El imperio del crimen

A sombre Rod Cameron western remembered today because the 25 year-old Blake Edwards, after five years languishing in bit parts, collaborated with John C. Champion behind the camera as writer & producer. He is also billed fifth as the youngest, most sharply dressed and slightly built of chief baddie Reed Hadley's trio of henchmen (which Edwards acknowledges in the script by having Cameron condescendingly address him as 'sonny' and 'Little Boy Blue').

I was proved right near the end (SLIGHT SPOILER COMING) when I thought it unwise of Cameron to take a chair with the window behind it to join a card game; and someone seems to have tossed a coin to decide which of the two female leads Cameron eventually ends up with.

Panhandle, B western for Allied Artists stars Rod Cameron as a fugitive in Mexico who when he finds out that his brother has been killed in the Panhandle area of Texas right on the Oklahoma line comes north to settle accounts. The bad guy here is Reed Hadley who is the town boss where the brother was a crusading newspaperman.

Cameron has two women vying for him as well, Cathy Downs and Anne Gwynne. Both aid him at crucial times in his quest.

Hadley is one slick article however and he's got a lot of gunslingers on his payroll. One of them is future producer/director Blake Edwards who plays a punk gunfighter working for Hadley. Edwards also co-wrote Panhandle

Another reviewer compared Cameron's character to some of Clint Eastwood's heroes. I certainly haven't seen that kind of speed with a gun outside of such Eastwood classics like High Plains Drifter. Edwards and Cameron seem to be decades ahead of their time.

This is a B western, but it's pretty grim stuff, not at all like a Gene Autry or Roy Rogers Republic western. No real production values and Rod's speed is a bit unreal, but the film is nicely acted and not for the Saturday matinée crowd.

It is very rare western which is strangely aired on a French classic movies channel. What a surprise. I would have never expected such a film, a grade B western, but not a Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Johnny McBrown lousy craps produced by Poverty Row in Hollywood. Well, here you have Rod Cameron, the poor man's Randolph Scott for me and I guess many other folks. A western only destined to western hard boiled fans or Lesley Selander's filmography goers, but still entertaining enough to keep you awake for eighty minutes. A chain made western, very rare on French TV channel. But for me who have access to thousands of rare stuff from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, this is not a priceless gem.

Blake Edwards is best known for writing and/or producing and/or directing Pink Panther movies and "Victor/Victoria" but he also has 32 acting credits, most in uncredited parts.

But in "Panhandle," he plays a slimy, neurotic gunsel who simply itches for a chance at the hero, played by Rod Cameron.

Edwards is just one of the superior actors who play the bad guys, led by that marvelous and well-rounded Reed Hadley, possessor of one of the greatest voices in show biz history. And who also played heroes, from Zorros to Public Defender.

There is an astonishing cast in "Panhandle." I mean, when Trevor Bardette, Lee "Lasses" White, Neal Hart, and Herman Hack are all uncredited atmosphere, you know there is a great bunch who are credited.

There are two leading ladies: Cathy Downs, lovely and well cast, and Anne Gwynne, adorable and feisty.

Blake Edwards and John C. Champion are credited as co-writers and they have produced a top-quality script, with one flaw: Veteran gun-slingers would immediately re-load after firing, even if they had a second, or third, pistol. Our hero didn't.

It's a common error, and probably most people wouldn't notice since it is so common. Otherwise, the writers and director Lesley Selander did a good job of paying attention to details.

For one thing, when someone asked directions, he said "thank you," and there were other, similar touches making this look and feel realistic.

Finally, Rod Cameron: He was another varied and talented actor. He doesn't get the credit he deserves. He played this part, though, beautifully, always showing just the right emotion or attitude appropriate to the situation.

He had a long career and even late in life got called on for TV parts, so he did get some credit within the industry, and he certainly has many fans among us Western aficionados.

I highly recommend "Panhandle," and there is an excellent copy at YouTube, with, interestingly, the credits in Spanish.

So, can ex-marshal, now outlaw, John Sands avenge his brother's killing by ruthless town bigwig Garson and his band of toughies. Still and all, Sands is played by a rugged 6'5" Rod Cameron who looks every inch of it and handles it, as well. But, he'll need to because Garson's played by 6'4" Reed Hadley in what amounts to a potentially towering face-off. Plus, there's Garson's over-eager gunsel Floyd (Edwards) who just can't seem to wait for any kind of gunplay. At the same time, hovering in the background are unbending arms of the law. All in all, things look bleak for the compromised ex-marshal.

It's a B-Western with a number of unusually good touches not often found in the genre. For example, take that nifty showdown in the rain, a real oddity; then there're the great Amarillo area scenic shots, dry as a bone; plus, which of the two lovely town gals will Sands end up with, blonde Dusty or brunette June; and lastly catch those unforced humorous touches that fit right in. Still, it's Cameron's impressive presence and understated performance that rivets the show, along with an unexpectedly memorable ending. At same time, I can't help thinking the producers of the Gary Cooper classic High Noon (1952) were influenced by this sneaky little 1948 gem. So catch up with it if you can.

( In Passing - that's the same Blake Edwards of later fame who produced and-or directed many of the Pink Panther flicks along with the classic Peter Gunn TV series, among others. Meanwhile, thanks to this flick, I won't be visiting a barber anytime soon, especially if I have to open the door. Just don't tell the wife.)