User Reviews

As a writer, I love studying the challenge offered by any "B" adventure. Lack of money to stage huge events usually in such a case of mounting a feature film production forces the producer to rely on dialogue, characters, actors and a choice of a subject that is less pretentious, more about relationship. Frequently, such a choice turns out to be more interesting than epic-sized doings, purposes and cardboard-character melodramatics. This is the case, I claim, with the low-budget adventure "The Lone Gun".This is a powerful storyline with an attractive cast well-directed by westerns' veteran Ray Nazarro. The plot line involves a drifter in the affairs of a small town. A proud young man, Skip Homeier, and his sister played by Dorothy Malone, have had their ranch taken over by a gang of outlaws led by Neville Brand, comprising Robert J., Wilkie, Douglas Kennedy and more. On his way into town the drifter, George Montgomery, meets a gambler well-played by Frank Faylen; later he teams up with a dangerous character played by James Griffith, manages to survive several attacks, solves the mystery and gets Malone back her ranch. By this time, Griffth has fallen in love with her too; but he decides not to press the point and a happy resolution is enjoyed by almost all. The accent in this unpretentious plot is on character; and the screenplay develops several very much more than is usual in an adventure script without sacrificing any of its admirable pace. Art Director Frank Sylos did a very fine job, and everything else works quite professionally. The film has an outdoor feel and the actors do nicely, particularly the loquacious Faylen and the outlaws. This is a good Montgomery vehicle, the sort of picture they do not make any more, one about people of clear purpose, implacable opponents of tyranny over them in its every form; here's one that got made and I suggest made quite winningly indeed.

Riding alone across the wide open spaces of Texas, an unshaven stranger, Cruze (George Montgomery of "Last of the Bad Men"), pauses at the camp of a loquacious gambler, Fairweather (Frank Faylan of "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral"), to guzzle a cup of coffee. Fairweather reveals that he has been schuffling cards since he learned to play rummy at age six. The cardsharp wants company to make the miles pass quickly. Cruze accommodates Fairweather, but he refuses to play cards. Suddenly, Fairweather whips out his derringer and fires at Cruze. A brief struggle ensues before Cruze realizes that Fairweather shot a snake. Cruze recognizes the snake as a harmless black snake but admits it could have been a sidewinder. When they pull into the town of Marlpine, Cruze promises to buy Fairweather a drink.

Before our heroes arrive in town, the notorious Moran brothers, Tray (Neville Brand of "D.O.A"), Hort (Douglas Kennedy of "'), and Gad (Robert J. Wilke of "The Magnificent Seven") storm into the bar. While Charlie the bartender (Douglas Fowley) is serving drinks to them, he tells them about a hundred head of choice, unbranded calves just across the county line. Tray leaves the saloon and confronts. He claims Fairweather dealt from a marked deck in El Paso and cheated him out of $500. Tray threatens to confiscate Fairweather's buckskin and saddle. Cruze intervenes, and Tray knocks him sprawling. Hort comes out in time to witness the fight. Fairweather warns Cruze about Hort, and Cruze blasts the gun out of Hort's fist. Cruze knocks Tray down as Gad wades in swinging. Cruze punches Hort and disarms him. Hort tries to seize his six-gun, but Fairweather thwarts him.

Marlpine Mayor Armand Booth (Fay Roope) offers Cruze a $100 a month to serve as town marshal. Cruze explains that the last time he wore a badge, the townspeople refused to back him up. Nevertheless, Cruze accepts Booth's proposition because he feels guilty about bolting from the last town. Ten days later, Marshal Cruze assures Fairweather that he will lock him up if he receives any more complaints about Fairweather. While Cruze is warning Fairweather about dealing off the bottom of the deck, the Morans are rustling cattle. "This cattle rustling is out of hand," a rancher named Williams complains to Cruze. During his investigation of the Downing ranch, Cruze is taken by surprise when Charlotte Downing blows his hat off. Cruzes see more cattle than Cass Downing is supposed to own and demands to inspect them. Cass challenges Cruze to obtain a warrant. Cruze knows Cass as something to hide and tells him. After Cruze rides off, Cass tells Charlotte he has been helping the Morans rustle cattle. Specifically, he is letting them hide their rustled beef among his stock. He allows them because Tray loaned him $3-thousand three thousand after they defaulted on their payments on the ranch.

"Six Gun Law" director Ray Nazarro and "Arrow in the Dust" scenarist Don Martin, along with Richard Schayer, who wrote the story for "The Mummy," establish all the basics in the first 20 minutes in this 75 minute oater. Cruze emerges as the hero, while the treacherous Morans are the villains. Caught between the heroic Cruze and the evil Morans are Fairweather and the Downings. Charlotte warns Cruze that the Morans will kill him since he poses a threat to their plans. Moreover, she reveals that she and her brother are pawns of the Morans. Gad and his brothers Luke (Chuck Robertson) and Rhett try to dry gulch Cruze as he rides out of town, but they botch the bushwhacking. Cruze guns down Luke and Rhett. Later, Fairweather finds himself accused of a crime that he didn't commit because he helps out Cass. The Morans frame Fairweather for Cass' murder, while Charlotte struggles to maintain the ranch after the death of her brother. Ultimately, Cruze finds himself back in the same predicament that he faces in the previous town. The citizens of Marlpine believe Fairweather killed Cass because he breaks out of jail and kills a Cruze's harmless deputy Tuttle. Of course, we know better because we saw the Morans break Fairweather out and murder Tuttle. Bartender Charlie aggravates the predicament with his constant verbal assault on Cruze and Cruze's allegiance to Fairweather. Eventually, Cruze tracks down the Morans and finds Fairweather by following Charlie the barkeeper. Cruze infiltrates the Moran's camp by masquerading as Charlie. Fairweather comes between the Morans and the lawman. The Morans face off against Cruze with Fairweather as their hostage. Fairweather gets free and grabs a gun.

"The Lone Gun" qualifies as a routine but entertaining B-western with few surprises. The performance are solid. Some of the dialogue is really good. Everything about the sets is ordinary enough, except for the funeral parlor that has a coffin displayed on the facade of the building. The valiant lawman finds himself pitted against overwhelming odds. Nevertheless, he doesn't cut and run like he did before he came to Marlpine. Montgomery makes a virile champion of justice, while Neville Brand, Douglas Kennedy, and Robert J. Wilke are low down and greedy. Nazarro keeps things going but the formulaic quality of this western doesn't help matters. Predictably, Cruze clears Fairweather and winds up marrying Charlotte.

Thanks to the Color Corporation of America for turning what otherwise would have been hitting a B western into something memorable. The days of the hour long poverty road black and white oater were being replaced because you could watch those types of things in western shows on TV as well as the movies that were being broadcast. So if the movie distributors wanted to fill their theatres then the movie makers needed to more technically advanced films, and the results are a lot more watchable.

Still the plots are basically the same, just more vivid in their photography where the colorful backgrounds, as in this one, are almost 3D like in their pastel landscapes with a deep perception that made the viewer feel like they were seeing what was in the background one hundred feet away up close, and with more detail.

George Montgomery is the reluctant marshal assigned to protect farm owners Dorothy Malone and Skip Homeier from a family of cattle rustlers out to scare them off their land. It doesn't matter when you can tell that. It's a painting in the background because even then it's quite beautiful. Neville Brand and Douglas Kennedy leads the family of villains with Frank Faylen as Montgomery's sidekick betraying him. This keeps your attention but isn't anything unique, although Montgomery and Malone are good together.