User Reviews

Great scenery, vivid Technicolor photography (though the DVD print ain't exactly in pristine condition), and a fine music score are the chief assets of this revenge Western, which suffers however from a very ordinary story (though the bad guy does pull a smart dirty trick in the climactic (shot)gun duel that I can't remember having seen before) and an unconvincing romance (he treats her like dirt so she falls for him!) between Sterling Hayden and Yvonne De Carlo (in a highly unflattering hairstyle). Most of the movie is taken up by horse-riding and track-trailing, but it does get occasionally punched-up by some random - and pretty long - fight scenes. Good to look at, but nothing extraordinary. ** out of 4.

Shotgun is another revenge themed western, well scripted and performed. Sterling Hayden plays Clay Hardin, the man out for revenge and his hard-bitten, callous character holds the viewers attention. Along the the way he picks up Abby ( Yvonne DeCarlo ), a tough and sassy saloon girl, who doesn't think much of Clay at first, but soon finds herself warming towards him. Soon they come to the aid of Reb Carlton ( Zachary Scott ) a sleazy bounty hunter, who happens to be hunting after the same men as Hardin. Some tense moments develop between Hardin and Carlton over the triangle relationship now simmering over the desirable Abby. Shotgun is not a sappy cowboy picture, it has an adult themed story-line with some violence and action to keep it interesting. Like so many westerns from the 1950s, Shotgun features beautiful Technicolor vistas, and offers the audience satisfactory entertainment.

Veteran western B-movie director Lesley Selander has helmed more than his share of westerns. He got his start with cowboy hero Buck Jones in 1936 with "Ride 'Em Cowboy," and then later made a string of horse operas with William 'Hopalong Cassidy' Boyd. Most of them are forgettable unless you crave westerns, but the Sterling Hayden & Yvonne De Carlo oater "Shotgun" is above-average. Like the best Selander westerns, this Allied Artists release was lensed in picturesque Sedona, Arizona, and future Oscar nominated lenser Ellsworth Fredericks, who got his nod for "Sayonara," makes it worth looking at for not only the stunning scenery but the pictorial compositions. Interesting, veteran western actor Rory Calhoun helped pen the screenplay with Clark Reynolds, who had inked three episodes of Calhoun's CBS-TV sagebrusher series "The Texan." Reynolds also wrote the teleplays for seven other western series, including "Cheyenne" and "Tombstone Territory." Later, Reynolds wrote the screen story for the Sean Connery western "Shalako" as well as the Spaghetti western "A Man Called Gringo." Mind you, some dialogue is quotable. Says the villain, "When you know you're going to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite." Producer John C. Champion reportedly supplemented the Calhoun & Reynolds' screenplay. Later, Champion produced the Audie Murphy western "The Texican," which Lesley Selander directed with his customary workman-like style.

Basically, "Shotgun" is a revenge western. Clay Hardin (Sterling Hayden of "Top Gun") hits the trail after the dastards who murdered Hardin's mentor, U. S. Marshal Mark Fletcher (Lane Chandler of "Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars"), in cold blood. Now, this is why Clay not only totes a shotgun in addition to his other firearms, but also why this western draws its title from the weapon. The treacherous Ben Thompson (Guy Prescott of "The Tall Stranger") and Bentley (Robert J. Wilke of "The Magnificent Seven"), ride into town and await Fletcher in the local saloon. Thompson hates both Fletcher and Clay because they sent him to prison for six years. If this weren't bad enough, Thompson plans to sell contraband Winchester repeating rifles to the Apaches. As Fletcher approaches the saloon, Thompson gives him both barrels of his shotgun in the belly. Against protests from his future wife, Aletha (Angela Greene of "Cinderella Jones"), who had arranged for Clay to take a white-collar job, Clay chases Thompson. He catches up with Bentley who had quit riding with Thompson. Clay finds Bentley staked out in the scorching sun. You see, the sadistic Indians have tied Bentley down to earth with shrinking leather straps. Eventually, Bentley will be drawn up to within striking distance of the granddaddy of all rattlesnakes that is similarly staked out, while a helpless woman, Abby (Yvonne De Carlo of "McLintock!"), struggles against her own restraints. The Native Americans have tied her to a nearby scrub tree to watch Bentley's agonizing demise. Later, Abby admits that she hasn't led the most luminous of lives as a dance-hall gal. Predictably, Clay rescues them, cutting Abby loose first and savoring Bentley's predicament long enough to make the villain really squirm in terror.

Not long after Clay saves Bentley's bacon, the ungrateful desperado gets the drop on him. Unfortunately, for poor Bentley, he makes a mistake and Clay plugs him. Down the river drifts Bentley's body. Later, an Indian retrieves the sodden corpse and takes it to Thompson. Meantime, as Clay and Abby are getting up from a night on the range, they hear galloping horses and spot a white rider pursued by a swarm of angry redskins. Clay knocks a couple out of the saddle and winds up saving the rider from losing his scalp. The grateful rider, Reb Carlton (Zachary Scott of "Mildred Pierce") is a loquacious bounty hunter. In the 1950s' westerns, bounty hunters constituted the scourge of the earth and in a later gunfight Clay complains to Reb about his predilection for shooting men in the back. At one point along the trail, Reb makes some disparaging remarks about Abby as she hides in the brush to freshen up, and Clay beats him to a pulp and nearly drowns in the river for his salacious comments. Abby has to wade into the water to restrain Clay. Thompson and his two gunmen hit a stagecoach relay station and Thompson leaves them behind to prepare a lead reception for Clay.

Clay and Reb gun down Thompson's two men, while the outlaw heads off to the Indian camp to palaver with Delgadito (Paul Marion of "Fort Vengeance") who is impatient about the Winchesters that Thompson has promised him. Meanwhile, Clay leaves Reb and Abby at station. Abby has grown attached to Clay. She persuades Reb to take her to him before Clay gets to Thompson. Reb savors the prospect of catching up with Thompson for the bounty. Clay threatens to kill Reb if he doesn't take Abby back. Reb malingers on the trail with Abby and Apaches jump them. After roping Reb to a tree, they skewer him with an arrow and leave him to die. The redskins abduct Abby. Clay rides into Delgadito's camp. The Indians arrange things so that Thompson and Clay have to blast it out in a duel with shotguns on horseback. Predictably, Thompson cuts loose first and shoots Clay's horse. When Thompson tries to flee, Delgadito kills him with a lance.

"Shotgun" gets marginally violent at intervals for a 1950s' western. Selander keeps the action moving along in this sturdy oater without any interference. The Clay and Abby romance is held to a minimum. The lean Hayden makes a rugged protagonist with De Carlo around for eye candy. Slippery-tongued Zachery Scott excels as a no-good bounty hunter who has to commit suicide rather than suffer a slow, torturous death. Selander doesn't waste time with philosophical messages and the characterization is rudimentary. Nevertheless, western fans should find this 80-minute, Technicolor oater worth its time.

Not really being an avid fan of Westerns, I decided to watch Shotgun simply because I wanted to see how two of the actors featured (both I typically associate with noir) behave in this new, barren environment. Shotgun follows the story of a gang of criminals trading guns to a tribe of Apaches. The leader of the gang, Thompson (Guy Prescott) plans to kill two marshals in a certain western town, but only succeeds in killing one of them with his shotgun. The other marshal, Clay Hardin (Sterling Hayden) sets out on his horse to pursue Thompson and turn him in. On the way, he encounters a strange sight near a road: another gang member, Bentley, has been tied up in the sand close to a rattlesnake. With him is a woman, Abby (Yvonne De Carlo), who begs Clay to cut him loose. As soon as he does, Bentley attacks him and Clay is forced to shoot him. Abby and Clay move ahead and rest on a hillside, but come across a group of apaches chasing someone. The special person they're chasing is Carleton (Zachary Scott), a bounty hunter. Clay doesn't like him, but right now he needs all the help he's able to find. Meanwhile, Thompson has been talking to the apaches and finds out Clay is tracking him down. Thompson plans to ambush Clay and the others at a house not far from here. When Clay comes upon the house, he has two men pull guns on him but his draw is faster than theirs. Clay continues to pursue Thompson to an apache camp, since he plans to meet with their chief, Delgadito. Abby wants Clay to give up this chase as it seems like a waste of time, but Clay remains adamant that Thompson must be stopped, no matter the cost. As Thompson enters the apache camp, he is unwelcome because he has come there empty handed and without the guns he's promised to sell. Carleton tries to stop Clay from getting to Thompson first, but he is ambushed by apaches (along with Abby). When Clay rides back to investigate, he finds Carleton impaled with an arrow and stuck to a tree. Abby is about to be raped by the Indians when Clay rides into the camp and says he only came for her and to get Thompson. Delgadito wants Clay and Thompson to settle their differences like gentlemen; through a horseback duel with shotguns. Each rider is only permitted a single shell. As the duel begins, Thompson shoots Clay's horse as he rides forward, causing him to fall off. Thompson tries to hit Clay with the gun, but misses, so he tries to escape. Delgadito kills him with a thrown spear to the back. Abby and Clay are then reunited, the former requesting to live on a ranch with him, which is a life Clay said she wouldn't enjoy earlier in the film. Since I haven't really seen enough western films to compare this one to, I can't really say for sure if it's good or not. The plot isn't really anything special, but like most other movies De Carlo appears in, she's a standout here. Hayden is good too, but he seems to be the same in almost every movie I've seen him: a tall, tough guy who is determined to get things done. Yvonne on the other hand shows the same ruthless attitude as she did in movies like Criss Cross, which makes her so entertaining. She's not as free to wreak havoc in this movie though considering she is ultimately subservient to Hayden. Overall, I found Shotgun to be a decent enough movie since the landscapes look really nice in Technicolor, even if the plot left some things to be desired.

Sedona, Arizona was the setting for the action in "Shotgun", which surprised me for a while because a lot of the rock formations reminded me of Monument Valley in Utah. However, all that green vegetation in the landscape pretty much settled the issue, as Monument Valley is mostly desert with not much more than patches of scrub brush. This is a fairly serviceable Western with a standard plot and a revenge seeking deputy marshal out to track down the gang and its leader that murdered his longtime friend and U. S. Marshal Mark Fletcher (Lane Chandler). The story hints that Clay Hardin (Sterling Hayden) once found himself on the opposite side of the law, but now, about to retire his badge, takes it upon himself to bring in outlaw Ben Thompson (Guy Prescott). In his quest, he takes up with a woman of dubious reputation (Yvonne De Carlo) and bounty hunter Reb Carleton (Zachary Scott), who takes advantage of the team up to secure a potential payday. Eventually tracking outlaw Thompson to the camp of renegade Apache Delgadito (Paul Marion), the Indian warrior oversees a shotgun duel between them meant to test the courage of both men. With only one live cartridge available to each man, Thompson opts to shoot Hardin's horse out from under him, but finding his advantage gone, turns coward and tries to make a break on horseback. Delgadito settles the matter with what must have felt like a stabbing sensation to the back of Thompson. That spear throw was worthy of an Olympic javelin champion. The pairing of Hardin and former saloon gal Abby (De Carlo) didn't ring very true for this viewer given all that went before, but the picture called for that final ride into the sunset, so I'll take it with a grain of sand.

P. S. My summary line has bounty hunter Reb Carleton describing Clay Hardin to De Carlo's character Abby, a bit of dialog I found somewhat more appropriate than Reb's remark to Hardin when they decided to follow a stream through the desert - "You're the stud duck in this pond."

Hayden stars opposite unrecognizable Yvonne DeCarlo, a dance hall girl dressed in jeans and a tomboy haircut in a western scripted around preview trailer catching moments. See: Yvonne's naked reflection bathing in the river water! The outlaw tied up with his face next to a rattlesnake! The bounty hunter survive with an Apache arrow in his chest! The gun duel on horseback! The dance hall girl and the hated bounty hunter fire weapons to rescue Hayden, even when he seems to despise them both! The unbelievable plot to tie all this together! I think why it's not shown often after it's movie run might be because of how often it tests the Breen code or the Television Producer's code of standards, the seal that used to play at the end of old TV shows. Outlaws are depicted in sympathetic terms too often and nude bathing didn't help it reach a spot on TV matinees either.