8 Unsung Westerns You Should Watch
Not the greatest Westerns---No one has the right to make that claim---but extremely watchable ones that are entertaining in their own right, and deserving of attention.
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- DirectorCharles Marquis WarrenStarsRichard EganDorothy MaloneCameron MitchellA reluctant gunslinger tires of having to defend himself at every cow town he visits, so he adopts an alias and continues his wandering. At an outpost run by a father and young son, he gets involved with a robbery in progress, and agrees to take the son to the boy's uncle, a sheriff in Table Rock, for his safety. Once there he finds the town gearing up for the arrival of a cattle drive and the unruly cowboys. He strives to remain uninvolved as the sheriff tries to get his help with the cowboys, but the sheriff nurses bad memories from an earlier incident that may threaten his effectiveness.There are similarities to the story of Bob Ford, Jesse James' assassin, but they'vegiven it an interesting twist. The end scene is very influential on THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES twenty years later.
- DirectorCecil B. DeMilleStarsGary CooperJean ArthurJames EllisonWild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody attempt to stop an Indian uprising that was started by white gun-runners.Cooper makes a very interesting Hickok. DeMille admitted playing with the facts, stating the real story onscreen looks like a sham. Extremely entertaining. One of Anthony Quinn's early roles.
- DirectorBurt KennedyStarsRobert MitchumGeorge KennedyMartin BalsamAn aging lawman and an aging outlaw join forces when their respective positions in society are usurped by a younger, but incompetent Marshal, and a younger, but vicious gang leader.Burt Kennedy made the best of the comedic Westerns, and ranks just below his SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF/GUNFIGHTER. Not as comic as those, it has traces of meloncholia as well. Mitchum & Kennedy make a good team, but Martin Balsam steals it.
- DirectorJames Edward GrantStarsJohn WayneGail RussellHarry CareyQuirt Evans, an all round bad guy, is nursed back to health and sought after by Penelope Worth, a Quaker girl. He eventually finds himself having to choose between his world and the world Penelope lives in.The main character fires his weapon only in he first scene, but this is far from being a dull film. Gail Russell was one of filmdom's most beautiful (& tragic) figures. This is easily her best part. One of the Western's best love stories. Harry Carey's last good part.
- DirectorAntonio MargheritiStarsJim BrownLee Van CleefFred WilliamsonAfter selling his cattle in town, ranch owner Morgan unexpectedly dies, and his foreman Pike has to deliver the payroll to Sonora, despite the perilous journey during which he's followed by many shady characters who want the money.Not to be taken seriously, the action never ceases without being bloody. Wonderful actioneer, and a lesson in friendship. Williamson is super, as is Jerry Goldsmith's score.
- DirectorRussell RouseStarsGlenn FordJeanne CrainBroderick CrawfordIn the western frontier town of Cross Creek, storekeeper George Temple is a polite and soft spoken man with a secret past. When 3 bank robbers on the lam stop in town to change horses, George's past comes back to haunt him.Easily Glenn Ford's best performance. He's challenged by an outlaw who wants to be the fastest, but there's a catch. Outstanding supporting cast as well. Russ Tamblyn does a dance number that would have gone down as one of the all-time greats had he done it in a musical. Outstanding cinematography. Very suspenseful.
- DirectorRalph NelsonStarsJames GarnerSidney PoitierBibi AnderssonIn Apache territory, a supply Army column heads for the next fort, an ex-scout searches for the killer of his Indian wife, and a housewife abandons her husband in order to rejoin her Apache lover's tribe.Garner's a scout who wants to avenge his murdered wife while assisting Andersson. Great actioneer that's a great look at prejudice. Terrific Neal Hefti score.
- DirectorAndré De TothStarsJoel McCreaVeronica LakeDon DeForeViolent feud between Connie Dickason, the owner of the Circle 66 ranch and rancher Frank Ivey, the self-proclaimed boss of an otherwise public grazing land.A combination of film noir and the Western. McCrea is a cowboy drawn into a range war, and he has trouble deciding who the bad guys are. DeFore is excellent, as is the cinemaphotography.