The High Powered Rifle

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The High Powered Rifle
The High Powered Rifle poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Maury Dexter
Screenplay byJoseph Fritz
Story by Harry Spaulding as Thomas Geary
Produced byMaury Dexter
Starring Willard Parker
Allison Hayes
Dan Simmons
John Holland
Shirley O'Hara
Terrea Lea
Cinematography Floyd Crosby
Edited byEddie Dutko
Music by Albert Glasser
Production
company
Capri Productions
Distributed by 20th Century-Fox
Release date
  • September 1960 (1960-09)
Running time
62 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$50,000 [1]

The High Powered Rifle is a 1960 American action film produced and directed by Maury Dexter and written by Joseph Fritz. The film stars Willard Parker, Allison Hayes, Dan Simmons, John Holland, Shirley O'Hara and Terrea Lea. The film was released in September 1960, by 20th Century-Fox. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

It was also known as Duel in the City.

Plot

A private eye is attacked by an assassin.

Cast

Production

In the mid 1950s 20th Century-Fox created a separate film company to make second features in CinemaScope initially called Regal Pictures, then Associated Producers Incorporated or API. Each of their features was shot in seven days in black and white with a budget of $100,000. Unlike other B Picture producers, Regal and API maintained motion picture union standards of salaries and schedules. With Fox's decreasing main feature production schedule, there was a fear that API would have to be disbanded as there were not enough main features to support (which eventually happened in the mid 1960s).

As an experiment, Robert Lippert told API producer Maury Dexter he wished to make films at half the budget and release them as double features in the manner of American International Pictures and Roger Corman's Filmgroup.

Dexter was skeptical, but made his directorial debut when he leapt to the challenge. He completed the film at $50,000 on actual locations, including the house of Gary Cooper's mother. [6] [7] [1]

Dexter said the film's title came from Lippert and Harry Spaulding had to write a script to suit it. It was Dexter's directorial debut. [7]

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References

  1. 1 2 Weaver, Tom (April 18, 2014). I Talked with a Zombie: Interviews with 23 Veterans of Horror and Sci-Fi Films and Television. McFarland. pp. 103–104. ISBN   9780786452682.
  2. Eleanor Mannikka (2015). "The-High-Powered-Rifle - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  3. "The High Powered Rifle (1960) - Overview". TCM.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  4. "The High Powered Rifle". Afi.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  5. "HIGH POWERED RIFLE, The". Monthly Film Bulletin. London. 27 (312): 113. January 1, 1960. ProQuest   1305822321.
  6. pp, 103*104 Weaver, Tom Maury Dexter Interview in I Talked with a Zombie: Interviews with 23 Veterans of Horror and Sci-fi Films and Television McFarland 18 Apr 2014
  7. 1 2 Dexter, Maury (2012). Highway to Hollywood (PDF). p. 110.