Verraten und verkauft

What was going on the production of this Lesley Selander western? Why the hell did they hire Tony Martin to play the lead? Why not Jerry Lewis? Or Lou Costello? The western itself is OK, not worse than another one, but Tony Martin in the lead.... Peggy Castle, John Doucette are helping a lot to compensate this huge midcast issue, and the settings of Utah are also responsible of the fact that I did not switch my TV set after the beginning of the film. Good western. The topic is used, and overused, a shipment of rifles and machine gun on the loose, with the dangerous proximity of Indians on rampage....

This movie seems to have been contrived from every Western cliché' known to film. I didn't have high hopes for its quality, and, in that, I wasn't disappointed.

It was nice seeing a '50s Western in beautiful color - especially in the scenic panoramic shots, but it showed up the thick pancake makeup terribly. The actors looked as if it had been troweled on.

As for the acting, it's the standard B-list roster except for Tony Martin. He deserved to be put on the Z-list. The man had a gorgeous singing voice, but couldn't act to save his life.

The others, with whom you might be familiar, are Ron Randell, John Smith, John Doucette and the blonde siren of B-listers, Peggie Castle.

There's plenty of action to keep you awake, the story is a standard one - the bad guy trading illegal goods with the Indians, the good guy who finds him out and routs him. And the pretty blonde who falls in love with our hero.

Have to say, aside from the pretty color cinematography, there's little to offer to anyone. I'm glad it was on in the morning on the Western Channel, because if it had been night, I'd have fallen asleep.

This is not an awful movie. It's certainly not a great movie. The best I can say about it is...

meh.

I saw this movie late one night and early the next morning, and was impressed with the sympathetic viewpoint of the complex Indian tribal situation.

This sure beats many movies which use "red men" as cannon-fodder, treating them as unique individuals with their own culture and reasons for doing things.

Most of the objections seem to be that singer and somewhat actor Tony Martin was miscast as the hero of this, and he does seem sleekly cosmopolitan for such a role

It is true the plotline is standard fare - the fort looks VERY familiar :-) - but it is not often that the US Cavalry - Army - itself is accused of corruption, even if it is trying to stop it.

(I myself stopped a battery stealing supply section ring when I was a GI in Ft. Bliss back in 1967, but that was enlisted men, possibly including our sergeant. The GI thieves made a delivery right in front of me and then told me - Presbyterian and for 1 semester a Duty Honor Country West Point plebe - to keep silent about it, which I did NOT :-) , and it was stopped by our warrant officer.

And Tony Martin actually had a similar experience during World War 2. He was kicked out of the Navy, accused of trying to buy an officer's commission.

He denied that and then joined the Army. My USAAF master sergeant dad knew him in East India in the China-Burma-India command, where he sang at bases. He actually got a Bronze Star, maybe for risking his life flying to one of our remote airstrips or over The Hump/Himalayas - very possibly in a transport plane jumped by the Myitkyina Japanese Zeroes.

(Dad also made friends with a kid GI clerk who couldn't type much but played a piano - even missing keys at some airstrips - see Jungle Virtuoso - like nobody had ever heard. After the war, *Leonard Pennario* was welcomed to stay in our house, which he used as his central base for his Midwest concert tours.

Like Leonard, Tony Martin had a very loyal and grateful following of CBI veterans, after the war.)

The single shot carbines vs. Henry repeaters is authentically done, with period-looking pieces.

There were interesting details: an arrow shot with its blade vertical to kill buffalo vs shot horizontal to enter human ribs ... and other things.

Peggie Castle's character seemed to warm up a little too quickly to our hero. At least her brother was confirmed dead instead of being "miraculously" found alive and rescued, but he might have complicated the ending.

After a lot if action, the final outcome is a fascinating legal authority showdown reflecting well on command.

Linus Quincannon left the army to protest against the massacre of the Indian populations. He becomes a scout along the border and is sent on a mission to find clues to the disappearance of a convoy of weapons. He is joined by a young woman, Maylene, who is trying to find out if her brother was killed in the attack on a Fort ...

Firstly, I do sort of agree with Tony Martin being miscast as a frontier scout. He's ok, I suppose, but he looks more at home in a Las Vegas club singing Tony Bennett songs. He appears to be reading from a cue card and tends to talk loud, and is a little bit arrogant. Dale Robertson or Rory Calhoun would have been a better fit. However, Martin is ably assisted by western regulars Peggie castle, John Doucette, Morris Ankrum etc., and they do really well.

The western itself is fairly entertaining with the usual cliches, but the balanced treatment of Native Americans is well depicted and I liked the ransom demand angle regarding Peggie Castle's brother. Adds a little intrigue. There's some lively action towards the end. Plenty of nice scenery, too.