole, Lee Van Cleef, George Givot | Directed by: Samuel Fuller
CONQUEST OF COCHISE (1953) (70 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Cashing in on the popularity of such pro-Native American films as Broken Arrow, Columbia's resident quickiemeister Sam Katzman came up with Conquest of Cochise. John Hodiak plays the eponymous Apache leader, who at the beginning of the film is seen conducting raids on the U.S.-Mexican border in the company of the Comanches. Eventually realizing that the whites are better armed and equipped than the Indians, Cochise wants to put an end to the raids and smoke the peace pipe, but the Comanches don't see things his way. In films of this nature, there is usually a foredoomed love affair between a white man and an Indian girl. This time, however, Cochise falls in love with Mexican aristocrat Consuelo de Cordova (Joy Page), whom he holds hostage while U.S. cavalry officer Burke (Robert Stack) searches for the killer of Cochise's Indian bride. Director William Castle does a nice job matching stock footage with his newly-shot scenes.
Starring: John Hodiak, Joy Page, Robert Stack, Rico Alaniz | Directed by: William Castle
COUNT THREE AND PRAY (1955) (102 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
This laid-back western manages to deliver a full quota of action, an agreeable dash of sentiment, and quite a few three-dimensional characterizations. Van Heflin plays Luke Fargo, a Civil War veteran who returns to his Southern homeland to find his house destroyed, his crops burned out, and the local town under the thumb of "white trash" Vancey Huggins (Raymond Burr). In addition, Fargo is on the outs with the townsfolk because he fought for the Union instead of the Confederacy. Having grown weary of death and killing, Fargo hopes to start life anew as a minister, and to that end intends to rebuild the town's only church. Complicating matters is the presence of unkempt, hoydenish teenager Lissy (Joanne Woodward, in her film debut). Though Fargo's feelings for Lissy are basically paternal, the townsfolk, stirred up by Huggins, suspect the worst and prepare to drive the novice minister out of town. A happy—or at least satisfying—ending is reached through a series of logical events not often seen in "formula" westerns.
Starring: Van Heflin, Joanne Woodward, Philip Carey, Raymond Burr | Directed by: George Sherman
DANGER WITHIN (1959) (89 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
(AKA 'Breakout') Set in an Italian P.O.W. camp during World War II, this conventional escape drama shines the most in the portrayals of the various prisoners. Richard Todd is Lt. Col. David Baird, intensely and single-mindedly set on escaping. Bernard Lee is Lt. Col. Huxley who is the careful senior British officer with a view of the entire situation. Michael Wilding plays the deceptively dashing Major Charles Marquand, and some comic relief is provided by Dennis Price, an actor-prisoner more devoted to his production of Hamlet than leaving before the curtain goes up. The hitch in the plans to escape is insidious -- there is a traitor among the prisoners and before they can succeed, they have to find him.
Starring: Richard Todd, Bernard Lee, Richard Attenborough, Dennis Price, Michael Caine, Michael Wilding, Sr. | Directed by: Don Chaffey / Peter Graham Scott
DAY OF THE BAD MAN (1958) (81 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Fred MacMurray is the beleagured hero of the Universal western Day of the Badman. MacMurray plays circuit judge Jim Scott, who rides into town to pass sentence on convicted killer Jake Hayes (Lee Van Cleef). Unfortunately, it doesn't look as though Hayes will stay in jail long enough for the trial: the town's sheriff (John Ericson) is an ineffectual weakling, willing to bend to the wishes of the killer's powerful father Charlie Hayes (Robert Middleton). The elder Hayes demands that his son merely be "banished" from town, and to that end he terrorizes the townsfolk into honoring his wishes. But Hayes hasn't reckoned with Judge Scott, who is not so easily bullied and cowed. The judge passes a sentence of death—and he's well equipped to mete out that punishment himself!
Starring: Fred MacMurray, Joan Weldon, John Ericson, Robert Middleton, Marie Windsor | Directed by: Harry Keller
DAY OF THE OUTLAW (1959) (92 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Set in an isolated, snow-covered town in the far West, this story has a renegade army officer named Jack Bruhn (Burl Ives) and his henchmen riding into the town threatening their worst to the men and women there. Blaise Starrett (Robert Ryan) decides to agree to Bruhn's demands for someone knowledgeable to lead them away from the law and the town, to safety. Mortally wounded himself, Bruhn opts to take Starrett up on his offer in one last act of generosity toward the townspeople, sparing them the mayhem threatened by his men.
Starring: Robert Ryan, Burl Ives, Tina Louise, Nehemiah Persoff, Jack Lambert, Elisha Cook, Jr. | Directed by: André De Toth
DECISION AT SUNDOWN (1957) (77 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Decision at Sundown was one of several felicitous collaborations between star Randolph Scott and director Budd Boetticher. Scott plays a flint-eyed gunman who rides into a sleepy town to drive out local tough guy John Carroll by sundown. Scott is motivated not by justice but by revenge; years earlier, Carroll had stolen Scott's wife. The woman subsequently killed herself, and the fact that she had left Scott willingly is torturing both men, each of whom feels partially responsible for her death. As sundown approaches, the "angst" suffered by both hero and villain spreads to the rest of the townspeople, who do a lot of soul-searching while waiting for the final confrontation. Decision at Sundown truly lives up to the label "psychological western". — Hal Erickson
Starring: Randolph Scott, John Carroll, Karen Steele, Valerie French | Directed by: Budd Boetticher
DECISION BEFORE DAWN (1951) (119 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
With the Third Reich disintegrating, several members of the German army are defecting to the Americans and offering their services as spies. US officer Gary Merrill trusts none of these last-minute "converts", but German prisoner Oskar Werner seems to be sincere. Werner insists that by helping the Americans, he is saving Germany from destruction. Merrill sends Werner behind enemy lines for counter-espionage with an American officer (Richard Basehart), who still isn't convinced that the German expatriate means what he says. At several critical junctures, it seems as though Werner had been lying about his mission, but at the last moment he saves Basehart's life at the cost of his own...but was this act of bravery intentional? A thoughtful World War II drama, Decision Before Dawn was filmed on location in Europe. Watch for a young and sickly-looking Klaus Kinski as an overeager defector. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Oskar Werner, Richard Basehart, Gary Merrill, Hildegarde Neff | Directed by: Anatole Litvak
DEEP SIX, THE (1958) (110 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
The conflict between duty and conscience is explored in the WWII drama The Deep Six. Alan Ladd stars as Naval gunnery officer Alec Austin, a Quaker whose sincere pacifist sentiments do not sit well with his crew members. When he refuses to fire upon an unidentified plane, the word spreads that Austin cannot be relied upon in battle (never mind that the plane turns out to be one of ours). To prove that he's worthy of command, Austin volunteers for a dangerous mission: the rescue of a group of US pilots on a Japanese-held island. The ubiquitous William Bendix costars as Frenchy Shapiro (!), Austin's Jewish petty officer and severest critic. If the film has a villain, it is Keenan Wynn as ambitious Lt. Commander Edge, who seems to despise anyone who isn't a mainline WASP.The Deep Six was based on a novel by Martin Dibner.
Starring: Alan Ladd, William Bendix, James Whitmore, Dianne Foster | Directed by: Rudolph Maté
DESERT LEGION (1953) (86 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
In this romantic desert adventure a handsome, Foreign Legionnaire survives a surprise attack and becomes the ward of a beautiful princess who takes him back to her splendiferous city in the remote mountains. After he heals, she begs his assistance, but still weakened from his injuries, he passes out. When he awakens, he is back in his fort. Though he tells everyone about his strange experience, no one believes him. Later the enigmatic princess gets a message to him. Teaming up with a fellow soldier, the two sneak out of the fort and follow the courier back to the magical city and meet the man in charge, another ex-Legionnaire. He is a good fellow, and worries that an evil sheik will succeed in his campaign. The brave hero does all he can to prevent that from happening while simultaneously falling in love with the beautiful princess.
Starring: Alan Ladd, Richard Conte, Arlene Dahl, Akim Tamiroff | Directed by: Joseph Pevney
DESTINATION GOBI (1953) (89 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
An offbeat blend of World War II drama and "Arabian Nights" escapism, Destination Gobi is all the more odd in that it is allegedly based on fact. Richard Widmark heads a group of US Navy men, sent to Mongolia for weather observation. Widmark must lead his men across the treacherous Gobi desert to the freedom of the seacoast. Rescued from the Japanese by a Mongolian chief (Murvyn Vye), the men are compelled to repay their rescuer by securing enough saddles for his sixty horses. A flummoxed Pentagon okays the requisition, and the chieftain leads Widmark's band to Okinawa. Destination Gobi makes good use of the Arizona desert, which "stands in" for Gobi. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Richard Widmark, Don Taylor, Casey Adams, Darryl Hickman | Directed by: Robert Wise
DEVIL'S CANYON (1953) (92 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
RKO Radio's second 3D production, Devil's Canyon is a combination western and jail-break picture. The scene is Arizona Territorial Prison, wherein 500 desperate men are incarcerated. The inmates become even more desperate when female outlaw Abby Nixon (Virginia Mayo) is likewise locked up. As the prisoners draw up plans to escape, Abby is attracted to handsome but psychotic ringleader Jessie Gorman (Stephen McNally)—and to U.S. marshal Billy Reynolds (Dale Robertson), who is serving time for manslaughter. The climactic bust-out threatens to get out of hand until the marshal calms things down with a Gatling gun. Available for many years only in washed-out black-and-white prints, the original color version of Devil's Canyon was finally telecast over the American Movie Classics cable service in the late 1980s. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Virginia Mayo, Dale Robertson, Horace (Stephen) McNally, Arthur Hunnicutt | Directed by: Alfred L. Werker
DEVIL'S DOORWAY (1950) (84 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Devil's Doorway was the first of many top-rank westerns directed by Anthony Mann. RobertTaylor is cast against type as a Native American named Lance Poole. Returning to his people's land after the Civil War, Poole discovers that the Indians are being victimized and persecuted—and, thanks to machinations of crooked lawyer Verne Coolan (Louis Calhern), it's all legal. Unable to turn to the Law to protect his tribesmen, Lance becomes what white men call a "renegade." Devil's Doorway was the vanguard of a new western cycle of the early 1950s, wherein the Indians were the good guys and the whites the villains. Had it been made 30 years later, it is likely that the star would have been a genuine Native American, rather than a white matinee idol in "redface." — Hal Erickson
Starring: Robert Taylor, Louis Calhern, Paula Raymond, Marshall Thompson | Directed by: Anthony Mann
DISTANT DRUMS (1951) (101 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Filmed on location in Florida's Everglades, Distant Drums stars Gary Cooper as Indian fighter Quincy Wyatt. At the height of the Seminole wars, Wyatt leads a small group of soldiers into the Everglades to offer resistance. Along the way, they rescue Judy Beckett (Mari Aldon), one of several white prisoners of the Seminoles. Judy proves to be as worthy a "soldier" as Wyatt and his men during the final Seminole attack. Prominent among the supporting players is Robert Barrat as General Zachary Taylor. Distant Drums was produced independently by Milton Sperling's United States Productions, and distributed by Warner Bros.
Starring: Gary Cooper, Mari Aldon, Richard Webb, Ray Teal | Directed by: Raoul Walsh
DRAGOON WELLS MASSACRE (1957) (88 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Dragoon Wells Massacre is a topnotch western from the Allied Artists factory. Barry Sullivan stars as wanted killer Link Ferris, who at the beginning of the film is arrested by marshal Bill Haney (Trevor Bardette). Dennis O'Keefe co-stars as Cavalry officer Matt Riordan, assigned to escort Ferris to prison through hostile Indian country. It comes to pass that hero and villain — and their respective entourages — are forced to rely upon each other to survive an Apache attack (led by western-flick veteran John War Eagle) at Dragoon Wells. Mona Freeman and Katy Jurado offer interesting performances within their stock heroine requirements, while Sebastian Cabot is sublimely cast as a shifty trader.
Starring: Barry Sullivan, Dennis O'Keefe, Mona Freeman, Katy Jurado | Directed by: Harold D. Schuster
DRUM BEAT (1954) (111 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Though heavily advertised as Delmar Daves' Drum Beat, this film owed its existence to producer-star Alan Ladd. The star is cast as a veteran Indian fighter Johnny MacKay, who because of his close relationship with the Medoc tribe is sent out to negotiate a peace treaty. Once he has arrived in Medoc territory, Johnny (Ladd) must contend with the misspent emotions of his childhood sweetheart Toby (Marisa Pavan), the sister of Indian chief Manok (Anthony Caruso). Jealous over Johnny's relationship with pretty Nancy Meek (Audrey Dalton), Toby has cast her lot with renegade warrior Captain Jack (Charles Bronson), who honors no treaties. Though the film has a Native American villain, Drum Beat is largely sympathetic to the plight of the Indian. Based on a true story, the film is distinguished by J. Peverell Marley's breathtaking exterior photography, and by Victor Young's ballad-like musical score.
Starring: Alan Ladd, Audrey Dalton, Marisa Pavan, Robert Keith, Elisha Cook Jr. | Directed by: Delmer Daves
DRUMS ACROSS THE RIVER (1954) (78 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Audie Murphy is at his taciturn best in the Universal western Drums Along the River. Murphy is cast as Gary Brannon, a peaceful homesteader living a quiet existence with his father Sam (Walter Brennan). No-account Frank Walker (Lyle Bettger), hoping to open up the Ute Indian territory for gold-mining purposes, tries to foment a war between the Utes and the local whites. As an added filip, he steals a gold shipment and pins the blame on Brannon. Now a fugitive from justice, Brannon joins Walker's gang, much to his father's dismay. Actually, it's all part of a plan to expose Walker's perfidy and prevent Ute hostilities, but no one knows this until Brannon wants them to. Jay Silverheels, best known as Tonto on TV's Lone Ranger, co-stars as Ute warrior Taos.
Starring: Audie Murphy, Walter Brennan, Lyle Bettger, Hugh O'Brian | Directed by: Nathan Juran
DUEL AT SILVER CREEK, THE (1952) (77 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
The hotheaded Silver Kid (Audie Murphy), orphaned in childhood by bandits, is made a deputy sheriff by vengeance-seeking marshal Lightning (Stephen McNally). These two tough hombres prove to be more than a match for homicidal claim-jumpers Rod Lacey (Gerald Mohr), Johnny Sombrero (Eugene Iglesias) and Rat Face Blake (Kyle James). The most formidable of the lawmen's foes turns out to be beautiful-but-deadly Opal Lacey (Faith Domergue), Rod's wife. Leave it to director Don Siegel to depict the two "heroes" as near-unregenerate thugs and to develop a tender romance between villains Stephen McNally and Faith Domergue; this story element is a dry run for the Bonnie-and-Clyde relationship between Carolyn Jones and Mickey Rooney in Siegel's 1957 classic Baby Face Nelson. Duel at Silver Creek is not a typical Audie Murphy vehicle by any means! — Hal Erickson
Starring: Audie Murphy, Faith Domergue, Stephen McNally, Susan Cabot | Directed by: Don Siegel
EAGLE AND THE HAWK (1950) (104 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Paramount producing team William H. Pine and William Thomas weren't known as the "Two Dollar Bills" for nothing. Like their medium-budget adventure yarns of the 1940s, their "A" western The Eagle and the Hawk proved a moneyspinner for Paramount's distribution channels. In his first western, John Payne stars as Texas Ranger Todd Crayden who is assigned a suicide mission South of the Border. Crayden is to smuggle government agent Whitney Randolph (Dennis O'Keefe) into Mexico, so that Crayden can defeat the European-backed foes of Mexican patriot Juarez. The tension level is raised by the fact that Crayden and Randolph are on opposite sides of the still-raging Civil War. Cast as a woman of questionable loyalties, Rhonda Fleming is shown to excellent advantage in Technicolor, courtesy of veteran cinematographer James Wong Howe.
Starring: John Payne, Rhonda Fleming, Dennis O'Keefe, Thomas Gomez | Directed by: Lewis R. Foster
EDGE OF ETERNITY (1959) (80 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
A well-dressed older man drives a car along the winding mountain road adjacent to the Grand Canyon. Another man lies in wait for him where the road ends. They fight, and the car and one of the men plunge into the mile-deep gorge. Thus begins a series of four killings that fall into the lap of newly hired Mojave County deputy Les Martin (Cornel Wilde) and his boss, Sheriff Edwards (Edgar Buchanan). Les is an experienced homicide detective trying to redeem himself and his career after a series of personal tragedies and professional disasters, unsteady in his confidence and uncertain of his ability — the only people he's especially close to are the sheriff who hired him and Scotty (Mickey Shaughnessy), the big-hearted keeper of the local tavern. And complicating his investigation of the murder case at hand is his constant crossing of paths with the beautiful, wealthy Janice Kendon (Victoria Shaw), who seems to have a knack for turning up around every corner of this case. He has to sort out his feelings about her and work out what the murders have to do with the one clue left behind by one of the victims, about the "dancing bucket" that carries men and material more than 7,000 feet across the mile-high chasm.
Starring: Cornel Wilde, Victoria Shaw, Mickey Shaughnessy, Edgar Buchanan | Directed by: Don Siegel
EIGHT IRON MEN (1952) (80 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Bonar Colleano, who spent the war years playing brash Americans in British films, makes his final screen appearance in the Stanley Kramer production Eight Iron Men. Set during WW II, the film follows the exploits of a small Army squadron, billeted in a bombed-out house on the front lines. Tensions mount as the men attempt to save one of their number, who is trapped behind enemy lines and heavily surrounded. Essentially a single-set film (it was based on A Sound of Hunting, a stage play by Harry Brown), Eight Iron Men works better as a character study than a war flick. Colleano dominates the proceedings as a self-styled Lothario, while Arthur Franz, Lee Marvin, Richard Kiley, Nick Dennis, James Griffith, George Cooper and former child-star Dick Moore likewise register well. For no discernible reason, the screenplay manages to include several extra characters, including Mary Castle as "The Girl" in a dream sequence.
Starring: Bonar Colleano, Arthur Franz, Lee Marvin, Richard Kiley | Directed by: Edward Dmytryk
ENEMY BELOW, THE (1957) (98 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
The Enemy Below is a study of submarine warfare from the vantage point of both sides. Robert Mitchum plays the captain of an American destroyer, who despite having lost his family in the war endeavors to let his head rule his heart in combat. Curt Jurgens co-stars as a German U-boat commander, depicted as being as honorable and compassionate as Mitchum. The two men develop a grudging mutual respect as they pursue one another throughout the North Atlantic. Based on a novel by D. A. Rayner, The Enemy Below was the last theatrical film directed by Dick Powell, who hereafter concentrated on his extensive television work. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Curt Jurgens, Theodore Bikel, Russell Collins | Directed by: Dick Powell
FACE OF A FUGITIVE (1959) (81 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Even with the guiding hand of talented action director Paul Wendkos, and good performances by the cast, this routine western unconvincingly tries to develop complex relationships in a 24-hour period. Mark Riley (Fred MacMurray) is in the middle of robbing a bank when his younger brother guns his way into the scene to stop him. In the process, he kills a deputy and is killed himself, while Mark takes off to save his own skin. He is now accused of the murder. Holing up in another town where he is a stranger, Mark falls in love with the sheriff's sister. Then he really gets into trouble when he decides to save the sheriff from imminent death — he himself is caught out and captured. There is some hope for him because the sheriff he just rescued happens to be a lawyer. What a difference a day makes.
Starring: Fred MacMurray, Lin McCarthy, Dorothy Green, Alan Baxter | Directed by: Paul Wendkos
FAR COUNTRY, THE (1955) (97 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
One of the most entertaining of the Western movies to come out of the 1950s, this is a Stewart vehicle in which he must take on the ruthlessness of the frontier. Set in the Yukon, Stewart and his friends are driving cattle to market from Wyoming to Canada, where the boom towns pay top dollar for beef. When they arrive in Skagway, the corrupt sheriff of the town (John McIntire) steals the cattle and Stewart et al are forced to fight for their herd. Together with the female saloon keeper of another town (Ruth Roman), they find themselves up against an evil they were not prepared for. When Stewart's friend (portrayed by Walter Brennan) is killed, he is forced to go up against the evil sheriff. Good versus evil in incredible Yukon settings makes this an above average Western.
Starring: James Stewart, Ruth Roman, Walter Brennan, John McIntire, Steve Brodie, Jack Elam | Directed by: Anthony Mann
FASTEST GUN ALIVE, THE (1956) (92 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
In this western, a pacifistic store owner does all he can to avoid association with his father, a notorious gunfighter. One day he gets drunk and shows off his own considerable skills with a pistol. Unfortunately, this attracts the attention of the man who fancies himself the town's fastest draw and he heads to the store for a little confrontation.
Starring: Glenn Ford, Jeanne Crain, Broderick Crawford, Russ Tamblyn, Allyn Joslyn, Leif Erickson | Directed by: Russell Rouse
FEAR AND DESIRE (1953) (68 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Legendary director Stanley Kubrick made his feature debut with this allegorical drama about war. Four soldiers whose plane has crashed discover they're behind enemy lines in an unnamed country. Desperate to escape, they decide to build a raft and travel up the nearby river into allied country. However, their presence is discovered by a local woman who stumbles across them in the woods, and they learn that an enemy general is nearby, determined to flush them out. Stanley Kubrick served as producer, director, screenwriter, editor, and cinematographer on Fear and Desire, which he made on a budget of only $40,000. One of the soldiers was played by Paul Mazursky, who later went on to a distinguished directorial career of his own. Kubrick displayed little enthusiasm for his debut feature later in his career, and is said to have attempted to prevent it from being screened on several occasions.
Starring: Frank Silvera, Steve Coit, Paul Mazursky, Kenneth Harp, Virginia Leith | Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
FIEND WHO WALKED THE WEST, THE (1958) (101 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
This off-beat western is a freely-adapted remake of the violent film noir Kiss of Death. The story centers on a naive thief, Dan Hardy, who is captured after a bank robbery and placed in a jail cell alongside the maniacal, vicious Felix Griffin. O'Brian gets himself into deep trouble when he tells Griffin where he hid the loot, a location that only O'Brian's partner knows. As soon as Griffin is released, he begins a shocking, and graphically depicted, killing spree as he tries to get to the cache of cash. In desperation, the lawmen arrange to release Hardy so he can find the psychotic O'Brian and stop him.
Starring: Hugh O'Brian, Robert Evans, Dolores Michaels, Linda Cristal, Ron Ely | Directed by: Gordon M. Douglas
FIGHTER ATTACK (1953) (80 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Director Leslie Selander invests the Allied Artists "special" Fighter Attack with the same energy that he'd previously applied to his many westerns. Set during World War II, the film concerns an effort to destroy a Nazi supply depot. Though he's flown enough missions to be sent home, squadron leader Steve (Sterling Hayden) insists upon leading the offensive—and, on cue, is shot down behind enemy lines. Rescued by resistance fighters (Joy Page and J. Carroll Naish), Steve becomes the "inside man" for his squadron, laying the groundwork for the destruction of the German supplies. Fighter Attack was pleasingly filmed in the two-color Cinecolor process, as were many Monogram/Allied Artists "A"s of the period.
Starring: Sterling Hayden, J. Carrol Naish, Joy Page, Kenneth Tobey | Directed by: Lesley Selander
FIVE GATES TO HELL (1959) (98 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
The celebrated author of 1975's Shogun, James Clavell, directs (and produced and wrote) this effective, if low-budget World War II drama. The story takes place in French Indochina (later Vietnam) where a group of two Red Cross doctors and seven nurses are captured by a guerrilla band and taken to the side of a grievously ill warlord. The realities of war and its effects on everyone are brought forward as the doctors are eventually killed, and the nurses use sex as a means of escaping their captors. Brutal scenes of the stabbing of a patient under surgery and the symbolic murder of a nun are qualified by the even-handed portrayal of the damage war does to the human side of human nature. — Eleanor Mannikka
Starring: Neville Brand, Benson Fong, Ken Scott, John Morley | Directed by: James Clavell
FIVE GUNS WEST (1955) (78 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Five convicted outlaws, sentenced to hang, are recruited by a Confederate Army officer on what could easily be a suicide mission -- they're each given a full pardon in exchange for a quick ride through hostile Indian territory to Dawn Springs, Kansas, where their job is to stop a stagecoach coming in from California. The coach is carrying Stephen Jethro, the head of intelligence for the Confederacy in California, who has sold out to the Union, and $30,000 in gold that Jethro was to use for espionage work on behalf of the south -- their job is to bring Jethro in alive if possible, but to stop him from reaching Union territory, and to bring the gold back to the Confederacy. But the temptation of that gold weighs on all of these men -- Hale Clinton (Touch Connors) and Govern Sturgess (John Lund) seem destined to fight it out to the death -- and the presence of Dorothy Malone at the Dawn Springs relief station doesn't help matters. Before it's over, there will be multiple double-crosses, one important partial redemption, and an ever growing list of casualties.
Starring: John Lund, Dorothy Malone, Mike Connors, Jack Ingram | Directed by: Roger Corman
FLYING LEATHERNECKS (1951) (102 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
The Technicolor adventure epic Flying Leathernecks offers two things that film cultists can never get enough of: star John Wayne and director Nicholas Ray. Filmed at the behest of RKO chieftain Howard R. Hughes, Leathernecks is a paean to the Marine Flying Corps of World War II. Wayne plays Major Dan Kirby, a squadron commander, whose no-nonsense attitude is sharply at odds with the easygoing approach of executive officer Captain Carl Griffin (Robert Ryan). Griffin eventually learns the value of discipline at all costs, while Kirby becomes more humanized as he gets to know his pilots. Jay C. Flippen steals the show as a supply sergeant who "borrows" from other companies to keep his men happy. Though not entirely cliché-free, Flying Leathernecks is one of the more solid war films of the 1950s, and one that has remained readily available in theaters, on TV and in video stores to the present day. — Hal Erickson
Starring: John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Don Taylor, Janis Carter | Directed by: Nicholas Ray
FORT ALGIERS (1953) (78 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
In this adventure, set in Algiers, a French cabaret singer tries to expose the identity of an Arab leader who is conspiring to attack the French. She hopes that by cozying up to him in his palace that she will be able to steal his plans and thwart the conspiracy. Unfortunately, she is soon unmasked and must be rescued by her real lover, a soldier in the French Foreign Legion.
Starring: Yvonne de Carlo, Carlos Thompson, Raymond Burr, Leif Erickson | Directed by: Lesley Selander
FORTUNES OF CAPTAIN BLOOD (1950) (91 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Though usually associated with westerns, Columbia producer Harry Joe Brown proved to be up to the challenge of producing a satisfactory swashbuckler with Fortunes of Captain Blood. Based loosely on the same Rafael Sabatini novel which served as the inspiration for the 1935 Errol Flynn vehicle Captain Blood, the film stars Louis Hayward as Irish doctor Peter Blood, who is exiled from England after treating the wounds of an enemy to the crown. Blood and several other outcasts turn to piracy, terrorizing merchant vessels of all nationalities. Dogging Captain Blood's trail is the heavy of the piece, the Marquis de Riconete (George Macready). Also appearing are Patricia Medina (Columbia's stock costume-drama heroine) as the marquis' niece, and Alfonso Bedoya (immortalized as the Mexican bandit Gold Hat in Treasure of the Sierra Madre) as a sadistic prison overseer. The battle scenes in Fortunes of Captain Blood would be cannibalized time and again over the next few years by quickie-flick producer Sam Katzman.
Starring: Louis Hayward, Patricia Medina, George Macready, Alfonso Bedoya | Directed by: Gordon M. Douglas
FORTY GUNS (1957) (80 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Cult hero Samuel Fuller wrote and directed this visually inventive western, which didn't fare well with American audiences but earned a potent reputation with European cineastes. Jessica Drummond (Barbara Stanwyck) is a despotic landowner who, with a posse of hired guns, has made herself the law of Cochise County, Arizona, with the weak-willed sheriff Ned Logan (Dean Jagger) knuckling under to her demands. One day, Griff Bonnell (Barry Sullivan), a one-time gunfighter turned United States Marshall, arrives with his brothers Wes (Gene Barry) and Chico (Robert Dix) to restore democratic law and order to Cochise County. Griff soon tangles with Drummond's brother Brockie (John Ericson), though Jessica is attracted to the new lawman, and Griff finds love with female gunsmith Louvenia Spangler (Eve Brent). Griff and Louvenia marry, but on their wedding day, Brockie murders Wes, and Griff, who takes pride in the fact that he has never fired his gun since becoming a marshal, must now break his vow of non-violence. — Mark Deming
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan, Dean Jagger, John Ericson | Directed by: Samuel Fuller
FURY AT GUNSIGHT PASS (1956) (68 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Fury at Gunsight Pass is a brief, to-the-point "budget" western, well cast and excitingly staged. David Brian stars as bank robber Whitey Turner, whose outlaw gang takes over a small town. Beating gang leader Dirk Hogan (Neville Brand) to the punch by robbing the town bank ahead of schedule, Turner winds up empty-handed when crooked undertaker Boggs (Percy Helton) swipes the loot. Boggs is killed, whereupon his widow (Katherine Warren) gathers together the money and makes plans to skip town while the Law pursues Turner and Hogan. This is one of those stories in which no one emerges smelling like a rose; the suspense lies not in who will "get it", but how long will it be before someone halfway honest appears on screen.
Starring: David Brian, Neville Brand, Richard Long, Lisa Davis | Directed by: Fred Sears
GARDEN OF EVIL (1954) (100 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Gary Cooper, Richard Widmark and Cameron Mitchell portray three somewhat disreputable 19th-century soldiers of fortune, en route to California to prospect for gold. Stopping over in a tiny Mexican village, the three men are hired by Susan Hayward to rescue her husband, who is trapped in a gold mine in hostile Indian territory. The threesome agree to the expedition, their interest piqued by the possibility of picking up some gold themselves. During the harrowing journey, the party's already frayed nerves are aggravated when the men become attracted to Hayward. The group arrives at the mine's location—the Garden of Evil, so named because the Indians regard it as the domain of evil spirits. During the escape, Hayward's husband (Hugh Marlowe) is killed by the Indians, as is Mitchell. Cooper and Widmark play cards to decide who will take Hayward to safety and who will cover them while they flee. Cooper wins—but later discovers that Widmark had cheated in order to sacrifice himself. Garden of Evil takes too long to get to its climax, but the Cinemascope photography and Bernard Herrmann's rich musical score make the wait worthwhile. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Gary Cooper, Susan Hayward, Richard Widmark, Cameron Mitchell, Hugh Marlowe | Directed by: Henry Hathaway
GHOST TOWN (1955) (77 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: C
Another of producer Howard W. Koch's TV-style budget pictures, Ghost Town is a modest western taking place during one tension-filled night. A group of stagecoach passengers are besieged by hostile Cheyenne Indians. Seeking shelter, the passengers are forced to set up camp in a deserted town. There's every possibility that the Cheyennes will be back, so no one gets a good night's sleep--but we do learn which of the passengers are heroes and which are cowards. Allen Miner, whose B westerns were usually more interesting than his TV assignments, directed Ghost Town with a minimum of waste footage.
Starring: Kent Taylor, John Smith, Marian Carr, John Doucette | Directed by: Allen Miner
GLORY BRIGADE, THE (1953) (81 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
The Glory Brigade is a standard Korean War combat drama with a few interesting plot wrinkles. Victor Mature stars as Lt. Sam Prior, an American of Greek extraction. While trying to cross a bridge into Red territory, Prior loses most of his men, a fact he attributes to the seeming cowardice of the Greek UN troops. Eventually he realizes that his assumptions about the Greeks were mistaken, and further proof of their courage is offered during a later confrontation with the North Koreans. Alexander Scourby co-stars as Lt. Nikias, CO of the Greek detachment, while Lee Marvin enjoys one of his best early roles as Prior's corporal. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Victor Mature, Lee Marvin, Alexander Scourby, Richard Egan | Directed by: Robert D. Webb
GOOD DAY FOR A HANGING (1958) (85 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
The Springdale, NE, bank is held up and robbed by a well organized gang. One of the members is Eddie Campbell (Robert Vaughn), a onetime resident of the town and orphan who was brought up in part by Ben Cutler (Fred MacMurray), an ex-lawman-turned-rancher. While pursuing the robbers, the town marshal, Hiram Cain (Emile G. Meyer), is shot dead by Campbell, who in turn is wounded and captured by Cutler. The town council appoints Cutler as temporary marshal, and the prosecution seems like an open-and-shut case — he begins to see signs of trouble when his own daughter Laurie (Joan Blackman), who was raised with Campbell and was once his sweetheart, refuses to believe that he's guilty of the crime. Ben's fiancée, Ruth (Maggie Hayes), also feels the boy deserves leniency, but the real trouble starts when Campbell's attorney, William Selby (Edmon Ryan), shows up; he first tries to compromise the jury pool by ingratiating himself with the asking the townspeople what we would now call "push" questions, about Campbell's being an orphan and a hard-luck case all of his life, under the guise of building his case. He's also just clever enough at the trial to shake the testimony of the five other witnesses to the shooting, but Cutler's testimony is enough to put the jury into the guilty column. Then Campbell starts working on the sympathy of Laurie and the townspeople who've been persuaded by his lawyer — it's also been a long time since there's been a capital case like this in the state, and Cutler discovers that the townspeople and even the law may not be as ready to execute a killer as common sense says they should be. Cutler's and Ruth's romance is jeopardized, and he is pushed to the point of resigning when matters come to an explosive head. — Bruce Eder
Starring: Fred MacMurray, Maggie Hayes, Robert Vaughn, Joan Blackman, James Drury | Directed by: Nathan Juran
GUN BROTHERS (1956) (79 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Gun Brothers is a rehash of the "Cain and Abel" motif that has been popular amongst screenwriters since time immemorial. Buster Crabbe and Neville Brand star as brothers Chad and Jubal. While Chad remains on the straight-and-narrow and becomes a rancher, Jubal opts for the life of an outlaw. The siblings manage to keep peace in the family until a jealous Indian maiden (Lita Milan) tells Jubal that Chad has turned stool pigeon. Only a cathartic last-reel burst of violence convinces Jubal that his brother hasn't betrayed him to the authorities--but by then, of course, it is too late. Ann Robinson, leading lady of such early-1950s esoterica as War of the Worlds and Dragnet, costars as a saloon singer.
Starring: Ann Robinson, Neville Brand, Michael Ansara, Walter Sande, Roy Barcroft, Slim Pickens | Directed by: Sidney Salkow
GUN FOR A COWARD (1957) (73 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Having inherited a huge cattle ranch from his late father, Will Keough (Fred MacMurray) wants nothing more than to tend to his work and live in peace, but this is made impossible by the tense situation in his own household. Will's two younger brothers, Bless (Jeffrey Hunter) and Hade (Dean Stockwell), are as different as night and day: Convinced that he was responsible for the death of his father, Bless refuses to use a gun, and is thus branded a coward; conversely, Hade is wild and reckless, literally an accident waiting to happen. Exacerbating the situation is the brothers' grim and merciless mother (Josephine Hutchinson), who has instilled most of Bless' guilt feelings, and Will's sweetheart Aud Niven (Janice Rule), who finds herself drawn to the sensitive Bless. Ultimately, there will have to be a showdown...but who among the Keogh siblings will survive?
Starring: Fred MacMurray, Jeffrey Hunter, Chill Wills, Dean Stockwell | Directed by: Abner Biberman
GUN GLORY (1957) (89 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Originally titled Man of the West (the name of the Philip Yordan novel on which it was based), Gun Glory was rechristened to avoid confusion with a like-vintage Gary Cooper vehicle of the same title. Stewart Granger plays gunslinger/gambler Tom Early, who tries a bit too late to make amends for past misdeeds. Hoping to regain the respect of his community in general and his teenaged son Young Tom (Steve Rowland) in particular, Early vows to hang up his guns and live a respectable life. This proves well nigh impossible when the community is threatened by the incursions of evil cattle baron Grimsell (James Gregory). Rhonda Fleming costars as Jo, the only person in town who truly cares whether Early lives or dies.
Starring: Stewart Granger, Rhonda Fleming, Chill Wills, Steve Rowland | Directed by: Roy Rowland
GUN RUNNERS, THE (1958) (83 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
The third and (as of 2005) the last film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's short story To Have and Have Not, The Gun Runners was as topical as this morning's news when it came out in 1958. Audie Murphy plays Sam Martin, a charter-boat skipper based in Key West, whose bad luck has enlarged from the gambling tables to his business. He's managed to stay honest up to this point, with a little help from his boozy friend and first-mate, Harvey (Everett Sloane), and a lot from his loyal, loving wife, Lucy (Patricia Owens), both of whom represent the best things in Sam's life. But then he finds himself about to lose his boat, and the only opportunity he has to save it lies with a larcenous American arms seller named Hannagan (Eddie Albert), who isn't above murder to get what he wants. Sam falls in with him, first for a quick trip in and out of Cuba and then up to his neck, and he is suddenly faced with destroying the most decent part of himself and the only people who care about him.
Starring: Audie Murphy, Eddie Albert, Patricia Owens, Everett Sloane, Richard Jaeckel | Directed by: Don Siegel
GUNFIGHT AT THE OK CORRAL (1957) (120 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Of the many filmed versions of the October 26, 1881, O.K. Corral shootout in Tombstone, Arizona, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was one of the most elaborate and star-studded. Burt Lancaster plays Wyatt Earp, the renowned lawman, while Kirk Douglas is consumptive gambler (and gunfighter) Doc Holliday -- the two meet in difficult circumstances, as Earp discovers that Holiday, for whom he initially feels little but loathing, is being held on a trumped up murder charge and being set up for a lynching, and intercedes on his behalf. The action shifts to Dodge City, Kansas, where Earp is marshal and Holiday, hardly grateful for the good turn, shows up right in the middle of all kinds of trouble, this time mostly on Earp's side of the ledger. And, finally, the two turn up in Tombstone, Arizona, where Wyatt's brother Virgil is city marshal, and where Wyatt finally gets to confront the Clanton/McLowery outlaw gang (led by Lyle Bettger as Ike Clanton). Since the time-span of the actual gunfight was at most 90 seconds, the bulk of the film concerns the tensions across many months leading up to the famous battle. As scripted by Leon Uris (from a magazine story by George Scullin), the story involves two unrelated but parallel plot-lines -- a long-standing vendetta against Holliday and the efforts of Earp to bring the Clanton/McLowery gang to justice -- that are eventually drawn together on the streets of Tombstone. Woven into these proceedings are Earp's and Holliday's romantic dalliances with lady gambler Laura Denbow (Rhonda Fleming) and Kate Fisher (Jo Van Fleet), whose switch in affections from Holiday to outlaw fast-gun Johnny Ringo (John Ireland) only rachets up gambler's rage and the reasons behind the bloody climax. There are plenty of bribery attempts, terse dialogue exchanges and "Mexican standoffs" before the inevitable gunfight takes place. Director John Sturges takes some dramatic license with this confrontation, as well, stretching things out to nearly six minutes, but this is after all an "A" production, and a minute-and-a-half of gunfire just wouldn't cut it. The huge cast of western veterans includes Earl Holliman as Charles Bassett, Dennis Hopper as Billy Clanton, Kenneth Tobey as Bat Masterson, Lee Van Cleef as Ed Bailey, Jack Elam as Tom McLowery, and John Hudson, DeForest Kelley and Martin Milner as Virgil, Morgan, and James Earp, respectively. And there's that Dimitri Tiomkin score, pushing the movie's momentum as relentlessly as the two driven heroes, complete with a song (sung by Frankie Laine) underscoring the major transitions of scenes that's impossible to forget, once heard. Sturges himself would produce and direct a more fact-based and realistic version of the story -- focusing mostly on its aftermath -- a decade later, entitled Hour of the Gun, starring James Garner, Jason Robards, Jr., and Robert Ryan, which wasn't nearly as attractive or successful. But after Gunfight At The OK Corral, there would not be so impressive a lineup of talent at the OK Corral again until the twin Earp biopics of 1994, Wyatt Earp and Tombstone.
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Jo Van Fleet, John Ireland, Earl Holliman, Lee Van Cleef | Directed by: John Sturges
GUNFIGHTER, THE (1950) (84 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
In this classic noir-influenced Western, Gregory Peck stars as an aging gunslinger, sick of killing but haunted by punks wanting to make a name for themselves by slaying a legend. After being warned by his old friend the Sheriff, Peck decides to return East to see his estranged wife and the child he left behind. Knowing his death is an inevitability if he stays, Peck leaves but before he can reach his destination his past catches up with him in the form of a young outlaw. A showdown-cum-Greek tragedy follows and the film ends on a haunting, bleak note. Nominated for an Academy Award in Best Motion Picture Story, The Gunfighter was often imitated by other Westerns, most notably by High Noon, and its minimalist, morally difficult, and compelling tale made it one of the most important films produced in the 1950s. — Brian Whitener
Starring: Gregory Peck, Helen Westcott, Cliff Clark [Clarke], Millard Mitchell | Directed by: Henry King
GUNS OF FORT PETTICOAT, THE (1957) (82 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
In this western, a cavalryman disobeys his officer's command to massacre Indians at Sand Creek, goes AWOL and heads for his home in Texas where he wants to protect the women who will soon bear the brunt of the Indians' revenge. Because he defected from the cavalry, his friends and neighbors consider him a traitor, but the young man disregards them. With his expert advice, the women become crack shots. He trains them at an abandoned mission. One of the women is a real smart aleck and it is she whom he falls in love with. When the angry Indians arrive, the ladies defeat them. Later, the young deserter is found not-guilty during court-martial proceedings. His C.O. is not so lucky and is charged with the Sand Creek slaughter.
Starring: Audie Murphy, Kathryn Grant, Hope Emerson, Jeff Donnell | Directed by: George Marshall
HALLS OF MONTEZUMA THE (1950) (113 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
In Halls of Montezuma, Richard Widmark stars as Lt. Carl Anderson, a former schoolteacher who serves as a no-nonsense Marine officer during WW II. Anderson leads his patrol to a Japanese-controlled island, where the enemy has set up an experimental rocket base. The patrol's mission is to capture prisoners for interrogation, which proves a near-insurmountable task given the fact that the Americans are heavily outnumbered. Among the grime-covered Marines are Walter (Jack) Palance, Robert Wagner, Karl Malden, Richard Boone, Skip Homeier and Neville Brand. Jack Webb is a chain-smoking war correspondent, while Reginald Gardiner shows up as an aristocratic—but very tough—British officer. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Richard Widmark, Jack Palance, Robert Wagner, Karl Malden | Directed by: Lewis Milestone
HANGMAN, THE (1959) (87 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
The Hangman is a stock western with a thin plot and cardboard characters, about a rigid, U.S. Marshal. Mackenzie Bovard (Robert Taylor) takes his job working for the federal government very seriously, and when he goes out to get the riff-raff that defy the laws of the land, he finds them and hangs them. This one-two punch does not sit well with a local community when he comes into their midst to pick up Johnny Bishop (Jack Lord). Johnny has turned himself around and is not only supported by his friends and neighbors, but also by the sheriff (Fess Parker). For the first time in his career, Mackenzie is faced with a serious challenge to his method of justice.
Starring: Robert Taylor, Fess Parker, Tina Louise, Jack Lord, Gene Evans | Directed by: Michael Curtiz
HANNAH LEE (1953) (68 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Another entry in the 3D sweepstakes, Hannah Lee is all but forgotten today. That's too bad, because the film at least has historical interest, representing one of the few forays into directing by actor John Ireland, who co-stars in the film with his then-wife Joanne Dru. MacDonald Carey heads the cast as vicious outlaw Bus Crow, who is paid a substantial sum to wipe out a group of homesteaders. Opposing Crow at every turn is U.S. marshal Rochelle (Ireland), who suspects that Crow is responsible for a recent rash of murders but who can prove nothing. Meanwhile, Crow's erstwhile lady friend Hallie (Dru) turns on the bandit when he guns down an innocent little boy. The title Hannah Lee has far less relevance to the plot than Wicked Water, the title of the MacKinlay Kantor novel upon which this film is based. Credited as co-director is the film's cinematographer, Oscar-winner Lee Garmes.
Starring: MacDonald Carey, Joanne Dru, John Ireland, Don Haggerty | Directed by: Lee Garmes, John Ireland
HELL AND HIGH WATER (1954) (103 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Hell and High Water brings an intriguing Cold War slant to a standard submarine melodrama. Richard Widmark plays a soldier-of-fortune sub commander who agrees to sell his services to noted atomic scientist Victor Francen and his assistant (and daughter) Bella Darvi. Francen intends to prove that the Communists intend to launch a nuclear attack on Korea from an Arctic island, then blame the attack on the United States. Widmark frankly doesn't give a fig about politics, but he is won over by the sincerity of Francen and his idealistic cohorts, and by the beauty of Ms. Darvi. Before the Reds' evil intentions can be thwarted, however, Widmark must face down a Communist Chinese submarine loaded with highly volatile atomic weaponry. The special effects are very impressive, especially for a mid-1950s 20th Century-Fox production.
Starring: Richard Widmark, Bella Darvi, Victor Francen, Cameron Mitchell, Gene Evans, David Wayne, Richard Loo | Directed by: Samuel Fuller
HELLGATE (1952) (87 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
This western stars Sterling Hayden as a man who innocently tends to the needs of a mysterious stranger. When it turns out that the stranger was part of a notorious gang of mercenaries, Hayden is condemned as a conspirator and sent to Hellgate Prison in New Mexico. He earns a pardon thanks to his courage and medical expertise during an epidemic. Hellgate was one of a handful of ambitious 1950s projects from the otherwise cost-conscious Lippert Studios.
Starring: Sterling Hayden, Joan Leslie, Ward Bond, James Arness, Marshall Bradford, Peter Coe | Directed by: Charles Marquis Warren
HELL'S ISLAND (1955) (84 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: C
Phil Karlson, well-regarded by film buffs for his tough, no-nonsense crime dramas, directed this adventure story shot partially on location in the Caribbean. Mike Cormack (John Payne) was once a District Attorney, until his fiancée, Janet Martin (Mary Murphy), left him to marry another man. Depressed, Mike began drinking heavily, and eventually his alcoholism cost him his job. Trying to pull himself back up after hitting bottom, Mike gets a job as a bouncer at a casino in Las Vegas. Barzland (Francis L. Sullivan), a handicapped criminal, approaches Mike with an unusual offer. Barzland will pay Mike $5,000 if he can locate a ruby that went missing following the disappearance of a plane in the West Indies. Mike discovers that the reason he was picked for this job is that the pilot of the plane, Eduardo (Paul Picerni), is the man Janet chose to marry, and Barzland and his men believe that she might have clues as to the ruby's whereabouts that Mike could uncover. However, when Mike arrives to meet with Janet, he discovers that Eduardo is now in jail, and Janet begins to snare Mike in a web of lies and deceit. Hell's Island was rereleased in 1962 under the title South Sea Fury.
Starring: John Payne, Mary Murphy, Francis L. Sullivan, Eduardo Noriega | Directed by: Phil Karlson
HIGH LONESOME (1950) (80 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
When there is a sudden outbreak of mysterious murders in the Texas Big Bend country, a young drifter new to the area, played by John Barrymore, is the prime suspect. Captured and held for the murders, the rancher who is holding Barrymore does not realize that he has been set up to take the fall for these murders by some men who were thought to have been killed years before in a range war. Now these despicable men are back and are getting their own revenge on those who were involved in the range war which left them wounded.
Starring: John Drew Barrymore, Chill Wills, Lois Butler, Jack Elam | Directed by: Alan LeMay
HIGH NOON (1952) (84 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
This Western classic stars Gary Cooper as Hadleyville marshal Will Kane, about to retire from office and go on his honeymoon with his new Quaker bride, Amy (Grace Kelly). But his happiness is short-lived when he is informed that the Miller gang, whose leader (Ian McDonald) Will had arrested, is due on the 12:00 train. Pacifist Amy urges Will to leave town and forget about the Millers, but this isn't his style; protecting Hadleyburg has always been his duty, and it remains so now. But when he asks for deputies to fend off the Millers, virtually nobody will stand by him. Chief Deputy Harvey Pell (Lloyd Bridges) covets Will's job and ex-mistress (Katy Jurado); his mentor, former lawman Martin Howe (Lon Chaney Jr.) is now arthritic and unable to wield a gun. Even Amy, who doesn't want to be around for her husband's apparently certain demise, deserts him. Meanwhile, the clocks tick off the minutes to High Noon — the film is shot in "real time," so that its 85-minute length corresponds to the story's actual timeframe. Utterly alone, Kane walks into the center of town, steeling himself for his showdown with the murderous Millers. Considered a landmark of the "adult western," High Noon won four Academy Awards (including Best Actor for Cooper) and Best Song for the hit, "Do Not Forsake Me, O My Darling" sung by Tex Ritter. The screenplay was written by Carl Foreman, whose blacklisting was temporarily prevented by star Cooper, one of Hollywood's most virulent anti-Communists. John Wayne, another notable showbiz right-winger and Western hero, was so appalled at the notion that a Western marshal would beg for help in a showdown that he and director Howard Hawks "answered" High Noon with Rio Bravo (1959). — Hal Erickson
Starring: Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges | Directed by: Fred Zinnermann
HONDO (1953) (84 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Hondo is so "perfect" a John Ford western that many people assume it was directed by John Ford—or at the very least, Andrew McLaglen. Actually the director was suspense expert John Farrow, who worked with the "Duke" only twice in his career (the second film was an oddball war drama, The Sea Chase [55]). In Hondo, John Wayne plays a hard-bitten cavalry scout who is humanized by frontierswoman Geraldine Page and her young son (Lee Aaker, star of TV's Rin Tin Tin). Try as he might, Wayne can't convince Page to move off her land in anticipation of an Apache attack. He leaves her ranch, only to be ambushed by desperado Leo Gordon—who happens to be Page's long-absent husband. Having killed Gordon, Hondo returns to the ranch to protect Page from the Indians, and to rekindle the woman's hesitant love for him. The climactic attack sequence is enhanced by Hondo's 3-D photography, one of the few truly effective utilizations of this much-maligned process. Long unavailable thanks to the labyrinthine legal tangles of the John Wayne estate, Hondo was finally released to videotape in the early 1990s. — Hal Erickson
Starring: John Wayne, Geraldine Page, Ward Bond, James Arness, Lassie | Directed by: John Farrow
HORIZONS WEST (1952) (81 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Set in the years following the Civil War, Horizons West stars Robert Ryan as Dan Hammond, one of three Texans who decide to return home after the cessation of hostilities. While his brother Neal (Rock Hudson) and his friend Tiny (James Arness) decide to become ranchers, Dan opts for a more adventurous life out West. Through means both fair and foul (mostly foul), he builds up a veritable empire, defending his turf with legions of hired gunmen. Eventually, the honest Neal is forced to face down his brother Dan, whose megalomania has reached dictatorial dimensions. Julie Adams, still billed as "Julia," plays a self-reliant widow who sets her cap for Dan, who in an earlier scene had gunned down the woman's husband (Raymond Burr)—a characteristically ironic grace-note from director Budd Boetticher.
Starring: Robert Ryan, Julie Adams, Rock Hudson, Raymond Burr | Directed by: Budd Boetticher
HORSE SOLDIERS, THE (1959) (114 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
John Ford's only film to center around the Civil War, The Horse Soldiers overcomes a number of flaws to emerge as a solid, often exciting, movie that just misses being top-drawer Ford. Of course, even lesser Ford is still better than most movies, and Horse has plenty going for it. It has that distinctive Ford look, and William Clothier's cinematography is nothing short of stunning; several shots practically cry out to be framed and placed upon the wall, and the fluidity of the action sequences adds to the film's energy and drive. John Wayne delivers his usual strong, solid performance; it's not necessarily acting of a high order, but it provides the kind of brawny anchor that the film requires. It also gives William Holden's humane doctor a foil to play off of, which he does quite effectively. Unfortunately, the screenplay doesn't develop these or any of the characters to the extent necessary, giving the film a superficial quality that blunts its effectiveness. That said, it does contain a number of moving and effective scenes, such as one in which a group of Southern children must go into battle. Constance Towers is another problem; she's attractive, but Ford fails to reign in her excessive and annoying performance. Despite its flaws, Horse manages to be an engrossing and exciting horse opera.
Starring: John Wayne, William Holden, Constance Towers, Strother Martin, Denver Pyle, Ken Curtis | Directed by: John Ford
HUNTERS, THE (1958) (108 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Directed with crisp efficiency by Dick Powell, The Hunters is a romantic melodrama with an aviation angle. Robert Mitchum plays veteran Air Force pilot Maj. Cleve Saville, in charge of a group of young flyboys in 1952 Korea. Among the men under Saville's command are cocksure Lt. Ed Peil (Robert Wagner) and timorous Lt. Abbott (Lee Phillips). Much against his better judgment, Saville falls in love with Abbott's gorgeous wife Kris (Mai Britt). When Abbott crashes behind enemy lines, Saville and Peil are sent out to rescue the downed pilot-and Peil has an inkling of the Major's feelings towards Mrs. Abbott. During their grueling journey back to their own lines, both Peil and Abbott benefit from the military expertise of the no-nonsense Saville, who knows where and when to separate his private life from his responsibilities. Distinguished by excellent aerial sequences, The Hunters is adapted from the novel by James Salter. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Robert Wagner, Richard Egan, May Britt | Directed by: Dick Powell
ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT (1957) (104 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Eschewing the Shakespearean original title (it's a quote from A Midsummer Night's Dream), the British Ill Met by Moonlight was released stateside as Night Ambush. This superb Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger concoction is set during World War II on the island of Crete. Dirk Bogarde and David Oxley play Major Paddy Leigh Fermer and Captain Billy Stanley Moss, two British officers whose job it is to kidnap Nazi general Karl Kreipe (Marius Goring) and spirit him off to Cairo. The motive of this mission is to weaken German morale on Crete and to provide hope to the enslaved locals. With the help of a group of resistance fighters, Fermer and Moss manage to trap the general; now they must transport their captive back to their own lines, avoiding German patrols every inch of the way. Originally 104 minutes, Ill Met by Moonlight was cut to 93 minutes by its American distributor.
Starring: Dirk Bogarde, Marius Goring, David Oxley, Cyril Cusack | Directed by: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
IRON SHERIFF, THE (1957) (73 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Frontier peacekeeper Sheriff Galt (Sterling Hayden) faces a crisis of conscience in The Iron Sheriff. In the aftermath of a robbery-murder, Galt follows the trail of evidence directly to his own son, Benjie (Darryl Hickman). Sworn to uphold the law at all costs, Galt is grimly determined to see that Benjie will receive a fair trial without any coercion on his part. But the townsfolk have already decided that the sheriff will try to spring the boy, and a lynch-mob mentality slows festers its way through the community. As the trial proceeds, it becomes obvious that Benjie is going to hang for his alleged crime, but there's still one or two surprises in store.
Starring: Sterling Hayden, Constance Ford, John Dehner, Darryl Hickman | Directed by: Sidney Salkow
IROQUOIS TRAIL (1950) (85 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Iroquois Trail (British title: The Tomahawk Trail) could be classified as a western, but for the fact that the story is set in 1775. Based on James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales, the film stars George Montgomery as Cooper's stalwart Indian scout Hawkeye. Hoping to avenge his brother's death at the hands of the French, Hawkeye offers his services to the British. During the course of events, he breaks up a spy ring, fights a hostile Indian chief to the death, and rescues the daughter (Brenda Marshall) of a British colonel (Paul Cavanaugh). Featured in the cast are Monte Blue (who was part Cherokee Indian) as Hawkeye's companion Sagramore, and Sheldon Leonard (who had no Indian blood whatsoever!) as fierce Chief Ogane. Auteurist fans of director Phil Karlson are welcome to search for any vestiges of Karlson's "signature" in Iroquois Trail.
Starring: George Montgomery, Brenda Marshall, Reginald Denny, Monte Blue | Directed by: Phil Karlson
ISTANBUL (1957) (84 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
In this adventure, a remake of Singapore (1947), a hero finds a bracelet containing 13 precious gems while visiting Istanbul. He soon finds himself pursued by covetous crooks who want those jewels. He is then deported by the Turkish authorities, but not before he has time to hide the bracelet in a hotel. Five years later, the man returns to seek out the stones. Again he is pursued by both authorities and criminals. He must also contend with the reappearance of his wife whom he thought had burned to death on their wedding night. She lived but suffered amnesia. She then remarried. Nat "King" Cole sings "When I Fall in Love".
Starring: Errol Flynn, John Bentley, Torin Thatcher, Leif Erickson | Directed by: Joseph Pevney
JET ATTACK (1958) (68 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: C
Denied a big budget, Jet Attack scores dramatic points by concentrating on the human side of warfare. Shot down behind enemy lines in North Korea, jet jockeys Tom (John Agar), Bill (Gregory Walcott) and Chick (Nicky Blair) link up with Russian nurse Tanya (Audrey Totter). She insists that she's on their side, and that she wants to help a captured atomic scientist escape the clutches of the Communists. Bill and Chick don't buy her story, but Tom is more flexible. After numerous narrow escapes, the survivors of the ordeal streak back to South Korea in a hijacked MIG jet. Jet Attack was originally released on a double bill with Suicide Battalion.
Starring: John Agar, Audrey Totter, Gregory Walcott, James Dobson | Directed by: Edward L. Cahn
JET OVER THE ATLANTIC (1959) (92 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
A onetime pilot, now a convicted killer in the custody of the FBI, is the only hope of an overseas flight carrying a bomb.
Starring: George Raft, Venetia Stevenson, Tudor Owen, Virginia Mayo | Directed by: Byron Haskin
JOHNNY CONCHO (1956) (84 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: C-
Coadapted by David Harmon from his own TV play, the psychological western Johnny Concho stars Frank Sinatra as the title character, a callow young punk who lives off the reputation of his gunslinger brother. Most of the townsfolk consider Johnny to be nothing more than a cowardly bully; only Mary Dark (Phyllis Kirk), who loves Johnny, and gunfighter-turned-preacher Barney Clark (Keenan Wynn) can see the scared little boy beneath his swaggering facade. When word comes down that Johnny's brother has been killed and that the killers (William Conrad and Christopher Dark) intend to take over the town, Johnny runs like a scared rabbit. Eventually summoning up his innate courage, Johnny returns, hoping to convince the citizens to help him rid the town of the despotic killers. As "zero hour" approaches, however, Johnny is forced to go up against his enemies all by himself. The political symbolism in Johnny Concho is impossible to ignore, though it is up to the viewer to decide if this is an anti-Red or anti-McCarthy tract.
Starring: Frank Sinatra, Keenan Wynn, William Conrad, Phyllis Kirk | Directed by: Don McGuire
JOHNNY GUITAR (1954) (110 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
One of the strangest westerns on record, Johnny Guitar has less in common with Zane Grey than it does with Sigmund Freud and Krafft-Ebbing. The title character, played by Sterling Hayden, is a guitar-strumming drifter who was once the lover of Arizona saloon-owner Vienna (Joan Crawford). Though her establishment doesn't make a dime, Vienna doesn't care because the railroad is going to come in soon, bringing a whole slew of thirsty new customers. This puts her at odds with bulldyke rancher Emma Small (Mercedes McCambridge), who doesn't want any new settlers on her land. Hating Vienna with a purple passion, Emma will do anything to drive her out of the territory...and even worse, Emma's got the law and the other ranchers on her side. Hoping to keep Emma at bay, Vienna hires Johnny Guitar, who unbeknownst to everyone else in town is a notorious gunslinger. But Johnny prefers to bide his time, waiting for Emma to strike before he makes his move. As a result, Vienna endures several life-threatening experiences, culminating with a feverish chase through the Arizona wilds with lynch-happy Emma and her minions in hot pursuit. According to most sources, the animosity between Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge was quite real, added several extra dimensions to their scenes together. Director Nicholas Ray and screenwriter Philip Yordan stuff the film with so much sexual symbolism that one wonders why they left out a train going into a tunnel. Ms. Crawford's vivid red-and-blue wardrobe scheme was later appropriated by Ray for James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause—with equally stunning results. In addition to the stars, Johnny Guitar is well stocked with reliable supporting players, including Ernest Borgnine, Ben Cooper, Royal Dano (superb as a consumptive, book-reading hired gun) and Paul Fix. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Joan Crawford, Sterling Heyden, Mercedes McCambridge, Scott Brady | Directed by: Nicholas Ray
KING SOLOMON'S MINES (1950) (103 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
MGM's remake of the old Edward Chodorov thriller has everything its predecessor didn't: A fine protagonist in the always welcome Ethel Barrymore, whose kindhearted Mary Herries is no fool; a convincingly smooth villain in Maurice Evans; Angela Lansbury at the top of her game as Evans' insidious co-conspirator; and a production that not only brings gas lit London to life, but keeps the suspense going to end. Director John Sturges had directed a live 1949 television version featuring Fay Bainter and Joseph Schildkraut. — Hans J. Wollstein
Starring: Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr, Richard Carlson, Hugo Haas, Lowell Gilmore | Directed by: Compton Bennett, Andrew Marton
LAST COMMAND, THE (1955) (110 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
The Republic super-production The Last Command is a partial remake of the same studio's Man of Conquest (1939). But whereas the earlier film concerned itself with the exploits of Texas patriot Sam Houston, Last Command concentrates on Houston associate James Bowie, played by Sterling Hayden. When Texas is threatened by the armies of Mexican general Santa Ana (J. Carrol Naish), Bowie at first adopts a policy of peaceful coexistence. When this proves impossible, Bowie joins Davy Crockett (played as an irascible old cuss by Arthur Hunnicut) and the rest of the courageous defenders of the Alamo. The climactic confrontation between the heroes of the Alamo and Santa Ana is long in coming, but well worth the wait. Frank Lloyd's large-scale direction and the vibrant musical score of Max Steiner imbues Last Command with a "major studio" aura not often found in Republic productions. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Sterling Hayden, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Richard Carlson, Arthur Hunnicutt | Directed by: Frank Lloyd
LAST HUNT, THE (1956) (104 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Set in the West of the late 19th century, Richard Brooks' film stars Robert Taylor as Charles Gilson, a brutal buffalo hunter who kills purely for sport and enjoyment. Stewart Granger portrays Sandy McKenzie, a former hunter on whom Gilson is seeking revenge. — Jason Ankeny
Starring: Robert Taylor, Stewart Granger, Lloyd Nolan, Debra Paget | Directed by: Richard Brooks
LAST POSSE, THE (1953) (73 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
After his Oscar win for All the King's Men, Broderick Crawford found himself working out his Columbia contract in a string of rapidly deteriorating films. The Last Posse was a middling western, the sort that the studio sent out as bottom-of-bill attractions for their prestige pictures. The posse of the title, headed by sheriff Crawford, is a group of ostensibly honest townsfolk. When they catch up with the desperadoes who robbed a wealthy cattle baron, some of the posse members are overcome by greed and plot to keep the stolen loot for themselves. Once Crawford is wounded in a shootout, avarice prevails. There are no real winners at the end, as the remaining posse members straggle back to town, their heads hung in shame.
Starring: Broderick Crawford, John Derek, Charles Bickford, Wanda Hendrix | Directed by: Alfred L. Werker
LAW AND JAKE WADE, THE (1958) (86 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Although reformed and a town marshal Jake Wade (Robert Taylor) has one thing more to do before he can settle down and marry Peggy Carter (Patricia Owens): spring former comrade-in-arms Clint Hollister (Richard Widmark) from jail. Clint had done the same for Jake way back and the latter now considers the score settled. But Clint wants the loot from the gang's final heist, which the reformed Wade had buried before leaving for good, and to make sure that the marshal doesn't lead everyone on a wild goose chase, he brings Peggy along as leverage. An Indian raid complicates matters but all scores are settled in the end in this fine western originally lensed in Cinemascope. — Hans J. Wollstein
Starring: Robert Taylor, Richard Widmark, Patricia Owens, Robert Middleton | Directed by: John Sturges
LAWLESS EIGHTIES, THE (1957) (70 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
In this western, a circuit rider endeavors to warn the cavalry after he sees masked men cruelly abusing an Indian band. En route, the brave rider is shot and left to die. Fortunately, a gunfighter comes upon him and saves his life.
Starring: Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Sheila Terry, Walter Reed, Ted de Corsia | Directed by: Joseph Kane
LEFT HAND OF GOD, THE (1955) (87 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Humphrey Bogart stars in this improbable tale that marked Gene Tierney's return to the screen after battling mental illness for a number of years. Bogart plays Jim Carmody, an American soldier of fortune who, after crashing his plane in China, takes up with the Chinese warlord General Yang (Lee J. Cobb). Jim becomes Yang's advisor, but after watching one of the General's flunkies brutally kill a priest, Jim decides to leave. Unfortunately, Yang has declared that any deserter will be shot. Disguising himself as the slain priest, Jim sneaks out of the General's headquarters and makes his way to a mountain village where missionaries Beryl (Agnes Moorehead) and David (E.G. Marshall) take him in. Jim still is posing as the priest but his vows of celibacy are challenged when he falls in love with the attractive mission nurse Anne Scott (Gene Tierney). Anne feels ashamed because she is also attracted to him, but Jim writes to the bishop confessing that he is an impostor. At that moment, General Yang arrives, insisting that Jim rejoin his army or else he will burn down the village.
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Gene Tierney, Lee J. Cobb, Agnes Moorehead, E.G. Marshall, Philip Ahn | Directed by: Edward Dmytryk
LEGEND OF TOM DOOLEY, THE (1959) (80 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
The Kingston Trio's hit song with the lyrics "hang down your head Tom Dooley, hang down your head and cry..." may have been the inspiration for this well-wrought drama, but the film stands on its own. Three Confederate soldiers learn too late that the stagecoach they just attacked, killing two Union soldiers, was off-limits because the Civil War was over. Killing the former enemy after peace has been declared is considered murder, so the three young men decide to head for refuge further south. One of the three, Tom Dooley (Michael Landon) takes a detour to find his Northern sweetheart and marry her before escaping. That, it turns out, was a fatal mistake and the beginning of a folk hero and a folk song.
Starring: Michael Landon, Jo Morrow, Jack Hogan, Richard Rust | Directed by: Ted Post
LONG HAUL, THE (1957) (88 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
One of several British melodramas picked up for American distribution by Columbia in the late 1950s, The Long Haul stars Victor Mature and Diana Dors, two of the prettiest and most amply endowned screen personalities of the era. Mature is cast as American ex-GI Harry Miller, who takes a job as a truck driver to support his British war bride Connie (Gene Anderson). It isn't long, however, before Harry is blackmailed into joining a smuggling operation run by the conniving Casey (Liam Redmond). His resolved momentarily weakened by his obsession with gang moll Lynn (Diana Dors), Harry finally decides to turn honest again—if the other crooks will let him live that long. Director Ken Hughes adapted the screenplay from a novel by Mervyn Mills.
Starring: Victor Mature, Diana Dors, Patrick Allen, Gene Anderson | Directed by: Ken Hughes
LURE OF THE WILDERNESS (1952) (92 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Lure of the Wilderness is a remake of 1941's Swamp Water, with Walter Brennan repeating his role as a half-crazed fugitive from justice. Living in the deepest recesses of the Okeefenokee Swamp with his daughter Laurie (Jean Peters), Jim Harper (Brennan) is discovered by young hunter Ben Tyler (Jeffrey Hunter). Believing in Harper's innocence, Tyler tries to raise enough money to mount a decent courtroom defense for the old man. Meanwhile, the actual perpetrators of the crime attributed to Harper do their best (or worst) to see to it that he never gets out of the swamp alive. While the original Swamp Water was the better of the two films, Lure of the Wilderness has the advantage of rich Technicolor photography.
Starring: Jean Peters, Jeffrey Hunter, Constance Smith, Walter Brennan | Directed by: Jean Negulesco
MAN ALONE, A (1955) (96 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Ray Milland made his directorial debut with the Republic western A Man Alone. Milland also starred in the film, playing fugitive gunslinger Wes Steele. While escaping a lynch mob, Steele stumbles onto an Arizona ranch that has been quarantined due to Yellow Fever. During his enforced stay, he falls in love with sheriff's daughter Nadine Corrigan (Mary Murphy), who is as much a "lost soul" as Steele. The only hope the lovers have for a happy future is Steele's exoneration, but this won't happen so long as crooked town banker Stanley (Raymond Burr) holds all the cards. A Man Alone did well enough to encourage future directorial efforts by Ray Milland, which included the well-paced espionager Lisbon and the above average sci-fi exercise Panic in the Year Zero!
Starring: Ray Milland, Raymond Burr, Mary Murphy, Lee Van Cleef | Directed by: Ray Milland
MAN FROM DEL RIO (1956) (82 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
The dramatic weight of Man From Del Rio rests securely on the broad shoulders of star Anthony Quinn. Cast as an indigent Mexican gunslinger, Quinn is asked by an old pal to clean up an outlaw-ridden western town. Knowing that his reputation is exaggerated, Quinn relies on braggadocio and bluff to keep the villains at bay. But when he is appointed town sheriff, it is "put up or shut up" time. Katy Jurado, who'd become "typed" as a western actress since High Noon, costars as Quinn's would-be lover. Man From Del Rio offers little that hasn't been seen before, but Anthony Quinn keeps things moving at a fast and exciting clip.
Starring: Anthony Quinn, Katy Jurado, Peter Whitney, Douglas Fowley | Directed by: Harry Horner
MAN FROM LARAMIE, THE (1955) (104 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Anthony Mann directed this brilliant psychological western based upon Shakespeare's King Lear. James Stewart plays Will Lockhart, who is obsessed with finding the man who sold automatic rifles to the Apaches, resulting in the death of his brother. Will enters the town of Coronado, New Mexico, ruled by the blind and aging patriarch Alec Waggoman (Donald Crisp). Unaware that he is trespassing on Waggoman's land, he finds himself accosted by Alec's psychotic son Dave (Alex Nicol), who brutally beats Will and is ready to kill him. But Will is rescued at the last minute by Waggoman's adopted son Vic Hansbro (Arthur Kennedy). Will finds that Waggoman has become increasingly concerned over who will inherit his vast empire. — Paul Brenner
Starring: James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp, Cathy O'Donnell | Directed by: Anthony Mann
MAN OF THE WEST (1958) (100 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Anthony Mann's final foray into the western genre is a disturbing examination of man's baser instincts, rising in intensity to the level of Shakespearean tragedy. The film begins as seemingly naive Link (Gary Cooper) leaves his family to take a train to Fort Worth. Also on the train is saloon singer Billie Ellis (Julie London), who is compelled by con man Sam Beasley (Arthur O'Connell) to cheat Link out of his money. But the con comes to naught when the nefarious Dock Tobin (Lee J. Cobb) and his gang rob the train. Link takes Billie and Beasley to Tobin's cabin, where it is revealed the mild-mannered Link is Tobin's nephew and a former member of his cutthroat gang. Dock Tobin draws up a plan to rob a bank which the outlaws find agreeable, but they're reluctant to have Link rejoin their group. Soon it becomes apparent why they feel this way; when Link rejoins his old gang, his shy demeanor falls away and his outlaw instincts rise to the surface.
Starring: Gary Cooper, Julie London, Lee J. Cobb, Arther O, Connell, Jack Lord | Directed by: Anthony Mann
MAN OR GUN (1958) (79 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: C
Produced at Republic Studios during that western-film factory's twilight years, Man or Gun stars MacDonald Carey as a drifter named Maybe Smith. Before he gets a chance to say "Like sands through the hourglass...", Smith gets mixed up in the lives of several timorous townsfolk, who suffer the despotic excesses of a powerful ranching family. James Craig plays Pinch Corley, the meanest member of the clan (Admit it now: you've never seen any other movie with characters named Maybe and Pinch) The title derives from Maybe's quandary over whether to take on the Corleys with his fists or with his gun. Man or Gun takes its sweet time (79 minutes' worth) allowing Maybe Smith to work out his problem.
Starring: MacDonald Carey, Julian Burton, James Gleason, Robert Burton, Audrey Totter | Directed by: Albert C. Gannaway
MAN WITH THE GUN (1955) (83 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
The Man with the Gun in this well-paced western is played by Robert Mitchum. A notorious gunslinger, Mitchum has been hired by a group of concerned citizens to restore law and order to the wide-open town of Sheridan City. Before long, however, Mitchum holds the community in a grip of terror, behaving like a Law Unto Himself. So: Is the star of the film actually the villain of the piece? A last-reel plot twist effectively answers that question. Though Robert Mitchum dominates the proceedings, Man With the Gun also includes some good supporting work by Jan Sterling as Mitchum's saloon-gal wife, Henry Hull as an ageing marshal, John Lupton as an honest young farmer, and Emile Meyer as the town's leading citizen.
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Jan Sterling, Karen Sharpe, Henry Hull | Directed by: Richard Wilson
MANY RIVERS TO CROSS (1955) (92 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Packaged and sold as an outdoor actioner, Many Rivers to Cross is as much a comedy as anything else. Robert Taylor stars as 18th century trapper Bushrod Gentry, who is himself entrapped into marriage by the spunky Mary Stuart Cherne (Eleanor Parker). Escaping his marital responsibilities (which were impressed upon him on threat of death), Gentry heads into the North Country, with Mary in hot pursuit. Hero and heroine spend the rest of the picture taking turns rescuing each other from hostile Indians. Some of the humor is predicated upon the wholesale slaughter of the "redskins", and as such is a bit hard to take when seen today. Supporting Taylor and Parker are Victor McLaglen as the heroine's burly father, and TV-stars-to be James Arness (Gunsmoke) and Russell Johnson and Alan Hale Jr. (Gilligan's Island).
Starring: Robert Taylor, Eleanor Parker, Victor McLaglen, James Arness, Alan Hale, Jr., Rosemary de Camp | Directed by: Roy Rowland
MOHAWK (1956) (80 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Though released by 20th Century-Fox, Mohawk was produced independently by Edward L. Alperson, who also doubled as the film's musical composer. Scott Brady stars as an 18th century Boston artist, sent to Mohawk Valley to paint landscapes and portraits of Native Americans. Brady is forced to pack up his easel when he becomes embroiled in a war between the Indians and avaricious land baron John Hoyt. The villain intends to play both ends against the middle, then claim what's left when the Mohawks and settlers wipe each other out. Brady not only defies Hoyt, but also battles near-psychotic Mohawk warrior Neville Brand.
Starring: Scott Brady, Rita Gam, Neville Brand, John Hoyt, Mae Clarke, Rhys Williams | Directed by: Kurt Neumann
MONTANA (1950) (76 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Unlike his earlier Warner Bros. westerns, Errol Flynn's Montana was strictly a programmer, inexpensively produced and modestly promoted. Flynn plays Morgan Lane, an Australian sheepherder who arrives in the middle of Montana's cattle country. He faces opposition from wealthy cattle rancher Maria Singleton (Alexis Smith), not to mention several bigger, tougher galoots. It takes a few fistfights and gun battles to settle the sheepherders vs. cattlemen imbroglio peacefully. While the action highlights are so-so, Montana scores best during the scenes between stars Errol Flynn and Alexis Smith; they were good friends in real life, so much so that Flynn served as best man at Smith's wedding to actor Craig Stevens.
Starring: Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith, Douglas Kennedy, James Brown | Directed by: Ray Enright
NAKED JUNGLE, THE (1954) (95 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
It doesn't take long for old-time-radio fans to figure out that The Naked Jungle is a film version of the classic Carl Stephenson nailbiter Leiningen Versus the Ants. Charlton Heston plays South American plantation owner Christopher Leiningen, who spends most of the film preparing for the hellish onslaught of deadly soldier ants. The original story concentrated solely on Leiningen; the film version hokes things up a bit by bestowing upon the hero a gorgeous mail-order bride, played by Eleanor Parker. No matter: the climactic insect invasion is well worth the wait, utilizing the Paramount Pictures optical-effects department to the nth degree. The Naked Jungle also offers excellent supporting work from Abraham Sofaer, Douglas Fowley, and William Conrad, who also acted in several of the radio adaptations of the Carl Stephenson yarn.
Starring: Eleanor Parker, Charlton Heston, Abraham Sofaer, William Conrad, Douglas Fowley | Directed by: Byron Haskin
NAKED SPUR, THE (1953) (92 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
The powerhouse combination of star James Stewart and director Anthony Mann score another cinematic bullseye in The Naked Spur. Stewart plays a taciturn frontiersman who loses his home while he's off fighting the Civil War. To raise enough money for a new grubstake, Stewart becomes a bounty hunter in Colorado territory. His first quarry is fugitive, killer Robert Ryan. Stewart's efforts to bring in Ryan and collect the reward are compromised by the presence of Ryan's loyal girl friend Janet Leigh and Stewart's two disreputable sidekicks, wily prospector Millard Mitchell and disgraced Union-officer Ralph Meeker. There's plenty of "cat and mouse" byplay between Stewart and Ryan before the brutal climax; the drama is intensified by the fact that both men are on the outer rim of total insanity. The Oscar-nominated screenplay for The Naked Spur was cowritten by Sam Rolfe, who was later one of the creative forces responsible for the similarly no-nonsense TV western series Have Gun, Will Travel. — Hal Erickson
Starring: James Stewart, Janet Leigh, Ralph Meeker, Robert Ryan | Directed by: Anthony Mann
NEVER SO FEW (1959) (124 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Action director John Sturges had a few good films behind him (Bad Day at Black Rock, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral) and a few more to come (The Great Escape, The Magnificent Seven) when he put together this colorful story of wartime romance. In addition to his talents as a director, this saga of an American Captain stationed with his Allied command in Burma during World War II is helped by a stellar cast. Frank Sinatra is Captain Tom Reynolds who is supposed to be battling the Japanese in Burma but gets side-tracked when his unit and his Kachin allies are attacked by Chiang Kai-shek's forces. In supporting roles are Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen (about to make his mark on the big screen), Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Lawford, Brian Donlevy, and several others. After General Chiang's attack, Captain Reynolds leads the remainder of his men into Nationalist Chinese territory for a fast retaliation — basically a wholesale slaughter. He is called on the carpet for this action later, and his would-be love, Carla Vesari (Lollobrigida) is suddenly faced with a decision to stay with her current man (Paul Heinreid) or take off for the unknown USA with the American Captain. — Eleanor Mannikka
Starring: Frank Sinatra, Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Lawford, Steve McQueen | Directed by: John Sturges
NIGHT PASSAGE (1957) (90 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Night Passage is so similar in spirit to the successful collaborations between star James Stewart and director Anthony Mann that it comes as a surprise that this film is directed by James Nielson. Stewart plays Grant McLaine, ex-railroad employee and the level-headed brother of firebrand gunslinger The Utica Kid (Audie Murphy). When Grant is entrusted to guard a train delivering $10,000, The Kid's gang holds up the train and steals the money. Grant takes off to hunt his felonious brother down and attempts to convince him to go straight. Unfortunately, The Kid refuses, and the brothers face off in a showdown. — Hal Erickson
Starring: James Stewart, Audie Murphy, Dan Duryea, Dianne Foster, Hugh Beaumont | Directed by: James Neilson
NORTHWEST FRONTIER (1959) (129 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Northwest Frontier was the original British title for Flame Over India. When the Moslems attack a British fortress in colonial India, it is imperative that the local Maharaja's son be taken to safety. The man for the job is commander Kenneth More, who uses a rusty old train for that purpose. Among the other fugitives is the boy's British governess Lauren Bacall and the untrustworthy Herbert Lom. A cat-and-mouse session between good and bad guys segues into a heart-pounding chase through the frontier. Welcome comedy relief is in the hands of I.S. Johar as a grizzled old engineer. It looks like a western and sounds like a western, and the original title Northwest Frontier completes the illusion that we're watching Cowboys and Indians rather than Indians and Moslems.
Starring: Kenneth More, Lauren Bacall, Herbert Lom, I.S. Johar | Directed by: J. Lee Thompson
OH! SUSANNA (1951) (90 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Oh! Susanna is a "big" western by Republic standards, decked out with lavish production values and an extended running time (90 minutes, as compared to the usual "B"-picture length of 60 or 70 minutes). Rod Cameron stars as Captain Calhoun, a cavalry officer dedicated to protecting the rights of Indians from greedy gold prospectors. Calhoun's superior officer Lt. Col. Ungar (Forrest Tucker) despises all Indians, and makes things difficult for those who try to enforce existing treaties. Other interested parties include saloon owner Ira Jordan (Jim Davis), who is counting upon plenty of revenue from the prospectors, and saloon thrush Lia Wilson (Adrian Booth), who carries torches for Calhoun, Ungar and Jordan. The highly anticipated action climax comes with a vengeance as the betrayed Indians lay siege upon Ungar's fort. Oh! Susanna was written by Charles Marquis Warren, whose later TV work included Wyatt Earp, Gunsmoke and Rawhide.
Starring: Rod Cameron, Forrest Tucker, Chill Wills, William Ching, Wally Cassell | Directed by: Joseph Kane
OKLAHOMA WOMAN (1956) (72 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: C
In this western, a gunfighter is finally released from prison and returns to his hometown only to discover that it is being torn apart by conflicting forces. He is even more upset to discover that his girl has become the leader of the "evil" side of town and is completely committed to achieving a state of anarchy. He is disgusted by her and her new lover and so joins the good side of town. When the good politician leader and the sheriff are killed, the ex-gunfighter is blamed for the crime. Just as he is about to swing, the politician's daughter, who loves the ex-convict, forces the evil woman to sign a confession and save his life.
Starring: Richard Denning, Peggie Castle, Tudor Owen, Cathy Downs | Directed by: Roger Corman
OKLAHOMAN, THE (1956) (80 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Joel McCrea stars in this leisurely paced Western from Allied Artists (formerly Monogram) originally released in Cinemascope. Having lost his wife in childbirth en route to California, Dr. John Brighton (McCrea) builds a new home for himself and his baby daughter in an Oklahoma backwater town, lodging with kindhearted Mrs. Fitzgerald (Esther Dale). As the town grows up around him, Brighton becomes a well-respected local medico, championing the rights of the area's Indian population when nasty rancher Cass Dobie attempts to buy them out cheap. Unbeknownst to the townspeople, Dobie has discovered oil on the land belonging to Charlie Smith (Michael Pate), whose beautiful daughter, Maria (Gloria Talbott), is working as little Louise Brighton's (Laurie Mitchell) nursemaid. When Charlie is forced to kill Cass' brother, Mel (Douglas Dick), in self-defense, Cass vows revenge. Aided by female rancher Anne Barnes (Barbara Hale), Brighton learns about the discovery of oil and there is a final confrontation on main street.
Starring: Joel McCrea, Barbara Hale, Brad Dexter, Gloria Talbott | Directed by: Francis D. Lyon
ONE MINUTE TO ZERO (1952) (106 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
This Korean War drama is essentially a vehicle for RKO's top male star Robert Mitchum. He plays war-weary "Colonel Steve," obliged to contend with the North Korean forces while keeping troublesome UN official Linda Day (Ann Blyth) at arm's length. Some authentic Korean combat footage is well-integrated into the story. For all its talk about jet planes, Reds and atomic energy, the film is at base a redressed WW II drama. Good supporting performances are provided Charles McGraw as a tough sergeant and William Talman as a jet pilot. Reportedly budgeted at over two million dollars, One Minute to Zero had trouble making back its cost, despite the box-office pull of Robert Mitchum. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Ann Blyth, William Talman, Charles McGraw | Directed by: Tay Garnett
ONE THAT GOT AWAY, THE (1957) (111 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
The title character in this fact-based POW drama is Franz von Werra, played by Hardy Kruger. Shot down early in the war, Luftwaffe pilot von Werra is incarcerated in an English prison camp. He refuses to submit to camp routine, insisting that he's on the brink of escaping. After two failed attempts, von Werra is transferred to a camp in Montreal. If you want to know what happens next, take a squint at the title. If you want to know how he does it and why he gets away with it, catch the film. One That Got Away was based on a novel by Kendal Burt and James Leasor.
Starring: Hardy Kruger, Colin Gordon, Michael Goodliffe, Terry Alexander | Directed by: Roy Ward Baker
ONLY THE VALIANT (1950) (105 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Originally conceived as a Gary Cooper western, Only the Valiant reached the screen with Gregory Peck in the lead. Peck plays Richard Lance, a strictly by-the-book Army captain. Though hated by his men, Lance is respected for his military know-how. This comes in very handy when Lance and a detachment of troops attempt to reach, and then hold, an unguarded Army garrison in the middle of Apache Country. Among the film's he-man contingent are Ward Bond, Gig Young, Lon Chaney Jr., Neville Brand, Jeff Corey and Steve Brodie, all delivering topnotch performances. The nominal leading lady is Barbara Payton, whose real-life tragedies were far more dramatic than any film she appeared in. Only the Valiant was based on a novel by Charles Marquis Warren.
Starring: Gregory Peck, Barbara Payton, Ward Bond, Gig Young | Directed by: Gordon M. Douglas
OPERATION MANHUNT (1954) (77 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Versatile character actor Harry Townes is afforded a rare top-billed assignment in Operation Manhunt. Townes is cast as the real-life Igor Gouzenko, who while working as a code clerk in the Soviet embassy in Ottawa was instrumental in smashing a Red spy ring operating in Canada. The film recounts Gouzenko's disillusionment with the Communist party line, his decision to cooperate with federal officials, and the efforts by the KGB to put him out of the way permanently. Operation Manhunt was produced by Matty Fox, the head of Motion Pictures for Television, and was originally intended for a simultaneous theatrical and TV release. The story of Igor Gouzenko was previously dramatized on a bigger-budgeted scale in 20th Century-Fox's The Iron Curtain.
Starring: Harry Townes, Irja Jensen, Jacques Aubuchon, Robert Goudier | Directed by: Jack Alexander
OUTRIDERS, THE (1950) (93 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
MGM went into the western-programmer business relatively late in the game, but made up for lost time with such laudable efforts as The Outriders. Joel McCrea stars as one of three Confederate soldiers who escape from a northern prison compound. The three men join a wagon train, hoping to capture a Yankee gold shipment to help their cause. When the wagoners are attacked by Indians, McCrea decides to reassess his priorities and protect the passengers—especially the stunning Arlene Dahl. The Outriders was produced in the wake of MGM's surprise success with 1949's Ambush. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Joel McCrea, Arlene Dahl, Barry Sullivan, James Whitmore | Directed by: Roy Rowland
PARATROOPER (1953) (88 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
After causing the needless death of another officer during a near-miss air disaster, a distraught army officer resigns from the military. Still, the American wants to serve in the war effort and so, calling himself a Canadian, enlists in the British military to train as a paratrooper. Revealing nothing about his past, he proves himself obedient and exceptionally skilled. This rouses the suspicion of his commanding officer who starts investigating the trooper. Later, the trooper more than proves himself during a dangerous mission to North Africa.
Starring: Alan Ladd, Leo Genn, Susan Stephen, Harry Andrews | Directed by: Terence Young
PATHS OF GLORY (1957) (86 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Adapting Humphrey Cobb's novel to the screen, director Stanley Kubrick and his collaborators Calder Willingham and Jim Thompson set out to make a devastating anti-war statement, and they succeeded above and beyond the call of duty. In the third year of World War I, the erudite but morally bankrupt French general Broulard (Adolphe Menjou) orders his troops to seize the heavily fortified "Ant Hill" from the Germans. General Mireau (George MacReady) knows that this action will be suicidal, but he will sacrfice his men to enhance his own reputation. Against his better judgment, Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) leads the charge, and the results are appalling. When, after witnessing the slaughter of their comrades, a handful of the French troops refuse to leave the trenches, Mireau very nearly orders the artillery to fire on his own men. Still smarting from the defeat, Mireau cannot admit to himself that the attack was a bad idea from the outset: he convinces himself that loss of Ant Hill was due to the cowardice of his men. Mireau demands that three soldiers be selected by lot to be executed as an example to rest of the troops. Acting as defense attorney, Colonel Dax pleads eloquently for the lives of the unfortunate three, but their fate is a done deal. Even an eleventh-hour piece of evidence proving Mireau's incompetence is ignored by the smirking Broulard, who is only interested in putting on a show of bravado. A failure when first released (it was banned outright in France for several years), Paths of Glory has since taken its place in the pantheon of classic war movies, its message growing only more pertinent and potent with each passing year (it was especially popular during the Vietnam era). — Hal Erickson
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready | Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
PLUNDER OF THE SUN (1953) (81 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Adapted from a novel by David Dodge, Plunder of the Sun is basically Treasure of the Sierra Madre in Aztec country. Several interested parties converge upon the Mexican Aztec ruins in search of a long-buried treasure. Insurance investigator Glenn Ford is ostensibly the hero, but he doesn't seem any more trustworthy than the rest of the petty crooks, fallen women and alcoholics who've gone along for the archeological ride. And as long as the producers were borrowing from John Huston's Sierra Madre, they decided to snatch a bit of Huston's Maltese Falcon by having a "fat man" villain (played by Sidney Greenstreet clone Francis L. Sullivan). By the middle of the picture, the treasure hunters have fallen out and murder is committed. An expected ironic ending caps this workmanlike melodrama.
Starring: Glenn Ford, Diana Lynn, Patricia Medina, Francis L. Sullivan, Sean McClory | Directed by: John Farrow
PROUD ONES, THE (1956) (94 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
A small Kansas town braces itself for the arrival of the first Texas trail herd. The marshal (Robert Ryan) expects trouble from the herd drivers, who'll be thirsty and lascivious after months on the trail. The town's saloon owner (Robert Middleton), anticipating a business boom, wants to remove the marshal and thus leave the town wide open. The marshal can expect little help from his deputy (Jeffrey Hunter), whose father was killed by the lawman. The Proud Ones builds slowly to an explosive climax, in which the deputy chooses the right side and Law & Order is maintained. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Robert Ryan, Virginia Mayo, Jeffrey Hunter, Robert Middleton | Directed by: Robert Webb
QUANTEZ (1957) (80 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Fred MacMurray plays the head of an outlaw band trying to escape across the Mexican border. The gang is able to elude the law and to navigate the rough terrain, but the flight comes to a halt in an all-but-deserted desert town. Here MacMurray and company are forced to stave off an Indian attack, during which several of the bandits prove to be less venal than they seem. The buildup to the attack seems to take forever, indicating that the producers may have had High Noon and Gunfight at the OK Corrall. It's likely that Fred MacMurray would have ground out budget westerns for the remainder of his career had not Walt Disney and My Three Sons come along.
Starring: Fred MacMurray, Dorothy Malone, James Barton, John Gavin | Directed by: Harry Keller
RAID, THE (1954) (83 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Based on a true story from the Civil War, this drama follows a band of Confederate POWS who escape from a New England prison head for Canada and begin planning to distract Union forces by looting and pillaging a Vermont town. — Sandra Brennan
Starring: Van Heflin, Anne Bancroft, Lee Marvin, Richard Boone | Directed by: Hugo Fregonese
RAILS INTO LARAMIE (1954) (80 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Rails into Laramie is one of the more obscure Universal-International western programmers of the 1950s, but this is no reflection on its entertainment value. John Payne stars as "town tamer" Jefferson Harder, who intends to clean up the wide-open community of Laramie. Everyone knows that the outlaw gang headed by Jim Shanessy (Dan Duryea) is responsible for preventing the railroad from building a line into Laramie, but Shanessy always manages to intimidate the all-male juries into releasing him. He and saloon-hall gal Lou Carter (Mari Blanchard) want to keep the rails out of Laramie so that both can pursue their criminal activities unabated. But when Lou switches sides and aligns herself with Harder, it's the beginning of the end for the scurrilous Shanessy. The film's resolution is "borrowed" from the 1941 western The Lady From Cheyenne and works just as well here as it did in the earlier picture.
Starring: John Payne, Mari Blanchard, Dan Duryea, Barton MacLane | Directed by: Jesse Hibbs
RANCHO NOTORIOUS (1952) (89 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
The original title for Rancho Notorious was Chuck-a-Luck, which is also the title of the soundtrack ballad (written by Ken Darby) which unifies the plotline, a la High Noon. Frontiersman Vern Haskell (Arthur Kennedy) wanders throughout the West in search of the man who robbed and murdered his fiancee. He is told that he'll probably find the culprits at Chuck-a-Luck, a combination horse ranch and criminal hideout overseen by saloon chanteuse Altar Keane (Marlene Dietrich). To gain entrance to Chuck-a-Luck, Haskell poses as an escaped prisoner. Keane warns him that the ranch has only one rule, "Don't ask questions:" still, he has ways of finding things out. Haskell is compelled to keep up his charade when the dirty denizens of Chuck-a-Luck plan a big bank holdup, but this has the result of exposing the killer of his girl. Director Fritz Lang had a rough time with RKO- head Howard R. Hughes, who insisted upon making changes in the film that might have hurt it irreparably. The biggest argument centered over the title: Hughes complained that no one overseas would understand the meaning of "Chuck-a-Luck," whereupon Lang riposted sarcastically that "I'm sure that everyone will understand Rancho Notorious." One of the principal villains was Lloyd Gough, but you'd never know it from the opening titles: Hughes, incensed that Gough had refused to testify at the HUAC "witch-hunt," ordered that the blacklisted Gough's name be removed from the credits. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Marlene Dietrich, Arthur Kennedy, Mel Ferrer, Lloyd Gough | Directed by: Fritz Lang
RAW EDGE (1956) (76 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Raw Edge is a modest Universal western from the peak of the double-feature era. Rory Calhoun plays a rancher whose "equal opportunity" hiring policies backfire. Calhoun learns that several of his ranch hands plan to kill him and take over the property. The treacherous employees further intend claim Calhoun's widow-to-be (Yvonne de Carlo) along with the ranch. Mara Corday plays the other woman in Calhoun's life: Can she, or anyone else in this picture, be trusted? While the plotline of Raw Edge has its esoteric moments, the film is brought down to earth by the perfunctory direction of John Sherwood.
Starring: Rory Calhoun, Yvonne De Carlo, Mara Corday, Neville Brand | Directed by: John Sherwood
REBEL IN TOWN (1956) (78 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Rebel in Town was the third issue from Bel-Air Productions, a firm co-founded by film execs Howard W. Koch and Aubrey Schenck. While the title character is played by John Smith, top billing goes to John Payne as ex-Union officer John Willoughby. When Willoughby's young son (Bobby Clark) snaps his cap pistol at Confederate veteran Wesley Mason (John Smith), Wesley instinctively whirls around and shoots the boy dead. Despite the fact that he and his offspring are fugitive bank robbers, Wesley's father Bedloe Mason (J. Carroll Naish) insists that his son turn himself over to authorities. Instead, Wesley escapes, whereupon he is killed by the grief-stricken Willoughby. Though it hardly seems possible at this point, Willoughby's wife Nora (Ruth Roman) struggles valiantly to bring the crisis to a nonviolent resolution.
Starring: John Payne, Ruth Roman, J. Carrol Naish, Ben Cooper | Directed by: Alfred L. Werker
RED BALL EXPRESS (1952) (83 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Red Ball Express deals with the little-known activities of the U.S. Army Transportation Corps during WW II. It so happened that many of the Corps' most courageous drivers were black men, who otherwise would have been denied an opportunity for combat duty. Sidney Poitier plays Corporal Andrew Robinson, who resents his second-class-citizen status and chafes at the orders issued by his white commanding officer Lt. Chick Campbell (Jeff Chandler). Meanwhile, Campbell has his own cross to bear in the form of relentlessly hostile sergeant Ernest Kalek (Alex Nicol). All differences are conveniently forgotten in the climactic euphoria of providing ammunition for General Patton's tanks during the Allied push to Paris in 1944. Considered just another war picture in 1952, Red Ball Express has since taken on added stature by virtue of the presence of actor Sidney Poitier and director Budd Boetticher.
Starring: Jeff Chandler, Alex Nicol, Charles Drake, Hugh O'Brian | Directed by: Budd Boetticher
RED MOUNTAIN (1951) (84 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
The rugged Colorado Territory provides the setting for this epic Civil War-era western chronicle of a Southern rebel who sets off to join Captain Quantrill's raiders. Along the way, the rebel kills a Union supporter who had stolen the rebel's land. Unfortunately, he leaves a different Confederate to shoulder the blame. Fortunately, just before the falsely-accused is to get lynched, the rebel dashes up to save him. Not realizing his savior is also the one who got him into the fix, the grateful man takes the rebel to his isolated cabin to hide. There the rebel meets his new friend's fiancee. Things are fine until she learns the truth about the rebel. He takes off into the wilderness with the lovers in hot pursuit. They all end up lost and forced to seek shelter in a cave after the woman's hapless lover slips and breaks his leg. While delirium overtakes the injured man, romantic sparks fly between the rebel and the girl. One day, the rebel sees Quantrill's band and rides down to meet them. It is then that he discovers an awful truth and so rides off to set things right. The character of Captain Quantrill is based on an actual historical figure.
Starring: Alan Ladd, Lizabeth Scott, Arthur Kennedy, John Ireland | Directed by: William Dieterle
REDHEAD AND THE COWBOY, THE (1950) (82 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Glenn Ford and Rhonda Fleming star in The Redhead and the Cowboy, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out who plays what. Fleming is cast as Confederate spy Candace Bronson, who makes her way through enemy lines to deliver an important message. She is accompanied by Gil Kyle (Glenn Ford), who needs Candace to testify on his behalf in a murder trial. Though not necessarily sympathetic to the Southern cause, Gil helps Candace complete her mission. Also around and about is Dunn Jeffers (Edmond O'Brien), a Union spy who pretends to help Gil and Candace. As Civil War westerns go, Redhead and the Cowboy is pretty good, with some particularly exciting action highlights.
Starring: Glenn Ford, Edmond O'Brien, Rhonda Fleming, Alan Reed | Directed by: Leslie Fenton
RETREAT, HELL! (1952) (95 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Retreat, Hell! is out of favor with most disciples of director Joseph H. Lewis, partly because it was a major-studio release, whereas Lewis' cult classics were made on shoestring budgets for independent producers. Despite this "handicap," Retreat, Hell! holds up beautifully when seen today. The faintly scatological title is based on a defiant quote from General Oliver P. Smith, which gained fame during the Korean War. Frank Lovejoy stars as Marine Batallion Commander Steve Corbett, whose men valiantly fight their way towards the Changjin Reservoir, then just as valiantly fight their way back to their own lines. The film's dramatic conflict is in the hands of Richard Carlson, cast as reservist Captain Paul Hanson, who is forced to leave hearth and home when his country calls upon him. Others in the cast include Russ Tamblyn in his first "adult" role, future-director Lamont Johnson, and real-life war hero Peter Ornitz.
Starring: Frank Lovejoy, Richard Carlson, Russ Tamblyn, Anita Louise | Directed by: Joseph H. Lewis
RETURN OF JACK SLADE, THE (1955) (79 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
John Ericson essays the title character in Return of Jack Slade. Actually, Ericson plays Jack Slade Jr., determined to make amends for the wrongs perpetrated by his outlaw dad. Hired as a Pinkerton agent, the younger Slade goes undercover, joining a criminal gang in Wyoming. He falls in love with gang moll Texas Rose (Mari Blanchard), who like Slade isn't as bad as she seems. The villain of the piece is Harry Sutton, played with the fury of a mad dog by Neville Brand. One of the more exploitable aspects of Return of Jack Slade was the inclusion of the ballad "The Yellow Rose of Texas" then enjoying a resurgence of popularity on the top-10 record charts.
Starring: John Ericson, Mari Blanchard, Neville Brand, Jon Shepodd | Directed by: Harold D. Schuster
RIDE CLEAR OF DIABLO (1954) (80 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Audie Murphy may have had top billing in Ride Clear of Diablo, but the film is bushwhacked and stolen by co-star Dan Duryea. As notorious gunslinger Whitey Kincaid, Duryea is hired by sinister forces to kill Murphy, who is out to avenge the murders of his father and brother. Instead, Kincaid befriends Murphy, and helps him track down his family's killers. Since Murphy is the star, it is he who exacts final vengeance, but the script makes clear that he couldn't have done this without the aid of the snide, smirking Kincaid. Ride Clear of Diablo's supporting cast includes singer Abbe Lane, who handles her "bad girl" role with class.
Starring: Audie Murphy, Susan Cabot, Dan Duryea, Abbe Lane | Directed by: Jesse Hibbs
RIDE OUT FOR REVENGE (1957) (79 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
In this revisionist western, Captain George (Lloyd Bridges) is a cavalry officer of dubious principles who is given the assignment of escorting a tribe of Cheyenne Indians from the land of their birth to a government reservation. However, as the Cheyenne are en route to their new home, gold is discovered on the land, and suddenly a call goes up to relocate the Indians somewhere else. Tate (Rory Calhoun) is a cavalry scout with a conscience who is determined to see that the Cheyenne are treated fairly, protected from ruthless prospectors as well as hateful lawmen. Gloria Grahame and Vince Edwards highlight the supporting cast.
Starring: Rory Calhoun, Gloria Grahame, Lloyd Bridges, Vince Edwards | Directed by: Bernard Girard
RIDE THE MAN DOWN (1953) (90 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Will Ballard (Rod Cameron) is the longtime foreman of the Hatcher ranch, a spread renowned for its size and the wealth it contains. When owner Phil Evarts dies suddenly, the speculation in the territory is that Hatcher will be broken up, especially since it was Evarts' determination coupled with Ballard's skills as a foreman and gunman that held it together -- but Ballard decides that the ranch is worth saving, even though the only help he really has is one top hand (Chill Wills, in a beautifully restrained performance) and a couple of young brothers (Al Caudebec, Roydon Clark) picked up on the trail. He figures it's worth saving for what it is, and also for Evarts' daughter, Celia (Ella Raines), who is engaged to marry neighboring rancher Sam Danfelser (Forrest Tucker). Ballard and Sam were once friends, but as the foreman discovers, there's been bad blood brewing on the other side of the friendship for a long time, mostly out of Sam's jealousy -- not only is Ballard a better rider and a better gun, but he's a better man than he is, and he can't abide the fact that Celia knows this deep in her heart, even though she and Sam are engaged. Then there's Bide Marriner (Brian Donlevy), a local "operator" who'd love to get a range war started and grab up some land and cattle, and immediately uses friends and intermediaries, plus a few hired guns, to start spreading the word, convincing the neighboring ranchers that Hatcher land is free and open. And then there's Lottie Priest, whom Ballard figured to marry soon -- is she more interested in what her greedy father can make from the breakup of Hatcher? Caught in the middle of it all is the county sheriff, Joe Kneen (J. Carrol Naish), who'd like to stay civil with all of those involved but soon finds out that he's going to have to choose sides, and that he's too good a man for that to be the "easy" choice. There's a lot of back-shooting in Ride the Man Down, as well as some brilliantly and cleverly designed action sequences, and a level of duplicity in the characters that makes this picture play at time almost more like a film noir of the period.
Starring: Brian Donlevy, Rod Cameron, Ella Raines, Forrest Tucker | Directed by: Joseph Kane
RIO BRAVO (1959) (141 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Set in Texas during the late 1860s, Rio Bravo is a story of men (and women) and a town under siege. Presidio County Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne) is holding Joe Burdette (Claude Akins), a worthless, drunken thug, for the murder of an unarmed man in a fight in a saloon -- the problem is that Joe is the brother of wealthy land baron Nathan Burdette (John Russell), who owns a big chunk of the county and can buy all the hired guns he doesn't already have working for him. Burdette's men cut the town off to prevent Chance from getting Joe into more secure surroundings, and then the hired guns come in, waiting around for their chance to break him out of jail. Chance has to wait for the United States marshal to show up, in six days, his only help from Stumpy (Walter Brennan), a toothless, cantankerous old deputy with a bad leg who guards the jail, and Dude (Dean Martin), his former deputy, who's spent the last two years stumbling around in a drunken stupor over a woman that left him. Chance's friend, trail boss Pat Wheeler (Ward Bond), arrives at the outset of the siege and tries to help, offering the services of himself and his drovers as deputies, which Chance turns down, saying they're not professionals and would be too worried about their families to be good at anything except being targets for Burdette's men; but Chance does try to enlist the services of Wheeler's newest employee, a callow-looking young gunman named Colorado Ryan (Ricky Nelson), who politely turns him down, saying he prefers to mind his own business. In the midst of all of this tension, Feathers (Angie Dickinson), a dance hall entertainer, arrives in town and nearly gets locked up by Chance for cheating at cards, until he finds out that he was wrong and that she's not guilty -- this starts a verbal duel between the two of them that grows more sexually intense as the movie progresses and she finds herself in the middle of Chance's fight. Wheeler is murdered by one of Burgette's hired guns who is, in turn, killed by Dude in an intense confrontation in a saloon. Colorado throws in with Chance after his boss is killed and picks up some of the slack left by Dude, who isn't quite over his need for a drink or the shakes that come with trying to stop. Chance and Burdette keep raising the ante on each other, Chance, Dude, and Colorado killing enough of the rancher's men that he's got to double what he's paying to make it worth the risk, and the undertaker (Joseph Shimada) gets plenty of business from Burdette before the two sides arrive at a stalemate -- Burdette is holding Dude and will release him in exchange for Joe. This leads to the final, bloody confrontation between Chance and Burdette, where the wagons brought to town by the murdered Wheeler play an unexpected and essential role in tipping the balance.
Starring: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan, Ward Bond, Claude Akins | Directed by: Howard Hawks
RIO GRANDE (1950) (105 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
The last entry in the John Ford - John Wayne "Cavalry Trilogy", Rio Grande is regarded by many observers as the best of the three. Wayne stars as Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke, whose devotion to duty has cost him his marriage to his beloved Kathleen (Maureen O'Hara). When Yorke's son Jeff (Claude Jarman Jr.) is assigned to his father's post, Yorke is determined not to afford any preferential treatment to the boy-nor to exhibit any sign of love and affection. Sensing Jeff's heartache, Troopers Tyree (Ben Johnson) and Boone (Harry Carey Jr.) virtually adopt the boy, acting as surrogate parents. Yorke's resolve to remain oblivious to personal feelings is further tested when his estranged wife Kathleen arrives at the post, the better to look after her son-and possibly to buy back the boy's enlistment. Kathleen has been out of Yorke's life ever since the Civil War, when, under orders, Yorke and his second in command Sgt. Major Quincannon (Victor McLaglen) burned down Kathleen's family's plantation. After an attack by the Apaches, Yorke orders the post's women and children to be moved to safety. He further orders that Jeff lead the caravan to the safer post. Anxious to participate in the upcoming battle against the Apaches, Jeff resents his father's command; but Kathleen understands, and her love for her husband is rekindled. Jeff is later given an opportunity to prove his courage by rescuing a wagonload of children from the Indians. Before the long-anticipated reconcilation scene between Yorke, his wife and his son, there are several peripheral plot complications, many of these involving a murder charge hanging over trooper Tyree's head. Though Rio Grande turned out to be one of John Ford's most successful films, the director had initially refused to make it, acquiesing only after Republic promised him that he'd be permitted to film The Quiet Man once the cavalry picture was in the can. In addition to the expected cadre of John Ford regulars- Wayne, O'Hara, McLaglen, Johnson, Carey, Grant Withers, Ken Curtis, Jack Pennick et. al.—Rio Grande serves as the film debut for John Wayne's son Patrick. James Kevin McGuinness adapted his screenplay from the James Warner Bellah story Mission With No Record. — Hal Erickson
Starring: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Ben Johnson, Claude Jarman, Jr | Directed by: John Ford
ROBBER'S ROOST (1955) (83 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
The 1955 western Robbers' Roost was the second film version of the venerable Zane Grey yarn. George Montgomery stars as a taciturn outlaw who lands an honest job on the spread managed by physically disabled Bruce Bennett. When Bennett's sister Sylvia Findley is kidnapped by crooked Richard Boone and Peter Graves, Montgomery, seeing an opportunity to redeem himself, rides to her rescue. Fortunately for our hero, Boone and Graves are already at each other's throats, thereby weakening their resistance. Gorgeously photographed, Robbers' Roost suffers visually when seen in the faded color prints currently available to TV.
Starring: George Montgomery, Richard Boone, Sylvia Findley, Bruce Bennett, Peter Graves | Directed by: Sidney Salkow
ROGUE'S MARCH (1953) (84 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Rogue's March was described by one observer as an eastern western. A mustachioed Peter Lawford stars as Capt. Dion Lenbridge of His Majesty's Service. Branded a traitor, Lenbridge is cashiered from the regiment. In fact, Lenbridge isn't a traitor, but he spends the next 84 minutes proving it. He makes it his mission in life to rid India of the insidious influence of Russia, whose leaders intend to establish a stronghold in the Jewel of the British crown. Though the Russians depicted herein are of the Czarist variety, they spout curiously communistic dialogue, a reflection of the Red paranoia then prevalent in Hollywood. With the grudging assistance of Captain Thomas Garron (Richard Greene), Lenbridge valiantly thwarts the rascally Russians' schemes during a climactic desert battle. Janice Rule is on hand as the nominal love interest, while Leo G. Carroll does a C. Aubrey Smith routine as Lenbridge's stiff-upper-lip father.
Starring: Peter Lawford, Richard Greene, Janice Rule, Leo G. Carroll | Directed by: Allan Davis
ROOTS OF HEAVEN, THE (1958) (130 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Romain Gary's best-selling novel The Roots of Heaven was adapted to film in Cinemascope and DeLuxe Color by producer Darryl F. Zanuck. Though billed third, Trevor Howard plays the central character, an idealist who has gone into Africa in hopes of saving the elephants from extinction. At first regarded as a crank, Howard shows he's not kidding by taking a shot at the posterior of a pompous news commentator (Orson Welles). As Howard's crusade gains momentum, several opportunists go along with him, among them a disgraced British military officer (Errol Flynn) hoping to redeem himself. Roots of Heaven represented the last truly worthwhile screen appearance by Errol Flynn, who died less than a year after filming his Roots death scene. The film itself was shot on location in French Equatorial Africa—a grueling experience for its stars and its director (John Huston), one worthy of a book in itself.
Starring: Errol Flynn, Trevor Howard, Eddie Albert, Orson Welles | Directed by: John Huston
RUN FOR COVER (1955) (93 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
In his first western since 1939's The Oklahoma Kid, James Cagney is a pillar of integrity in the Pine-Thomas production Run for Cover. Cagney plays Matt Dow, who at the beginning of the film has been released from prison after serving six years for a crime he didn't commit. Heading westward, Matt befriends young Davey Bishop (John Derek), whom he begins to regard as the son (or brother) he never had. When Davey is injured during a train holdup, Matt brings him to the farm of Mr. Swenson (Jean Hersholt) to convalesce. Here Matt falls in love with Swenson's daughter Helga (Viveca Lindfors). When word of Matt's prowess with a gun reaches the local townsfolk, he is offered the job of sheriff. Matt accepts, but on one condition: that the crippled Davey be appointed deputy. Matt's faith in Davey proves to be misplaced when the embittered boy throws in with the dreaded Gentry gang, but an 11th hour regeneration caps this "psychological western." The curiously Freudian relationship between Matt and Davey was par for the course for Nicholas Ray, who directed Run for Cover betwixt and between his more famous endeavors Johnny Guitar and Rebel without a Cause. — Hal Erickson
Starring: James Cagney, John Derek, Viveca Lindfors, Jean Hersholt, Ernest Borgnine | Directed by: Nicholas Ray
SADDLE THE WIND (1958) (84 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Rod Serling's first original screenplay for the Big Screen was the psychological western Saddle the Wind. In one of his best performances, Robert Taylor plays Steve Sinclair, a world-weary gunslinger. Hoping to become a rancher, Sinclair is given a plot of land by patriarchal Dr. Deneen (Donald Crisp), on the proviso that Steve tries to curb the violent tendencies of his younger brother Tony (John Cassavetes). Unfortunately, Tony is not so easily controlled; he not only seethes with sibling rivalry, but also takes near-orgasmic delight in his gunslinging skills. Determined to prove to Steve and to his saloon-girl paramour Joan Blake (Julie London) that his shooting prowess somehow makes him a superior being, Tony brings tragedy to all concerned. Elmer Bernstein's overemphatic musical score is ideally suited to the larger-than-life histrionics of Saddle the Wind. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Robert Taylor, Julie London, John Cassavetes, Donald Crisp, Charles McGraw | Directed by: Robert Parrish
SANTE FE PASSAGE (1955) (91 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
In this western, a man is falsely accused of betraying a wagon train to the Apaches and is punished by his employers, but not fired. His boss gives him a second chance and the man is assigned to make sure that an arms shipment makes it safely through the Indian land. The woman who owns the valuable cargo finds herself courted by both men. The woman, however, was born of an interracial couple; she despises this fact as she must deal with constant degradation from her un-enlightened peers. When the wagon master finds out about her family, he too must deal with his own prejudice.
Starring: John Payne, Faith Domergue, Rod Cameron, Slim Pickens | Directed by: William Witney
SATURDAY ISLAND (1952) (93 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
During World War II, an injured pilot, his nurse and a Marine, all marooned on a desert island, fall into a love triangle in this film also known as Island of Desire.
Starring: Linda Darnell, Tab Hunter, Donald Gray, John Laurie | Directed by: Stuart Heisler
SEALED CARGO (1951) (90 Min.) Genre: 1940 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Sealed Cargo was based on The Gaunt Woman, a novel by Edmund Gilligan. Dana Andrews stars as Pat Bannon, a Newfoundland fishing-boat captain during WW II. Coming to the rescue of an endangered vessel, Bannon finds himself in the middle of a nest of Nazi spies. Reasoning that he'll never be able to alert the authorities, Bannon takes it upon himself to scuttle an impending large-scale German submarine attack. Claude Rains is the personification of cultured evil as the head Nazi naval officer, while Carla Balenda co-stars as an innocent bystander who may well lose her life as a result of Bannon's planned heroics. Sealed Cargo was one of several moneymaking films released by RKO Radio during one of the studio's most profitable years. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Dana Andrews, Claude Rains, Carla Balenda, Philip Dorn | Directed by: Alfred L. Werker
SEARCHERS, THE (1956) (119 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
A vigorous, multi-layered classic regarded by many as the model western; certainly the film has been copied endlessly, although no one has matched the depth of Ford's accomplishments here. Embittered by acts of Indian savagery, Ethan (Wayne) single-mindedly tranks down his niece who'd been kidnapped as a child and forced into squawdom by a renegade. Nursing his hatred, Ethan intends to kill not only the Indian buck but also his niece because she's been defiled. Since the other frontiersmen want to rescue the girl, the film becomes an exploration of the civilizing of the Old West versus the Old West's code of vengence. A complex film shaded with ambiguities and strikengly directed by John Ford.
Starring: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, Natalie Wood | Directed by: John Ford
SECRET OF CONVICT LAKE, THE (1951) (83 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: C
Glenn Ford plays a convict who breaks out of a 19th century Nevada prison in the company of several less handsome inmates. When they enter a snowbound California village, they find that all the men have left to prospect for silver; only the women remain. The village is known as Convict Lake because, years earlier, $40,000 of stolen money was hidden somewhere in the area. Town matriarch Ethel Barrymore seems to know where it is, but she ain't talkin'. After recovering the money, the convicts are forced to shoot it out with the returning menfolk. All prisoners are rounded up by the law except for Glenn Ford, who has fortuitously been cleared of false charges, allowing him a fadeout embrace with costar Gene Tierney.
Starring: Glenn Ford, Gene Tierney, Ethel Barrymore, Zachary Scott | Directed by: Michael Gordon
SEVEN MEN FROM NOW (1956) (78 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Randolph Scott (in a role originally slated for John Wayne) trudges stoically through the West, hunting down the seven men responsible for the murder of his wife in a Wells Fargo station holdup. As the film opens, we see him dispatching two of the miscreants during a driving rainstorm. The worst of the bandits, Lee Marvin, is still at large, and a showdown is inevitable. Though the victims are deserving of their fate, the script is careful to detail the moral deterioration of Scott, who'd quit his sheriff's job to go on this unauthorized death hunt. Seven Men from Now is one of the best of the Randolph Scott/Budd Boetticher collaborations, as well as one of the few not released by Columbia Pictures. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Randolph Scott, Gail Russell, Lee Marvin, Walter Reed | Directed by: Budd Boetticher
SEVEN THUNDERS (1957) (100 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
The British Seven Thunders was released in the US as Beasts of Marseilles. Set in 1943, the film stars Stephen Boyd and Tony Wright as escaped POWs Dave and Jim. Hiding out in Marseilles, the two protagonists battle over the affections of local gamine Lise (Anna Gaylor). When they find the time, Dave and Jim plan an elaborate breakout for the other POWs sequestered in the French port city. After an engaging opening, the film relies upon serial-like thrills and hairbreadth escapes to keep the audience awake. Stealing the show from the nominal stars are those grand old British troupers James Robertson Justice and Kathleen Harrison.
Starring: Stephen Boyd, Tony Wright, Anna Gaylor, Kathleen Harrison | Directed by: Hugo Fregonese
SHANE (1953) (117 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
The simple story of a Wyoming range war is elevated to near-mythical status in producer/director George Stevens' Western classic Shane. Alan Ladd plays the title character, a mysterious drifter who rides into a tiny homesteading community and accepts the hospitality of a farming family. Patriarch Joe Starrett (Van Heflin) is impressed by the way Shane handles himself when facing down the hostile minions of land baron Emile Meyer, though he has trouble placing his complete trust in the stranger, as his Marion (Jean Arthur) is attracted to Shane in spite of herself, and his son Joey (Brandon De Wilde) flat-out idolizes Shane. When Meyer is unable to drive off the homesteaders by sheer brute strength, he engages the services of black-clad, wholly evil hired gun Jack Wilson (Jack Palance). The moment that Wilson shows he means business by shooting down hotheaded farmer Frank Torrey (Elisha Cook Jr.) is the film's most memorable scene: after years of becoming accustomed to carefully choreographed movie death scenes, the suddenness with which Torrey's life is snuffed out — and the force with which he falls to the ground — are startling. Shane knows that a showdown with Wilson is inevitable; he also knows that, unintentionally, he has become a disruptive element in the Starrett family. The manner in which he handles both these problems segues into the now-legendary "Come back, Shane" finale. Cinematographer Loyal Griggs imbues this no-frills tale with the outer trappings of an epic, forever framing the action in relation to the unspoiled land surrounding it. A.B. Guthrie Jr.'s screenplay, adapted from the Jack Schaefer novel, avoids the standard good guy/bad guy clichés: both homesteaders and cattlemen are shown as three-dimensional human beings, flaws and all, and even ostensible villain Emile Meyer comes off reasonable and logical when elucidating his dislike of the "newcomers" who threaten to divest him of his wide open spaces.
Starring: Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Jack Palance, Elisha Cook Jr. | Directed by: George Stevens
SHANGHAI STORY, THE (1954) (90 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Produced and directed by the prestigious Frank Lloyd, The Shanghai Story was promoted as a "class" production by the bread-and-butter firm of Republic Pictures. The film takes place in the eponymous far-eastern metropolis (courtesy of the Republic backlot), where Communist police chief Colonel Zorek (Marvin Miller) hopes to trap an American spy. Zorek rounds up the usual suspects and sequesters them in a seedy hotel. Could the spy be Dan Maynard (Edmond O'Brien), a cynical doctor? Is it munitions profiteer Ricki Dolmine (Barry Kelley)? Perhaps it's two-fisted mercenary seaman Knuckles Greer (Richard Jaeckel). Orrrrrrr, maybe it's the mysterious Rita King (Ruth Roman), who is inexplicably given permission to come and go as she pleases by the otherwise intractable Zorek. True to form, this Republic A-picture resolves its problems with a final reel of good old B-flick action and violence.
Starring: Ruth Roman, Edmond O'Brien, Richard Jaeckel, Barry Kelley, Whit Bissell, Frances Rafferty | Directed by: Frank Lloyd
SHEEPMAN, THE (1958) (85 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
The Sheepman was touted as a comedy by some of MGM's publicity people. It really isn't, but this western does have its lighthearted moments. Glenn Ford stars as a hard-bitten sheep farmer, running up against the opposition of cattle ranchers. Shirley MacLaine is a no-nonsense frontier girl who becomes the bone of contention between Ford and cattle baron Leslie Nielsen. Ford is able to get a leg-up in the community by humiliating Nielsen's top gun (Mickey Shaughnessy) in public. The range war comes to an end when Ford and Nielsen go one-to-one. Because The Sheepman didn't do well in its initial engagements, MGM reissued the picture under the more aggressive title The Stranger With a Gun. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Glenn Ford, Shirley MacLaine, Leslie Nielsen, Mickey Shaughnessy | Directed by: George Marshall
SHOTGUN (1955) (81 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
While John Ford and Howard Hawks received all the critical plaudits, Lesley Selander quietly went about his business directing some of the best westerns of the 1950s. In Selander's Shotgun, deputy sheriff Clay (Sterling Hayden) embarks upon a long, vengeful journey to track down Thompson (Guy Prescott), the man responsible for his boss' murder. Packing a sawed-off, double-barrelled shotgun for this purpose, Clay also carries a rifle and sixgun for such "lesser" threats as marauding Indians. Rescuing half-breed Abby (Yvonne de Carlo) from certain death, Clay takes her along on his manhunt, and later the two travellers are joined by bounty hunter Reb (Zachary Scott), who intends to get to Thompson first to collect the reward on the fugitive's head. Naturally, a bitter romantic triangle arises involving Clay, Abby and Reb, but this is briefly set aside when Thompson is finally cornered.
Starring: Sterling Hayden, Zachary Scott, Guy Prescott, Angela Greene | Directed by: Lesley Selander
SMUGGLER'S ISLAND (1951) (75 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Jeff Chandler stars in the Universal actioner Smuggler's Island. Chandler plays ex-Navy frogman Steve Kent, now employed as a diver for hire in Macao. On the verge of bankruptcy, Kent is bailed out by mystery woman Vivian Craig (Evelyn Keyes), who wants him to locate a stolen cache of gold. Other interested parties include Vivian's shifty husband (Philip Friend) and ruthless pirate Bok-Ying (Marvin Miller). Crosses, double-crosses and triple-crosses abound before fadeout time. The climax is a Technicolorful fireworks display aboard Kent's sloop, wherein all loose plot strands are neatly tied up. Smuggler's Island doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but this fact does not lessen its entertainment value one iota.
Starring: Jeff Chandler, Evelyn Keyes, Phillip Friend, Marvin Miller | Directed by: Edward Ludwig
SOLDIERS THREE (1951) (87 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Allegedly based on a Rudyard Kipling novel, this draws most of its inspiration from the 1939 film made of Kipling's narrative poem Gunga Din. Stewart Granger, Robert Newton and Cyril Cusack play three boisterous English soldiers stationed on the Northern India frontier. Walter Pidgeon and David Niven are the threesome's superior officers, who are aggravated by the soldiers' drunken exploits but who appreciate how valuable they are to the regiment. The soldiers three become heroes once more when they thwart a native uprising. Producer Pandro S. Berman, coincidentally, had been in charge of production at RKO when Gunga Din was filmed.
Starring: Stewart Granger, Walter Pidgeon, David Niven, Robert Newton | Directed by: Tay Garnett
SOUTH SEA SINNER (1950) (88 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
South Sea Sinner is a remake of 1940's Seven Sinners, with Shelley Winters in the Marlene Dietrich role and MacDonald Carey as the John Wayne counterpart. Winters plays cabaret singer Coral, who manages to spark a riot wherever she goes. Carey co-stars as Jake Davis, who has been wandering aimlessly throughout the South Seas ever since he was framed on a gun-smuggling charge. These two volatile personalities become embroiled in the crooked schemes concocted by all-around villain Cognac (Luther Adler). Featured in the cast are Frank Lovejoy as Jake's best friend, and Helena Carter as the "right" girl for Our Hero. But the film's main attraction for modern audiences is the one and only Liberace, making his film debut as Coral's sardonic accompanist.
Starring: MacDonald Carey, Shelley Winters, Helena Carter, Luther Adler, Frank Lovejoy | Directed by: H. Bruce Humberstone
SOUTHWEST PASSAGE (1954) (75 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
In this western, a forward thinking hero joins in on the promotion of camels as the perfect desert pack animals. He embarks upon a journey with a group of others. Among them is a fugitive bankrobber and his girl friend who are trying to outfox a posse. One of the hero's men recognizes the desperado and begins blackmailing him in exchange for silence. During the journey, a band of angry natives attack. Later, the group loses their water and face the prospect of dying of thirst. The picture was originally released in 3-D.
Starring: Joanne Dru, Rod Cameron, John Ireland, John Dehner | Directed by: Ray Nazarro
STAGE TO TUCSON (1950) (81 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Rod Cameron and Wayne Morris star as Civil War officers who become federal agents. The duo is sent west to investigate a series of stage hijackings. The criminals tend to bypass gold and valuables, and are seemingly interested only in the weapons carried on these coaches. It turns out that the hijackers are secret secessionists, hoping to achieve victory for the Southern cause. Stage to Tucson manages to pack a passel of thrills into its 82 minutes, compensating for the film's paucity of plot.
Starring: Rod Cameron, Wayne Morris, Kay Buckley, Carl Benton Reid | Directed by: Ralph Moody, Ralph Murphy
STALAG 17 (1953) (120 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
The scene is a German POW camp, sometime during the mid-1940s. Stalag 17, exclusively populated by American sergeants, is overseen by sadistic commandant Oberst Von Schernbach (Otto Preminger) and the deceptively avuncular sergeant Schultz (Sig Ruman). The inmates spend their waking hours circumventing the boredom of prison life; at night, they attempt to arrange escapes. When two of the escapees, Johnson and Manfredi, are shot down like dogs by the Nazi guards, Stalag 17's resident wiseguy Sefton (William Holden) callously collects the bets he'd placed concerning the fugitives' success. No doubt about it: there's a security leak in the barracks, and everybody suspects the enterprising Sefton — who manages to obtain all the creature comforts he wants — of being a Nazi infiltrator. Things get particularly dicey when Lt. Dunbar (Don Taylor), temporarily billetted in Stalag 17 before being transferred to an officer's camp, tells his new bunkmates that he was responsible for the destruction of a German ammunition train. Sure enough, this information is leaked to the Commandant, and Dunbar is subjected to a brutal interrogation. Certain by now that Sefton is the "mole", the other inmates beat him to a pulp. But Sefton soon learns who the real spy is, and reveals that information on the night of Dunbar's planned escape. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Stalag 17 is as much comedy as wartime melodrama, with most of the laughs provided by Robert Strauss as the Betty Grable-obsessed "Animal" and Harvey Lembeck as Stosh's best buddy Harry. Other standouts in the all-male cast include Richard Erdman as prisoner spokesman Hoffy, Neville Brand as the scruffy Duke, Peter Graves as blonde-haired, blue-eyed "all American boy" Price, Gil Stratton as Sefton's sidekick Cookie (who also narrates the film) and Robinson Stone as the catatonic, shell-shocked Joey. Writer/producer/director Billy Wilder and coscenarist Edmund Blum remained faithful to the plot and mood the Donald Bevan/Edmund Trzcinski stage play Stalag 17, while changing virtually every line of dialogue-all to the better, as it turned out (Trzcinski, who like Bevan based the play on his own experiences as a POW, appears in the film as the ingenuous prisoner who "really believes" his wife's story about the baby abandoned on her doorstep). William Holden won an Academy Award for his hard-bitten portrayal of Sefton, which despite a hokey "I'm really a swell guy after all" gesture near the end of the film still retains its bite today. — Hal Erickson
Starring: William Holden, Don Taylor, Otto Preminger, Robert Strauss | Directed by: Billy Wilder
STEEL HELMET, THE (1951) (84 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
The finest film ever produced by Lippert Studios, The Steel Helmet is also among the best-ever Hollywood war pictures. Set during the Korean War, the film stars Gene Evans as a hardened infantry sergeant. When his entire company is wiped out by the enemy, Evans is taken prisoner. The film's now-legendary first close up is not of Evans but of his helmet, as he lies in a ditch, hiding from a North Korean sniper. Rescued by South Korean orphan Short Round (William Chun), the cynical Evans is bribed into leading a ragtag group of American soldiers, who have likewise been cut off from their units. Commandeering an abandoned Buddhist temple, Evans sets up an observation post and awaits the enemy's next move. Because he never lets sentiment or compassion interfere with his judgment, Evans survives the inevitable showdown. Outside of the brilliant, definitive portrayal by Gene Evans, the film's best performance is delivered by African-American actor James Edwards, playing a pragmatic, chain-smoking surgeon. The scene in which Edwards defends his segregated homeland to a taunting North Korean prisoner is an unheralded classic. This was producer/director/writer Sam Fuller's first war film; it would most assuredly not be his last.
Starring: Gene Evans, Robert Hutton, Richard Loo, Steve Brodie | Directed by: Samuel Fuller
STRANGER ON HORSEBACK (1955) (66 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Adapted from a novel by Louis L'Amour, Stranger on Horseback is one of Joel McCrea's shorter western vehicles, zipping merrily along at a mere 66 minutes. McCrea plays a travelling judge who makes it his mission in life to clean up the town of Bannerman. This proves difficult, in that the town is virtually owned by the Bannerman family. But when the family's youngest son (Kevin McCarthy) commits murder, McCrea vows to bring the boy to justice — and to see that he gets a fair trial, despite pressure from the Bannermans' enemies. Czech-Mexican actress Miroslava makes one of her rare American film appearances as McCrea's love interest; shortly after Stranger on Horseback was released, Miroslava committed suicide, allegedly as a result of an unhappy romance with bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguin. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Joel McCrea, Kevin McCarthy, John McIntire, Nancy Gates | Directed by: Jacques Tourneur
STRANGER WORE A GUN, THE (1953) (83 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Randolph Scott makes his 3-D debut in the stereoscopic western Stranger Wore a Gun. This time, Scott plays Jeff Travis, a former spy for Quantrill's Raiders. When he heads to Arizona to start life anew, Travis finds that his reputation has preceded him: crooked Jules Mourret (George Macready) hires him to monitor a series of gold shipments, in preparation for a major robbery. Eventually, Travis falls in love with Shelby Conroy (Joan Weldon), daughter of freight-line operator Jason Conroy (Pierre Watkin), and decides to turn honest. That won't be easy: in addition to the surly Mourret, Travis must deal with such formidable movie heavies as Alfonso Bedoya, Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine. Also on hand is Claire Trevor, in a soft-pedalled variation of her role in John Ford's Stagecoach. Stranger Wore a Gun was directed by Andre DeToth, whose previous foray into 3D had been the box-office smash House of Wax.
Starring: Randolph Scott, Claire Trevor, Joan Weldon, George Macready, Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Richard Benjamin | Directed by: André De Toth
TALL T, THE (1957) (78 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Perhaps the grittiest and grimmest of the Randolph Scott-Budd Boetticher collaborations, The Tall T was adapted by Burt Kennedy from the Elmore Leonard short story The Captive. Scott plays a former ranch foreman who, along with newlyweds Maureen O'Sullivan and John Hubbard, is held hostage at a deserted stagecoach station by ruthless bandit Richard Boone and his henchmen Henry Silva and Skip Homeier. Since we already know that Boone has no qualms about killing a freckle-faced 10 year old boy, we shudder to think of what's in store for Scott and his fellow captives once Boone carries out his plan to rob the next stagecoach. In Boetticher's time-honored Mexican Standoff fashion, Scott bargains with Boone for the life of O'Sullivan, but his efforts are undercut by Hubbard's cowardly treachery. The film's sparse, carefully controlled tension level bursts into full-out bloodshed only minutes before the final fade-out. Curiously, the title The Tall T is never explained at any time; certainly the "T" doesn't refer to Randolph Scott, whose character name is Pat Brennan. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Randolph Scott, Richard Boone, Maureen O'Sullivan, Skip Homeier | Directed by: Budd Boetticher
TANGANYIKA (1954) (81 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Despite its title, Tanganyika was largely filmed in the wilds of Universal City. Set in 1900, the film stars Van Heflin as safari guide John Gale, hired to launch a manhunt for the murderous Abel McCracken (Jeff Morrow). Deep in the territory controlled by the Nukumbi tribe, McCracken has been using the natives for his own reign of terror agains the British settlers of Tanganyika. Along for the chase are McCracken's honest brother Dan (Howard Duff), schoolmarm Peggy (Ruth Roman), and two precocious kids (Noreen Corcoran, Gregory Marshall). Gale's motives have nothing to do with justice, or even the charms of Peggy; he hopes to stake a claim on a piece of valuable African real estate. A climactic man-to-man battle between Gale and McCracken brings the proceedings to a rousing conclusion.
Starring: Van Heflin, Ruth Roman, Howard Duff, Jeff Morrow | Directed by: André De Toth
TARGET ZERO (1955) (92 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Apparently as a reward for his excellent performance in the 1954 western Drum Beat, Charles Bronson was given a leading role in this Warner Bros. programmer. The action takes place during the Korean War: a melting-pot unit of American soldiers, together with three British troopers, find themselves trapped behind enemy lines. Making their way to a hilltop that is under United Nations control, these squabbling stragglers discover that the defending soldiers have been wiped out by the Enemy. Ordered to hold the hill under reinforcements arrive, the soldiers, under the command of Lt. Flagler (Richard Conte) and Sgt. Gaspari (Charles Bronson), endeavor to do their duty without getting picked off themselves. As tension mounts, the Americans and the Brits get on each other's nerves, but it's "all for one, one for all" when it really counts. Future TV producer Aaron Spelling shows up in a bit part.
Starring: Richard Conte, Peggie Castle, Charles Bronson, Richard Stapley, L.Q. Jones, Chuck Connors, Strother Martin | Directed by: Harmon Jones
TEN DAYS TO TULARA (1958) (77 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Scotty (Sterling Hayden), a charter pilot operating out of Mexico, is forced to join up with a criminal gang when his son is kidnapped. Cesar (Rodolfo Hoyos), the leader of the gang, wants Scotty to help the crooks escape to freedom with $250,000 in stolen money. The plane crashes, forcing Scotty and the gang to make the rest of their getaway on foot and in hijacked cars. Along the way, Scotty falls in love with Cesar's semi-honest daughter Teresa (Grace Raynor). From the looks of things, Ten Days to Tulara began as a documentary of Mexican native ceremonials and dances, with the plotline tacked on to keep the audience from nodding off. In any event, it's curious that the ABC network chose this very modest programmer as one of the entries in their 1962-63 Hollywood Special movie package, along with Inherit the Wind, The Magnificent Seven and On the Beach.
Starring: Sterling Hayden, Grace Raynor, Carlos Muzquiz, Juan Garcia | Directed by: George Sherman
TEN WANTED MEN (1955) (80 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Randolph Scott is tall in the saddle once more in the Scott-Brown production Ten Wanted Men. The star is cast as John Stewart, who attempts to establish law and order on his vast Arizona spread without resorting to violence. Less peacefully inclined is Stewart's chief rival Wick Campbell (Richard Boone), who believes that might is right. To this end, Campbell recruits the services of hired gun Frank Scavo (Leo Gordon) and eight other pluguglies to drive all competition out of the territory. Jocelyn Brando costars as the woman in Stewart's life, while Donna Martell plays Campbell's much-abused mistress. Also registering well is Skip Homeier as Stewart's resentful nephew, who'd rather be anywhere else but Arizona. Ten Wanted Men might have been better had Budd Boetticher handled the direction instead of the competent but pedestrian H. Bruce Humberstone. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Randolph Scott, Jocelyn Brando, Richard Boone, Alfonso Bedoya | Directed by: H. Bruce Humberstone
THEY WERE NOT DIVIDED (1950) (91 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
This wartime drama recounts the training process of the British Tank Corps. The story concentrates on two recruits: Englishman Philip (Edward Underdown) and American David (Ralph Clanton). After a grueling training period and a long, frustratingly uneventful encampment on British soil, Philip and David are shipped to the Front. Both men have a rendezvous with destiny during the German offensive at Ardennes. R.S.M. Brittain etches a chilling portrayal of a merciless drill sergeant, while the splendidly mustached Michael Trubshawe is equally effective as a by-the-book major. Since there must be a romantic subplot, it is fortunate indeed that the heroes' ladies are played by two charming and talented actresses, Helen Cherry and Stella Andrews.
Starring: Edward Underdown, Ralph Clanton, Helen Cherry, Michael Brennan | Directed by: Terence Young
THREE OUTLAWS, THE (1956) (74 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
In this western, three gringos deposit their loot in a Mexican bank and set up homes in a tiny village where they hope to live long, peaceful lives. Unfortunately other banditos rob their bank, forcing them to ride out after them.
Starring: Alan Hale, Jr., Neville Brand, Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr., William Henry | Directed by: Sam Newfield
THREE ROAD WEST (1954) (84 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
After Robert Francis became an "instant star" in Columbia's The Caine Mutiny (54), the studio rushed Francis into as many vehicles as possible. In They Rode West, Francis plays a young Army doctor, stationed at a remote cavalry post. The post's commander (Philip Carey) immediately clashes with Francis due to the latter's humanitarian attitudes towards Native Americans. When a malaria epidemic breaks out at a local Kiowa encampment, Francis insists upon treating the Indians, despite opposition from both Carey and the tribe's medicine men. May Wynn, Francis' Caine Mutiny vis-a-vis, is third-billed in They Rode West. Alas, Robert Francis' skyrocketing career plummeted to earth when he was killed in a 1955 car accident.
Starring: Robert Francis, Donna Reed, May Wynn, Philip Carey | Directed by: Phil Karlson
TIN STAR, THE (1957) (93 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Taciturn marshal-turned-bounty hunter Henry Fonda rides into a small town where greenhorn deputy Anthony Perkins is sole representative of the law. Sensing that the boy could use some seasoning, Fonda makes it his mission to teach Perkins how to protect himself against the criminal element. Though diametrically opposed in personality, the older Fonda and the younger Perkins find they are kindred spirits in their dedication to their work. Using the lessons taught him by Fonda, Perkins is able to prove his worth by taking on town hothead Neville Brand. Directed with a minimum of slack and flab by Anthony Mann, The Tin Star was later spun off into the TV series The Deputy, which starred Henry Fonda and Allen Case. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Henry Fonda, Anthony Perkins, Betsy Palmer, Neville Brand | Directed by: Anthony Mann
TOMAHAWK TRAIL (1957) (60 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
In this western, angry Apaches begin a series of raids on a cavalry outpost. First they steal all the horses from a regiment on maneuvers forcing them to march back to the fort. Upon their return, the soldiers discover that everyone at the fort has been massacred. Now a rookie West Point officer is left in charge, and unfortunately, he is too green to lead. Fortunately, a sergeant is there to take over the reins.
Starring: John Smith, Susan Cummings, Lisa Montell, Chuck Connors | Directed by: Lesley Selander
TOP OF THE WORLD (1955) (90 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
The title refers not to James Cagney's curtain line in White Heat but to Northern Alaska, where this film is set. Dale Robertson plays an Air Force jet pilot who resents the fact that he's been transferred from Hawaii to the frozen north. He changes his mind when he meets his ex-wife (Evelyn Keyes), now the proprietress of an Alaskan nightclub. Alas, Evelyn is planning to get married again — and her intended is none other than her ex-husband's commanding officer (Frank Lovejoy)! Hostilities build to a fever pitch, but all petty differences are forgotten when the commander oversees a rescue mission to save the pilot and his crew from a floating glacier. The aerial photography is the most entertaining ingredient of Top of the World.
Starring: Dale Robertson, Evelyn Keyes, Frank Lovejoy, Nancy Gates | Directed by: Lewis R. Foster
TORPEDO RUN (1958) (95 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Glenn Ford is at his taciturn best in the psychological WW2 drama Torpedo Run. Ford plays submarine commander Barney Doyle, who is obsessed with sinking a particular Japanese aircraft carrier. Several months earlier, the carrier had escaped destruction by shielding itself with a POW transport ship, which was sunk by Doyle's torpedoes. The sunken transport had been carrying Doyle's wife and daughter, captured in the Philippines. This tragically unavoidable incident has transformed Doyle into a modern Ahab, mercilessly driving the men under him towards the single goal of blowing the hated enemy aircraft carrier out of the seas. Finally, Doyle achieves his goal, and all is forgiven between himself and his crew, especially his second-in-command Archer Sloan (Ernest Borgnine). Unfortunately, Doyle's sub was irreparably damaged in the attack, setting the stage for an exciting underwater-escape climax. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Glenn Ford, Ernest Borgnine, Diane Brewster, Dean Jones | Directed by: Joseph Pevney
TRACK OF THE CAT (1954) (103 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
In this experimental 1954 Western, director William Wellman uses black-and-white backgrounds with occasional splatches of color on certain characters' bodies and clothes. On a snowbound ranch in northern California, the Bridges family is trapped by winter weather and its own internal conflicts. It is run by a stern matriarch, Ma Bridges (Beulah Bondi), who lords it over her weak, alcoholic husband (Philip Tonge) and her bitter, unmarried daughter, Grace (Teresa Wright). The three sons squabble constantly. Staying at the ranch is a young neighbor, Gwen Williams (Diana Lynn), who is smitten with one of the sons, Harold (Tab Hunter). But the arrogant Curt (Robert Mitchum) wants to take control of the ranch and take possession of Gwen too. During the winter, a black panther has been killing the cattle on the ranch. Curt and the third brother, the quiet Arthur (William Hopper), set out to kill the panther, but when Curt leaves to get more food, the cat kills Arthur. The grief-stricken family blames Curt, who then sets out on his own to kill the beast.
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Teresa Wright, Diana Lynn, Tab Hunter, Beulah Bondi | Directed by: William Wellman
TREASURE OF RUBY HILLS (1955) (71 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Zachary Scott heads the cast of the heavily plotted western Treasure of Ruby Hills. The son of a notorious outlaw, Haney (Scott) intends to settle down peacefully in Soledad, Arizona. This proves difficult when Haney finds himself in the middle of a violent feud over water rights. The heavy of the piece is ranch foreman Doran (Dick Foran), who plays both sides down the middle in hopes of grabbing control of the water for himself. Carole Mathews co-stars as Sherry, Haney's sweetheart, while Lola Albright steals every scene she's in as the voluptuous May. Treasure of Ruby Hills was lensed by Allied Artists in the same locations later utilized by the studio's "Bowery Boys" opus Dig That Uranium.
Starring: Zachary Scott, Carole Mathews, Barton MacLane, Dick Foran | Directed by: Frank McDonald
UP PERISCOPE (1959) (111 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Lt. (jg) Ken Braden (James Garner) is a US Navy frogman and underwater demolitions expert who is assigned to a vital mission, and to a submarine captained by Commander Stevenson Edmond O'Brien. But Stevenson is a CO who may have seen too many men die -- the two immediately come into conflict over Braden's presence on the boat and his mission, a top secret foray into Japanese waters that jeopardizes the boat. The captain, in his strict adherence to regulations, makes it as difficult as possible for Braden to carry out his assignment, and Braden doesn't make matters easier between them by speaking his mind. And the crew's low morale only makes matters worse as the voyage progresses and the dangers around them mount.
Starring: James Garner, Edmond O'Brien, Alan Hale, Jr., Frank Gifford, Edward Byrnes, Warren Oates | Directed by: Gordon M. Douglas
UTAH BLAINE (1957) (75 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Rory Calhoun is Utah Blaine in this pinch-penny Sam Katzman-produced western. Adapted from a novel by Louis L'Amour, the story concerns the efforts of gunslinger Blaine to save a group of ranchers from an outlaw gang. When one the ranchers is killed, Utah finds himself half-owner of a valuable spread, placing him directly in the line of fire along with his attractive "business partner" Angie Kinyon (Susan Cummings). Ray Teal is all snarls as the outlaw leader, while former boxer Max Baer Sr. does a brief turn as a slow-witted hooligan. Like most Sam Katzman efforts, Utah Blaine turned a tidy profit for Katzman's home base of Columbia. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Rory Calhoun, Susan Cummings, Angela Stevens, Max Baer | Directed by: Fred Sears
WAGONMASTER (1950) (86 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Wagon Master, splendidly directed by John Ford, is a superlative western. The film is the outwardly simple tale of a Mormon wagon train headed for Utah. Along the way, the group, led by Elder Wiggs (Ward Bond) hook up with two horse traders Travis Blue (Ben Johnson) and Sandy Owens (Harry Carey Jr), the members of a traveling medicine show and a tribe of Navajo Indians. The group is threatened by a gang, known as the Clegg family, who have robbed an express office and murdered the clerk. This wonderful film emphasizes the virtues of solidarity, sacrifice and tolerance, and shows John Ford at his most masterful, in total control of the production from the casting to the bit players to the grandeur and scope of the visual compositions. The film, with its breathtaking scenery, brilliant performances by a cast of character actors, and an engaging sense of humor, is a superlative example of the American western. Wagonmaster inspired the television series Wagon Train and was also shown in a computer-colorized version — Linda Rasmussen
Starring: Ben Johnson, Hari Kari Jr., Joanne Dru, Ward Bond | Directed by: John Ford
WAGONS WEST (1952) (70 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Rod Cameron's western vehicles for Monogram were always worth watching, even when Cameron was better than the scripts. In Wagons West, the star plays wagonmaster Jeff Curtis, who guides a group of Easterners to California in the 1870s. Trouble looms in the form of a Cheyenne tribe who is being supplied with weapons by a treacherous white man. Even more trouble comes Curtis' way when he discovers that the gun-runner is a member of his own wagon train. Well-photographed in two-color Cinecolor, Wagons West boasts an above-average supporting cast, ranging from bucolic Noah Beery Jr. to steely-eyed Henry Brandon.
Starring: Rod Cameron, Noah Beery, Jr, Peggie Castle, Michael Chapin | Directed by: Ford I. Beebe
WARPATH (1951) (95 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
In this western, a cowboy rides out to avenge the death of his fiancee. Three outlaws are responsible for the murder. He finds the first and kills him. The second he finds has become a sergeant in the Seventh Cavalry. The third has become a storekeeper. Unfortunately, before he can kill them, they are all captured by the angry Indians. In captivity, the sergeant sacrifices his life to save the other two. The storekeeper rides off to warn Custer of an impending ambush. He is killed and the cowboy begins romancing the late storekeeper's daughter. The battle scenes in this western are exceptionally well done.
Starring: Edmond O'Brien, Dean Jagger, Charles Stevens, Polly Bergen | Directed by: Byron Haskin
WICHITA (1955) (81 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Filmed around the same time as Gunfight at the OK Corral, Wichita is a more modest—and to some, more entertaining—slant on the Wyatt Earp legend. Joel McCrea does his usual smooth, underplayed job as Earp, who aims to bring law and order to the wide-open cow town of Wichita. His least popular move is to take away the guns of everyone in town, no matter how important. Only when town banker McCoy (Walter Coy) is hit with a personal tragedy does Earp's no-guns edict begin to make sense. Linking the episodic storyline is an offscreen ballad, sung High Noon style by Tex Ritter. Interestingly, Joel McCrea would later star in the 1959 TV western Wichita Town—though not, of course, as Wyatt Earp (Hugh O'Brien was busy with that character on another network!)
Starring: Joel McCrea, Vera Miles, Lloyd Bridges, Wallace Ford | Directed by: Jacques Tourneur
WILD NORTH, THE (1952) (97 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Filmed on location in Canada, The Wild North stars Stewart Granger as renegade trapper Jules Vincent. Forced to kill in self-defence, Vincent hides out in the wilderness, obliging RCMP constable Pedley (Wendell Corey) to chase after him in some of the most treacherous territory in Northern America. After braving the elements and various wild animals, Vincent and the wounded Pedley are compelled to join forces in order to survive their ordeal. Though his common sense advises him to leave Pedley to die, Vincent's essential decency wins out, and the trapper struggles against the odds to bring the constable back to civilization. Third-billed Cyd Charisse does a little box-office duty in the thankless role of an Indian maiden smitten by Vincent's charms. — Hal Erickson
Starring: Stewart Granger, Wendell Corey, Cyd Charisse, Morgan Farley | Directed by: Andrew Marton
WINCHESTER '73 (1950) (82 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Lin McAdam (James Stewart) and his friend High-Spade (Millard Mitchell) arrive in Dodge City for a shooting contest, in which the prize is a perfectly manufactured Winchester repeating rifle, referred to as "One of a Thousand" -- a gun so fine that Winchester won't sell it. Lin runs across Dutch Henry Brown (Stephen McNally) in a saloon and the two would kill each other right there but for the fact that town marshal Wyatt Earp (Will Geer) has everyone's guns. Lin wins the rifle in an extraordinary marksmanship match-up with Brown, but the latter steals the prize from him and sets out across the desert. Thus begins a battle of wits and nerves, and a pursuit to the death. The roots and raw psychological dimensions of that chase are only exposed gradually, across a story arc that includes references to Custer's Last Stand, run-ins with marauding Indians, a heroic stand with a a shady but well-intentioned grifter (Charles Drake), and a meeting with murderous sociopath named Waco Johnny Dean (Dan Duryea), plus a romantic encounter with a young, golden-hearted frontier woman (Shelley Winters). All of these story lines eventually get drawn together neatly and gracefully by director Anthony Mann, who balances the violence of the events with a lyrical, almost poetic visual language.
Starring: James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, Charles Drake, Rock Hudson | Directed by: Anthony Mann
WONDERFUL COUNTRY, THE (1959) (96 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: A
Although a mood of melancholy or worse pervades this excellent western, it remains an honest and hard-hitting look at the realistic adventures of Martin Brady (Robert Mitchum -- who produced). Brady fled to Mexico while still quite young in order to avoid prison in the U.S. -- he had killed his father's murderer. After years spent working as a gunman for a wealthy "padron," he hates white Americans but has to go north to get weapons. Once on the wrong side of the border, he gets into trouble with U.S. Army for not helping them hunt down Apaches. But the people he meets in a small town, one a European immigrant, begin to change his black-and-white view of the world. Meanwhile, he and Ellen Colton (Julie London), the unhappy wife of an army major, begin to fall in love. Several more adventures and a tragedy or two affect the unlikely couple's future -- ultimately for the better. Baseball hero "Satchel" Paige shows up in a cameo role, leading an Afro-American unit of the U.S. army. Mexican star Pedro Armendariz is Brady's boss, Governor Castro.
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Julie London, Gary Merrill, Pedro Armendáriz, Albert Dekker, Charles McGraw | Directed by: Robert Parrish
WOODEN HORSE, THE (1950) (98 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Based on a true story (believe it or don't!), The Wooden Horse is set in a wartime German prison camp. It being the duty for every British POW to attempt escape, internees Leo Genn, David Tomlinson and Anthony Steel hit upon a daring scheme. Building an outsized, boxlike vaulting horse, purportedly for exercise purposes, the trio begin digging a tunnel beneath the horse-right under the noses of their German captors. As one of the first of the British "prison camp getaway" genre, The Wooden Horse establishes many of the form's cliches, including the rule-bound German soldiers whose grasp of the obvious is appalling. Eric Williams adapted the screenplay from his novel The Tunnel Escape.
Starring: Leo Genn, David Tomlinson, Anthony Steel, David Greene, Peter Finch | Directed by: Jack Lee
YANKEE PASHA (1954) (84 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
Yankee Pasha has the potential for silliness, but is commendably played straight by most of the participants (exceptions being such professional funsters as Hal March and Benny Rubin). Jeff Chandler plays American frontiersman Jason, who springs into action when his sweetheart Roxanna (Rhonda Fleming) is kidnapped by Barbary Pirates. Pursuing the villains all the way to Morocco, Jason gains the confidence of sultan Lee J. Cobb, who helps our hero thwart the megalomanic machinations of Omar-Id-Din (Bart Roberts). Mamie Van Doren is better than usual as a pampered harem girl who develops a crush on the stalwart Jason. Just as Universal's 1953 release Abbott and Costello Goes to Mars was an excuse to show of the charms of that year's crop of Miss Universe contests, so to does Yankee Pasha devote plenty of screen time to the pulchritudinous finalists of the 1954 Miss Universe pageant, including such now-forgotten lovelies as Christiane Martel, Kinuko Ito and Maxine Morgan.
Starring: Jeff Chandler, Rhonda Fleming, Mamie van Doren, Lee J. Cobb | Directed by: Joseph Pevney
YESTERDAY'S ENEMY (1959) (95 Min.) Genre: 1950 ACTION, Transfer Quality: B
The scene is Burma during World War II. A small British brigade led by Stanley Baker comes upon a Burmese village controlled by the Japanese. The brigade wipes out the enemy, whereupon Baker discovers that the late Japanese commandant has a coded map secreted on his person. When a Burmese prisoner who can decode the map refuses to talk, Baker orders that two peaceful villagers be executed. Baker's actions seem cruel and extreme until it becomes apparent that the enemy is twice as ruthless as he. Based on a TV play by Peter R. Newman, Yesterday's Enemy is a brutal but insightful look at the blurred line between good and evil in wartime conditions.
Starring: Stanley Baker, Guy Rolfe, Leo McKern, Richard Pasco | Directed by: Val Guest
