Perhaps my review title would have been a more appropriate title for this western, which features the well worn plot involving a range war between a cattle baron and neighboring small ranchers over the lands claimed by the small ranchers, which often are held by deeds of questionable or worthless validity.
Roy Calhoun, who starred in this one, also starred in at least one other film("Utah Blaine") about such a range war. Here, it's chunky Rufus Henshaw(Robert Middleton)who is terrorizing the small ranchers, threatening to fence them out of their traditional grazing land, which Henshaw now claims for himself. To help him convince the small ranchers and sheriff to see things his way, he hires notorious gunslinger Chet Swann(Grant Williams). Calhoun(as Alec) is reckoned to be the only local who might outdraw Swann. Calhoun has recently been hired as the Deputy Sheriff of the local community. Henshaw offers him better pay to work for him, but Calhoun refuses. Swann and Calhoun have several tense meetings before their final showdown, running around town buildings. Guess who ultimately prevails, but only with the vocal help of the sheriff's striking-looking single daughter, Caroline(Martha Hyer). As according to standard formula, at first they don't see eye-to-eye, but eventually, the implication is that Calhoun will return to her after he attends to some business elsewhere. Calhoun also runs into the equally striking-looking old Latino girlfriend, Maria(Lita Baron). She appears to be Henshaw's mistress. Seems she would rather be Calhoun's girlfriend again, but that's not in the cards.
There's a bizarre episode where Calhoun's buddy, Purvis, convinces him to dig a trench in the floor of the cabin where they are hiding, in which he places himself, then Purvis places a thin layer of soil over him, providing him with a stove pipe to breathe through! Then, the baddies who have them surrounded, set fire to the cabin, and when all is ashes, they are mystified where Calhoun vanished to. After they leave(how does he know?), he supposedly pushes the soil away and emerges from his 'grave'.
For me, the best part of the film was seeing the 2 beautiful women...There's a theme song "Red Sundown" with lyrics relating to Calhoun and Caroline, sung during the opening and closing credits....I swear, I can't tell the difference between the speech of Calhoun and Audy Murphy. One grew up in CA, while the other grew up in Texas..... Available in color at You Tube and on DVD.
Roy Calhoun, who starred in this one, also starred in at least one other film("Utah Blaine") about such a range war. Here, it's chunky Rufus Henshaw(Robert Middleton)who is terrorizing the small ranchers, threatening to fence them out of their traditional grazing land, which Henshaw now claims for himself. To help him convince the small ranchers and sheriff to see things his way, he hires notorious gunslinger Chet Swann(Grant Williams). Calhoun(as Alec) is reckoned to be the only local who might outdraw Swann. Calhoun has recently been hired as the Deputy Sheriff of the local community. Henshaw offers him better pay to work for him, but Calhoun refuses. Swann and Calhoun have several tense meetings before their final showdown, running around town buildings. Guess who ultimately prevails, but only with the vocal help of the sheriff's striking-looking single daughter, Caroline(Martha Hyer). As according to standard formula, at first they don't see eye-to-eye, but eventually, the implication is that Calhoun will return to her after he attends to some business elsewhere. Calhoun also runs into the equally striking-looking old Latino girlfriend, Maria(Lita Baron). She appears to be Henshaw's mistress. Seems she would rather be Calhoun's girlfriend again, but that's not in the cards.
There's a bizarre episode where Calhoun's buddy, Purvis, convinces him to dig a trench in the floor of the cabin where they are hiding, in which he places himself, then Purvis places a thin layer of soil over him, providing him with a stove pipe to breathe through! Then, the baddies who have them surrounded, set fire to the cabin, and when all is ashes, they are mystified where Calhoun vanished to. After they leave(how does he know?), he supposedly pushes the soil away and emerges from his 'grave'.
For me, the best part of the film was seeing the 2 beautiful women...There's a theme song "Red Sundown" with lyrics relating to Calhoun and Caroline, sung during the opening and closing credits....I swear, I can't tell the difference between the speech of Calhoun and Audy Murphy. One grew up in CA, while the other grew up in Texas..... Available in color at You Tube and on DVD.