Odio en la sangre

A former outlaw, Billy Ringo (George Montgomery) decides to hang up his guns, buy a ranch, wed Arlene Reach (Helen Westcott), and let his nephew Chip Ringo live with them, however that ideal state is tenuous at best when Chip's father Matt Ringo (John Dehner), fresh from escaping prison, arrives coaxing the two brothers to follow a life of crime - Billy is then framed into pulling a bank robbery with Matt and his gang.

After accidentally killing Matt, Billy pretends to side with the gang after informing Marshal Wyatt Earp of the gang's plan to rob a Wells Fargo express wagon. But Billy's main intention is to stop Chip from going down the outlaw trail.

Formulaic, yet watchable western with some finely drawn characters. The plot drives you in, it's brisk, and with some good action - like stagecoach robbery at the finale. The historically named characters weren't really needed, as it could've stood in his own legs with fresh characters, but the trend back then was to use historical characters. Guess it makes it fun.

Gun Belt is directed by Ray Nazarro and written by Jack Dewitt, Richard Schayer and Arthur Orloff. It stars George Montgomery, Tab Hunter, William Bishop, Douglas Kennedy, John Dehner, James Millican, Hugh Sanders, Jack Elam and Helen Westcott.

Remade as 5 Guns to Tombstone in 1960, Gun Belt is for sure the much stronger film. Plot treads familiar ground as reformed outlaw gets roped into bad ways again via a frame up by his brother, and to compound matters his nephew is involved in the mess that follows. It essentially uses characters from the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral period of the Tombstone Law Versus Outlaws scheme of history. The makers retain some names, slightly change others, and of course add their own line of history.

It's a good old fashioned "B" Western that boasts a roll call of genre performers, and it's this what keeps Gun Belt from falling below average. Montgomery fronts up as the main man, a likeable presence in the genre, it's entertaining watching him weave his way through double cross after double cross. All of which culminates in a showdown where rat like trickery and bluffs form the denouement.

Nicely filmed in Technicolor, it's not a half bad production. When the story comes out of the town the Chatsworth scenery is very nice. Action scenes are competently staged as befitting a good old pro like Nazarro, with a pat on the back to the stunt workers who add perkiness to proceedings. As for the musical score, it's standard fare from Gertz. The acting is a mixed bag, and some such as Elam barely get anything to say or do, and Westcott's stock love interest character is barely in it. Leaving us with a decent but not great Western, one for the undemanding after a brisk and tidy time filler. 6/10

A low budget 50's western that is not really all that bad. George Montgomery is the hero and Tab Hunter as his nephew. Hunter is so young in this movie that he's almost unrecognizable. You keep looking at him and thinking is that Tab Hunter? The villain is a real scary bad guy whose name is Ike Clinton. Why Clinton? Why not Clanton? Were they going for historical accuracy? The marshall in the town is named Virgil Earp so its hard to say what they were trying to do history-wise. It's slow-paced, melodramatic and cartoony: everything it should be.

In this western, the specialist Ray Nazzaro, the most prolific western provider - with Lesley Selander - borrows some elements from director Ray Enright ; I mean westerns from the last forties where true celebrities of the conquest of the West history were used in terms of characters names. For instance, here, you have the Ringo brothers - from OK Corral myth - and also Wyatt Earp in a supporting character. I would have never imagined Ray Nazarro making his westerns this way. Plus, such a grade B western maker hired Tab Hunter, Jack Elam...George Montgomery is not a surprise though for this cute little and agreeable movie.

Clintons? Hmmm. Ike Clinton. Wyatt Earp. Well they got that name right. Several Ringo brothers! Well it was supposed to be fiction. I suppose it was par for the course for the early 1950s. Aimed mainly at Saturday afternoon kids movies. So .... who cares about accuracy. I recommend a viewing of Tombstone or Wyatt Earp for a reasonable coverage of the Earp, Clanton, Ringo and Curly Bill etc events in Tombstone, AZ. OR the old 1950s TV series The Life and Times of Wyatt Earp. Not all of it historically accurate, but exponentially better. 🙂