Powder River | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Directed by | Louis King |
Screenplay by | Daniel Mainwaring (as Geoffrey Homes) |
Story by | Sam Hellman (from a story by) |
Based on | Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal 1931 novel by Stuart N. Lake |
Produced by | Andre Hakim |
Starring | Rory Calhoun Corinne Calvet Cameron Mitchell |
Cinematography | Edward Cronjager |
Edited by | William B. Murphy |
Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | 20th Century Fox |
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 78 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $985,000 [1] |
Box office | $1,000,000 (US) [2] |
Powder River is a 1953 American Western film directed by Louis King and starring Rory Calhoun, Corinne Calvet and Cameron Mitchell. [3]
The screenplay was written by Stuart N. Lake, who two years later was the story consultant on the ABC/Desilu western television series, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp .
In 1875, ex-lawman Chino Bull puts away his guns and heads for the Powder River with old pal Johnny Slater to pan for gold. When he is ambushed by outlaws Loney Logan and Will Horn, Johnny comes to his rescue, and he rides to town for supplies.
At a saloon run by beautiful Frenchie Dumont, he meets Loney's brother, Harvey, a card dealer. A drunken Sam Harris begins shooting up the place, killing the sheriff with a stray bullet as everyone else flees. Chino volunteers to go in after him and knocks him out, but declines the offer to become sheriff. Returning to the river, Chino finds Johnny dead and their gold stolen. Now broke, he returns to town and reluctantly takes on the sheriff job.
Frenchie's beau, gunslinger Mitch Hardin, rides into town and challenges Chino, but is stricken with a headache so painful it incapacitates him.
A stagecoach brings to town the sophisticated Debbie Allen, who has come from Connecticut to find her former sweetheart, Mitch, who was once a doctor there. She learns that Mitch is now involved with Frenchie and also that he is suffering from a brain tumor, causing the severe headaches. Debbie decides to go back east on the next stage.
Chino sets a trap. Accompanied by Mitch, who owes Chino for saving his life, and let word leak of a $300,000 gold shipment being aboard. Loney's men come to rob it and are defeated. Later in town Chino arrests Harvey and then Debbie is accidentally shot by Harvey's men when they attack Chino in the barn. Mitch is the only one with the surgical skill to save Debbie's life, and he does so
Loney's gang tries to rescue Harvey but he is shot by Chino while trying to escape. Loney's gang attack and Chino kills Loney.
When Debbie tells Mitch she is staying, Mitch decides to leave. Chino discovers that it was in fact Mitch who murdered Johnny and stole their gold. As they begin to shoot it out, Mitch shoots Chino's gun out of his hand, but then collapses in agony and dies in Chino's arms. Frenchie arrives, is distraught and cradles Mitch's head. The next day, Frenchie boards the stage, leaving Chino and Debbie to a future together.
Warlock is a 1959 American Western film produced and directed by Edward Dmytryk starring Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, Anthony Quinn and Dorothy Malone. The picture is an adaptation of the novel Warlock by American author Oakley Hall. The film is both set and filmed in Utah.
Rory Calhoun was an American film and television actor. He starred in numerous Westerns in the 1950s and 1960s, and appeared in supporting roles in films such as How to Marry a Millionaire (1953).
The Far Country is a 1954 American Technicolor Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Ruth Roman, Walter Brennan, John McIntire and Corinne Calvet. Written by Borden Chase, the film is about a self-minded adventurer who locks horns with an evil, corrupt judge while driving cattle to Dawson, Yukon Territory. It is one of the few Westerns to be set in Alaska — others include The Spoilers (1955) and North to Alaska (1960) — although it was not filmed there. This was the fourth Western film collaboration between Anthony Mann and James Stewart. The supporting cast features Jay C. Flippen, Harry Morgan, Steve Brodie, Robert J. Wilke, Chubby Johnson, Royal Dano and Jack Elam.
A Ticket to Tomahawk is a 1950 American Western film directed by Richard Sale and starring Dan Dailey and Anne Baxter. It was released by 20th Century Fox. Marilyn Monroe appeared in one of her earliest roles.
Harvey Alexander Logan, also known as Kid Curry, was an American outlaw and gunman who rode with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid's infamous Wild Bunch gang during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Despite being less well-known than his fellow gang members, he has since been referred to as "the wildest of the Wild Bunch", having reputedly killed at least nine law enforcement officers in five shootings and another two men in other instances. He was involved in numerous shootouts with police and civilians and participated in several bank and train robberies with various gangs during his outlaw days.
The Spoilers is a 1955 American Western film directed by Jesse Hibbs and starring Anne Baxter, Jeff Chandler and Rory Calhoun. Set in Nome, Alaska during the 1898 Gold Rush, it culminates in a spectacular saloon fistfight between Glennister (Chandler) and McNamara (Calhoun).
Corinne Calvet, born Corinne Dibos, was a French actress who appeared mostly in American films. According to one obituary, she was promoted "as a combination of Dietrich and Rita Hayworth", but her persona failed to live up to this description, though the fault lay as much with a string of mediocre films as with a lack of a compelling talent, for Calvet's sultry looks and flashing eyes were allied with an impish sense of humor. She eventually became better known for her fiery private life and some well-publicized legal battles.
Frank S. Ferguson was an American character actor with hundreds of appearances in both film and television.
Gang of Roses is a 2003 Western action drama film written and directed by Jean-Claude La Marre. It starred Monica Calhoun, Lil' Kim, LisaRaye, Charity Hill, Bobby Brown, Stacey Dash, Chrystale Wilson, and Marie Matiko. The movie took just 18 days to film.
Frenchie is a 1950 American Western film directed by Louis King and starring Joel McCrea and Shelley Winters. The plot is loosely based on the 1939 Western Destry Rides Again.
Apache Territory is a 1958 American Western film directed by Ray Nazarro and produced by and starring Rory Calhoun. It was released by Columbia Pictures. The story is based on the 1957 novel Last Stand at Papago Wells by Louis L'Amour.
The Restless Breed is a 1957 Western film, directed by Allan Dwan and starring Scott Brady and Anne Bancroft.
One Foot in Hell is a 1960 American Western and CinemaScope film starring Alan Ladd, Don Murray and Dan O'Herlihy, directed by James B. Clark and co-written by Sydney Boehm and Aaron Spelling from a story by Spelling.
The Silver Whip is a 1953 American Western film directed by Harmon Jones and starring Dale Robertson, Rory Calhoun and Robert Wagner.
La più grande rapina del West is a 1967 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Maurizio Lucidi.
Shotgun is a 1955 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and starring Sterling Hayden, Yvonne De Carlo and Zachary Scott.
Young Fury is a 1965 American Western film directed by Christian Nyby and written by Steve Fisher. The film stars Rory Calhoun, Virginia Mayo, William Bendix, Lon Chaney Jr., Richard Arlen and John Agar. The film was released in February 1965, by Paramount Pictures. This was William Bendix's final film role, as he died in December 1964, two months before its release.
Return of the Frontiersman is a 1950 American Western film directed by Richard L. Bare and written by Edna Anhalt. The film stars Gordon MacRae, Julie London, Rory Calhoun, Jack Holt, Fred Clark and Edwin Rand. The film was released by Warner Bros. on June 24, 1950.
Four Guns to the Border is a 1954 American Western film directed by Richard Carlson and starring Rory Calhoun, Colleen Miller, George Nader, Walter Brennan and Nina Foch. It was produced and distributed by Universal-International Pictures.
The Gun Hawk is a 1963 American Western film directed by Edward Ludwig and starring Rory Calhoun, Rod Cameron, Ruta Lee and Rod Lauren.