A Gunfighter's Pledge

Last updated

A Gunfighter's Pledge
Pledge promo poster.jpg
Promotional poster used for guerrilla marketing campaign
Written byJim Byrnes
Directed by Armand Mastroianni
Starring
Theme music composer Nathan Furst
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerLarry Levinson
CinematographyJames W. Wrenn
EditorColleen Halsey
Running time79 minutes
Original release
Network Hallmark Channel
ReleaseJuly 5, 2008 (2008-07-05)

A Gunfighter's Pledge is a 2008 American Western television film starring Luke Perry. The film premiered on Hallmark Channel in July 2008. It was filmed at Big Sky Ranch in Simi Valley, California. The film was released on DVD as The Pledge, which had been the original working title. [1]

Contents

Plot

Ex-lawman Matt Austin (Luke Perry) accidentally kills an innocent man (Alex Paez) while hunting an outlaw who killed his family. He pledges to the dying man that he will take his body to his sister Amaya (Jaclyn DeSantis). Austin wrestles with the idea of telling her he caused the death, but is faced with bigger battles once at the farm. There he gets involved with land baron Horn (C. Thomas Howell), who is trying to take Amaya's land. Their lives are more intertwined than he thought, when he takes on Horn and discovers that Horn has hired the man he was looking for all along.

Cast

Promotion

Hallmark Channel employed guerilla marketing tactics to promote the movie. The network dispatched 20 cowboys each day from June 30 through July 2 in various places, including Times Square and Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, and Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles. Over the three days, the cowboys engaged onlookers in showdowns and deputized locals with sheriff's badges featuring tune-in information for the film. Flypostings in the form of Old west-style wanted posters featuring an ink-block likeness of Luke Perry’s character, Matt Austin, and the phrase, "a sheriff with nothing to lose" were also put up around the cities. [2]

Reception

When A Gunfighter's Pledge premiered on Hallmark Channel, it scored a 2.3 household rating with over 1.9 million homes. It ranked as the second-highest-rated Prime Time telecast of the day and the second-highest-rated ad-supported cable movie of the week. The movie also boosted the network to rank third in Prime Time on the day of its premiere with a 1.9 household rating. It also ranked in the top 10 during the time period among key demo ratings and delivery. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Perry</span> American actor (1966–2019)

Coy Luther "Luke" Perry III was an American actor. He became a teen idol for playing Dylan McKay on the Fox television series Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1990 to 1995, and again from 1998 to 2000. Perry also starred as Fred Andrews on the CW series Riverdale. He had guest roles on shows such as Criminal Minds, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Simpsons, and Will & Grace, as well as a recurring role voicing Rick Jones in The Incredible Hulk (1996–1997) from Marvel Comics, and also appeared in various films, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), 8 Seconds (1994), The Fifth Element (1997), The Final Storm, The Beat Beneath My Feet (2016), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), which was his final feature performance and earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gunfighter</span> Gun violence in the American Old West

Gunfighters, also called gunslingers or in the late 19th and early 20th century gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in shootouts. Today, the term "gunslinger" is more or less used to denote someone who is quick on the draw with a handgun, but this can also refer to those armed with rifles and shotguns. The gunfighter is also one of the most popular characters in the Western genre and has appeared in associated films, television shows, video games, and literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesse Metcalfe</span> American actor

Jesse Eden Metcalfe is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of John Rowland on Desperate Housewives. Metcalfe has also had notable roles on Passions and played the title role in John Tucker Must Die. He starred as Christopher Ewing in the TNT continuation of Dallas, based on the 1978 series of the same name. From 2016 to 2021, Metcalfe starred as Trace Riley in Hallmark Channel's hit series Chesapeake Shores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Woodward</span> American actor (1925–2019)

Thomas Morgan Woodward was an American actor who is best known for his recurring role as Marvin "Punk" Anderson on the television soap opera Dallas and for his portrayal of Boss Godfrey, the sunglasses-wearing "man with no eyes", in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke. On TV, he was a familiar guest star on cowboy shows. On the long-running Western Gunsmoke, he played 16 different characters in 19 episodes, the most such appearances of any actor on the show. He also had a recurring role on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Hindle</span> Canadian actor and director

Arthur Hindle is a Canadian actor and director.

Jaclyn DeSantis is an American actress. She is best known for playing Maggie on the NBC television series Windfall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Pickard (American actor)</span> American actor (1913–1993)

John M. Pickard was an American actor who appeared primarily in television Westerns.

<i>Desolation Canyon</i> (film) 2006 TV film

Desolation Canyon is a 2006 American Western television film starring Stacy Keach and Patrick Duffy. The film was written by Dan Fitzsimons, directed by David S. Cass Sr. and premiered on Hallmark Channel on July 1, 2006.

Lee Roberts was an American film actor during the Hollywood Golden Age. Sometimes he is credited as Robert Allen or Lee J. Roberts.

<i>Mail Order Bride</i> (2008 film) 2008 TV film

Mail Order Bride is a 2008 American Western television film on the Hallmark Channel. It premiered on November 8, 2008, and stars Daphne Zuniga.

<i>Taking a Chance on Love</i> (film) 2009 multi-national TV series or program

Taking a Chance on Love is a 2009 American-Canadian made-for-television romance film and a sequel to the hit Hallmark Channel movie The Note. The film was written by Douglas Barr. Angela Hunt, author of the novel The Note, did a novelization of Barr's script. The film aired on Hallmark Channel on January 31, 2009.

<i>An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving</i> 2008 American TV series or program

An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving is a television film loosely based on a short story by Louisa May Alcott. Filmed on location in Canada, the film premiered on Hallmark Channel on November 22, 2008. It was followed by the sequel, An Old Fashioned Christmas which aired on December 11, 2010.

<i>Avenging Angel</i> (2007 film) 2007 TV film

Avenging Angel is a 2007 American TV Western film directed by David S. Cass Sr. and starring Kevin Sorbo. It originally aired on Hallmark Channel on July 7, 2007, as part of the network's "Western Month". It was filmed at Simi Valley, California, Sable Ranch in Santa Clarita, California as well as Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park in Agua Dulce, California.

<i>Safe Harbor</i> (film) 2009 television film

Safe Harbor is a 2009 television film, based on a true story starring Treat Williams and Nancy Travis. The film was first shown on Hallmark Channel on May 30, 2009.

Sacrifices of the Heart is a 2007 American made-for-television drama film starring Melissa Gilbert and Ken Howard that aired on Hallmark Channel in 2007. The film is made from a script by Patti Davis, daughter of Ronald Reagan.

<i>Undead or Alive</i> 2007 film

Undead or Alive: A Zombedy is a 2007 Western comedy horror film directed by Glasgow Phillips, written by Phillips and Scott Pourroy, and starring Navi Rawat, Chris Kattan and James Denton. The film was later acquired by Image Entertainment, a deal that included both theatrical and home video rights.

<i>The Long Shot</i> 2004 American TV series or program

The Long Shot, sometimes called The Long Shot: Believe in Courage, is a Hallmark Channel film that aired April 18, 2004. It stars Julie Benz and Marsha Mason and centers around a dressage competition.

<i>The Gunfighters</i> (1987 film) 1987 film

The Gunfighters is a 1987 television Western film, starring Art Hindle and George Kennedy, directed by Clay Borris.

<i>The Nine Lives of Christmas</i> American-Canadian romantic comedy film

The Nine Lives of Christmas is a 2014 American made-for-television romantic comedy film and Hallmark Channel original movie, written by Nancy Silvers, based on the book by Sheila Roberts. Directed by Mark Jean, it stars Brandon Routh and Kimberley Sustad. The film premiered on November 8, 2014, on the Hallmark Channel.

Good Witch is a Hallmark Channel media franchise that is centered on a series of films and a television series. The franchise is centered upon Cassandra "Cassie" Nightingale, the titular "good witch" who uses her abilities to bring positive change in the lives of those around her.

References

  1. "The Pledge (2008)". MovieScene. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  2. Hallmark Channel Press Release: 6/30/2008 Archived October 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Hallmark Channel Press Release: 7/9/2008 Archived November 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine