Daily Archives: May 18, 2016

The Fastest Gun Alive
Directed by Russell Rouse
Written by Frank D. Gilroy and Russell Rouse from a story by Gilroy
1956/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/Amazon Instant

Clint Fallon: Mr. I don’t want to fight! But don’t push it!

There are several reasons I did not like this Western, which attempts to have a broader significance a la High Noon or The Gunfighter.

As the story starts, Vinnie Harold (Broderick Crawford) and his gang of outlaws ride into town.  Vinnie is there to challenge the local champion, who has a reputation as “The Fastest Gun Alive” to a quickdraw shoot out.  Vinnie wins the contest.  The gang then rides out to rob a bank.

We then move to Cross Creek and meet George Temple (Glenn Ford) and his wife Dora (Jeanne Crain).  They have lived in town for four years and run a general store.  But George is tormented by a secret past, which is hidden from us for an aggravatingly long time.  Anyway, Dora is pregnant and is really worried about her man.  He looks about ready to snap and she is tired of moving from town to town when he blows.

It is not too much to reveal that George is, or believes himself to be, the The Fastest Gun Alive.  He has to keep one step ahead of all challengers.  Things come to a head when Vinnie and his gang ride into town to get fresh horses.

I like all the actors in this one but the script dragged it out to the point where it seemed like they were all over-emoting.  George’s secret adds up to a whole lot of nothing.  Jeanne Crain is made up to look like Mrs. 1956.  The whole thing just felt kind of phony to me.

Trailer

The Werewolf
Directed by Fred F. Sears
Written by Robert E. Kent and James B. Gordon
1956/USA
Clover Productions
First viewing/Amazon Instant

Dr. Emery Forrest: You’re not going to kill him!
Dr. Morgan Chambers: You think he still wants to live after what he’s become? It would be an act of charity.

This is not half bad for a cheesy Sam-Katzman produced horror flick.

A stranger walks into a bar in a small mountain town.  He doesn’t know his name or where he is and is acting mighty strange.  His carelessness about money tempts one of the other customers to follow him into a dark alley.  The other customer never emerges, having had his throat ripped out by animal claws.

Eventually we find out that the man was involved in a minor car accident.  Some evil doctors got hold of him and injected an experimental serum designed to allow them to survive the coming nuclear holocaust.  Our friend, who has a wife and child worried about his disappearance, is a werewolf.  Things proceed as might be expected.

I got everything I could possibly hope for from this movie.  That is to say it was mildly entertaining.  Love the torch-wielding townspeople at the end!  The transformation technique left something to be desired but we can’t quibble about the details in these things.

Trailer