Masterson de Kansas

Although the friendship of Marshal Wyatt Earp and gunfighter/gambler Doc Holiday is frontier legend and the subject of several movies, Dodge City's other famous lawman Bat Masterson and Holiday did not have the same feelings. That is the premise on which Masterson Of Kansas is built around, although the two are forced into alliance by exigent circumstances.

George Montgomery is in the title role and James Griffith plays Doc Holiday. The exigent circumstances are a threatened Indian war when John Maxwell who has worked for peace is accused of murdering the commanding officer at Fort Dodge on perjured testimony of David Bruce.

It all doesn't smell right to Montgomery who finds proof enough in the Indian village of Jay Silverheels the Comanche chief. At least proof enough for him if not the white man's court. After that he's on a mission to clear Maxwell and maybe win his daughter's hand who is played by Nancy Gates.

And if Montgomery and Griffith don't have enough to fight about the sight of Gates puts them both in heat. Bruce Cowling as Wyatt Earp has enough on his hands to keep these two from killing each other.

Masterson Of Kansas is a nice no frills B western directed by William Castle in a straightforward style that does not portray his penchant for gimmicky horror films. Doc Holiday is always an interesting character and James Griffith joins a respectable pantheon of players who have played Holiday over the years like, Cesar Romero, Victor Mature, Jason Robards, Jr., Kirk Douglas, and Val Kilmer. Griffith yields to none of them.

Fans of westerns and George Montgomery westerns will have little to complain about with Masterson Of Kansas.

Even though the title is Masterson of Kansas, It's James Griffiths' Doc Holiday who's the most interesting character. His quiet, cultured manner radiates more deadliness than the generic Western manner of Montgomery's Masterson. Griffith was a good character actor who was worthy of better movies.

The problem with the Masterson of this movie is that the real Masterson was a bit of a dandy (more like Gene Barry's TV version) whereas here he's no different than Wyatt Earp.

Of the three 'good guys' Holiday, Masterson and Earp, Holdiay seems the most intelligent. Masterson knowingly takes on about 8 bad guys who are waiting for him and almost gets killed but for Holiday's intervention. Earp's attempt to face down a lynch mob lasts about 5 seconds when he gets knocked unconscious by a well thrown rock. That would never have happened to Burt Lancaster! Unfortunately for the viewer, the bad guys are not menacing enough and waste time with elaborate plotting. Makes you long for Lee Marvin or Leo Gordon.

I've admired James Griffith as a shady character actor for some years but he shines in this little B western. He appeared in around 200 film & TV shows but this is the best I've seen him. He plays Doc Holliday, friend of Wyatt Earp, but this time he's mainly squaring up to Bat Masterson, played by George Montgomery. William Castle directs and Nancy Gates is the romantic interest. The plot is formular for this period in Hollywood -1954- famous lawman meets famous gunslinger meets pretty girl. Bad guys try to act menacing but fail miserable. George Montgomery plays George Montgomery again and in wide screen which is nice. Some poor acting from supporting cast and weak script lines keep this from ever becoming a good western. OK for 10 year old children though.

William Castle Directed this Awful Story that Never Seems as Urgent as the Screenplay Pretends.

It is a Talk-Fest Interrupted at Regular Intervals with a Lot of Gun-Fire.

But the Whole Movie seems Off.

George Montgomery Delivers Every Line with the Same Inflection and Two Facial Expressions...Not Smiling and Smiling.

It's a Slog that Tries to Ramp Up the Story of a Murder-Trial that may Result in an Indian War.

Wyatt is taken Out of the Action by a Thrown Rock.

None of this is Convincing.

The Trial is Stiff and Boring as is most of this Misfire.

Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Virgil Earp...it's one of those "Name-Droppers" that Proliferated Pictures in the 1950's.

It Takes More than Famous Name-Tags to Make a Movie Entertaining.

Filmed in Technicolor so that's Something.

Once more, I had to endure a Sam Katzman's production, this time a western, supposed to tell the story of Bat Masterson, a conquest of the West figure, authentic character, who would have deserved better than being evoked by this awful Sam Katzman producer. William Castle, the future horror gimmick films genius, could not do anything against this plague named Katzman who condemned him to mediocrity in the studio; such a talented, gifted director. It is a good time waster though, but you have to keep out of your head the idea that such a plot would have been ten times better, produced by an Harry Joe Brown or Howard Christie. Well, we have to deal with it, we have no choice.