This is a vibrant western from the folks at 20th Century Fox. The story is based on the legend of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday with revised names and modified scenarios. It has a lot going for it as fictional entertainment. In addition to the vivid larger-than-life characters, the whole thing is shot in Technicolor, and the outdoor sequences have been recorded on location at Glacier National Park in Montana.
Rory Calhoun, soon to leave the studio and begin freelancing, is cast as the Earp stand-in-- a lawman and miner called Chino Bull (a play on 'Bull in a China shop' perhaps?). When his prospecting buddy (Frank Ferguson) is killed while he's left camp for supplies, Calhoun gives up panning for gold and returns to town permanently. He decides it's time to wear the badge again.
The man he meets next is a Doc Holliday type (Cameron Mitchell). But instead of being a dentist ailing from tuberculosis, Mitchell's character is a general physician with a brain tumor. Calhoun and Mitchell strike up an unusual friendship.
Calhoun is still determined to follow leads on a man (Carl Betz) he suspects of having bushwhacked Ferguson. The twist is that Mitchell had killed Ferguson in self-defense, then took the gold, but he's afraid to tell Calhoun. He knows that if he confesses, this will undoubtedly lead to a showdown, which is exactly what happens at the end of the picture when Calhoun learns the truth. Tense stuff.
Added into the mix of gold, lawlessness and gunfire is the presence of two attractive females. They provide the necessary romantic complications.
Corinne Calvet is a saloon madame known for her skills as a card dealer. She is in love with Mitchell, though she realizes he's ill. He eventually dies in her arms because of the brain tumor, a highly emotional scene for a movie of this sort.
The other gal is an east coast transplant (Penny Edwards). She's come to track Mitchell down since they share a past. But she instead falls in love with Calhoun, after she is shot and must be saved.
Most of this is fairly routine, but there's plenty of drama and excitement. And Calhoun is perfectly at ease as the lawman. He ensures that this is an enjoyable and above average western effort.
Rory Calhoun, soon to leave the studio and begin freelancing, is cast as the Earp stand-in-- a lawman and miner called Chino Bull (a play on 'Bull in a China shop' perhaps?). When his prospecting buddy (Frank Ferguson) is killed while he's left camp for supplies, Calhoun gives up panning for gold and returns to town permanently. He decides it's time to wear the badge again.
The man he meets next is a Doc Holliday type (Cameron Mitchell). But instead of being a dentist ailing from tuberculosis, Mitchell's character is a general physician with a brain tumor. Calhoun and Mitchell strike up an unusual friendship.
Calhoun is still determined to follow leads on a man (Carl Betz) he suspects of having bushwhacked Ferguson. The twist is that Mitchell had killed Ferguson in self-defense, then took the gold, but he's afraid to tell Calhoun. He knows that if he confesses, this will undoubtedly lead to a showdown, which is exactly what happens at the end of the picture when Calhoun learns the truth. Tense stuff.
Added into the mix of gold, lawlessness and gunfire is the presence of two attractive females. They provide the necessary romantic complications.
Corinne Calvet is a saloon madame known for her skills as a card dealer. She is in love with Mitchell, though she realizes he's ill. He eventually dies in her arms because of the brain tumor, a highly emotional scene for a movie of this sort.
The other gal is an east coast transplant (Penny Edwards). She's come to track Mitchell down since they share a past. But she instead falls in love with Calhoun, after she is shot and must be saved.
Most of this is fairly routine, but there's plenty of drama and excitement. And Calhoun is perfectly at ease as the lawman. He ensures that this is an enjoyable and above average western effort.