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Fred MacMurray starred in a number of interesting color westerns in the 1950's. In this film, 3 brothers come face to face with violence, cowardice and personality conflicts. MacMurray , with his laconic sense of irony, shines in this film.

Jeffrey Hunter has the key role of the the young brother. Hunter was a great actor, who is best remembered to day for his role in The Searchers. He performs well in this one and is a good match for this interesting role.

This movie is only slightly above average, being aided by two fine actors at the top of their game. Worth a look for that alone ........

This saga of Western Gun-Justice stars after the death of a father and whose three sons go on to run the family ranch , as a very young brave cowboy (Dean Stockwell) , a peaceful quiet youngster called Bless (Jeffrey Hunter) who has aversion to violence and the eldest (Fred MacMurray) who is the strict boss of the strange family . Bess usuallly finds his eldest brother often doing his confrontation for him , as in duels as fighting , and he begins to earn a reputation as a coward . Their mummy (Josephine Hutchinson) dotes on the middle son , attempting to protect him from the world and get him to move back east with her , towards St. Louis , Missouri . Things go awry when some squatters occupy countryside farms . Then Bless is really considered as a coward for not joining in a foolhardy gunfight in which a member is murdered. Challenge one brother...you answer to all!.

Classic and traditional western deals with three motley brothers who run a prosperous ranch after the death of a rancher , but one of them is seen as a coward because of his reluctance to gunfight ; it is plenty of psychological motives , family conflicts , thrills , emotion and crossfire . It is a medium budget movie with a triangular love story , noisy action , shootouts , stampedes as well as fine players, nice production design and pleasing results. It is still a run-of-the-mill entry in Western genre . Fred McMurray is adequate as elder brother who unjustly censures his youngest brother , this is one of a clutch of acceptable horse operas he made in the forties , in the late 50s and the early sixties , such as ¨Texas Rangers¨, ¨The trail of the lonesome Pine¨, At gunpoint¨, and ¨Good day for a hanging¨. Although MacMurray also played other genres as drama , adventures , wartime , children films , such as : The happiest millionaire , The shaggy dog , Son of Flubber , The absent-minded profesor , The princess come across , The Caine mutiny , Dive bomber , Above suspicion , Murder he says , The miracle of the bells , Alice Adams , The apartment , and Noir film as the classy : Double indemnity . He is accompanied by Jeffrey Hunter who gives a decent acting as the peace-loving young whose dedication to the principles of peace and reason has earned him a reputation for cowardice .The movie contains a great support cast , plenty of familiar faces from vintage Westerns such as : Iron Eyes Cody ,John Larch , Kevin Corrigan , Bob Steele , Paul Birch , Chuck Hayward and all of them are outscored by a peach of acting from the veteran Chill Wills .

Atmospheric cinematography in glimmer Technicolor by George Robinson. Evocative and thrilling musical score from Irving Gertz , Henry Russell and Frank Skinner , though uncredited . Well produced by William Alland , the motion picture was professionally directed by Abner Biberman . He directed in sure visual style and he made all kinds of genres, especially Westerns , as in cinema as TV especially . As he directed some films such as : The Night Runner, Behind the High Wall , The Price of Fear , Running Wild , The Looters , The Golden Mistress and a lot of Television episodes from known series as The Virginian , Ironside , Hawaii 5.0 , Laredo , The fugitive, Gunsmoke , Zane Grey , Tightrope, Lloyd Bridges show , Imperium , The outer limits , 77 Sunset Strip and many others . Rating :5.5/10 , decent , acceptable and passable Western , as well as enough entertaining and interesting . Well worth seeing

I read most of the reviews here, but saw the movie anyway because I like Westerns and Janice Rule, and I especially enjoyed two other Fred MacMurray Westerns, "Good Day For a Hanging" and "Face of a Fugitive." The latter is a classic in my opinion.

Most of the movie was worthy -- the stars, production values, general story outline, dialog. It held my attention. But, I have to agree with most of the reviews here: there were long, boring, repetitious stretches. There were too many indoor talky scenes. The cattle drive scenes seemed small, cramped and cheap. There were hardly any scenes involving action, excitement or suspense.

My biggest complaint is that the movie consisted mainly of repeated boring scenes where Jeffrey Hunter's character declined to fight (with fists or guns) his adversaries. Some branded him a coward for this, but the way the scenes were structured, it seemed to me like a smart move to avoid meaningless, risky fights.

Gun for a Coward is directed by Abner Biberman and written by R. Wright Campbell. It stars Fred MacMurray, Jeffrey Hunter, Janice Rule, Chill Wills, Dean Stockwell and Josephine Hutchinson. Out of Universal International Pictures, film is a CinemaScope production in Eastman Color, with photography by George Robinson and music by Joseph Gershenson.

Three brothers must contend with big personal differences whilst also trying to see off a band of cattle rustlers who are pillaging from their herd.

But you don't cover me with your shadow.

So many good things involved with this production it feels unfair to label it as dull, but dull is ultimately how it ends up being after film has run its course. The cast assembled is a strong one, the dialogue is sharp and well written, and the location photography out of Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park is most pleasing. Prolific Western scorer Gershenson also produces a highly effective score, very reflective of the characters' stuttering emotions. But with a running time of almost 90 minutes the makers have over stretched the family feud premise by having too many periods of story inactivity. Biggest problem of all is that the coward of the title, Bless' (Hunter) back story is never fully formed, adding little snippets here and there doesn't do it justice. For instance: it's only late in the day that we find his reputation is tarnished outside of his family, the whole damn town are down on him. A better director than jobber for hire Biberman would surely have got more from this tortured character axis.

Stockwell and Hunter are not the best of actors all told, but they fit right into the roles of two brothers made of different stuff. Stockwell does a good turn as the young and fearless one, and Hunter as the middle brother of the three effectively conveys the psychological pangs that sting him during the plot. The elder brother is played by MacMurray, who offers up a weary surrogate father performance for this fatherless family. It's the death of the father that is the catalyst for Hunter's problems. While Hutchinson adds a bit of class as the fretful mother and Wills is always good value for money. Rule gets the short straw from the screenplay, in what is a critical (two fold) role, she isn't asked to do anything other than look pretty and say soothing words to tortured Bless. The action is competently constructed, though the art of throwing a convincing punch is sadly missing here. And the ending, whilst being predictable (no shades of the far superior Saddle the Wind here), has enough warmth about it for those not in need of blackness in their Western viewings.

By definition it is very much a B movie in the truest sense of the term, but there is good in the production, even if it is undone by slackness elsewhere. 5.5/10

A mother and her three sons run a cattle ranch. At the same time, two of the brothers compete over the same girl, though one of the brothers appears cowardly.

Drama heavy western. Good thing that Universal went out and got some of the better young actors of the day which helps. Then too, there's Fred MacMurray, also a fine actor, but miscast as a 50-year old bother to both a 30-year old Hunter and Dean Stockwell at just 20 . At the same time, the supposed mother of the brood, Hutchinson, is only 5-years older than MacMurray and it shows. Too bad the screenplay couldn't make Will (MacMurray) the dad, but I guess that would have ruined the romance setup with the young Aud (Rule).

Anyway, the acting is good which helps the talky narrative go down, along with the excellent Technicolor photography. The movie's biggest problem, however, is the generally slow pacing that at times drags out the talky scenes long after we've gotten the idea. A brisker pace would have made the story more condensed and riveting. The elements of a good story are there. Is Bless (Hunter) a pacifist or a coward. People come to believe the latter. But if he's to win Aud and a share of the ranch he's got to show he can handle the challenges. But not in the hot-headed way of his younger brother Hade (Stockwell).

Note in the supporting cast the presence of the great Bob Steele who enlivened many a sagebrush matinée in his day. I hope he picked up a good paycheck. All in all, it's a decent western, a little heavy on the dramatics, but with a number of compensations.

Fred MacMurray, Jeffrey Hunter, and Dean Stockwell (in his first adult role) are three brothers, working their own ranch. While MacMurray is stoic and competent, and Stockwell anxious to be grown up, Hunter is different. He's gentler, and is quickly branded a coward.

It's an interesting and well told story, but there are some problems. First is the casting of MacMurray, he's considerably older than the other two. In fact, he's only four years younger than Jisephine Hutchinson, who plays their mother. The other is the way that Hunter is photographed. Half the time, his eyes look like he's blinded by cataracts, and it sometimes seemed he moved as though he could not see.

Still and all, it's a nicely written and (largely) shot Universal western 'Shaky A' production, a good paycheck movie for its actors, who include the always welcome Chill Wills, Janice Rule, and in a small role, Bob Steele.

This very enjoyable and rather surprising Universal western form 1957 has 5 terrific actors and a very good script. Even Fred MacMurray was good, but Chill Wills as the 'greek chorus' to Jeffrey Hunter's ethical dilemmas is an entertaining standout. However it is Jeffrey Hunter and Dean Stockwell's movie. Stockwell, just 20 and Hunter just 30 are magnetic in their conflicted brotherly dramas. A bit of pre-Psycho mother smothering sets the tone for some emotional blackmail by Mama who gratefully drops dead by reel 2. Then we get on with the girlfriend dilemma and the worry between two of brothers. It is all beautifully realized by Janice Rule, gorgeous and well cast as Audrey, the love interest that fractures brotherly love after the cattle stampede. I loved the music score and appreciated the production values. It is a good western, unusual and edited to just the right length.

More a domestic family drama than a Western, "Gun for a Coward" explores sibling rivalry among three cattle-rancher brothers. The three Keough brothers work the spread left by their deceased father, while jockeying for their widowed mother's affection and the love of a neighboring rancher's daughter. Directed by Abner Biberman, the film has little new, although an attractive cast offers passable entertainment.

In a rare Western role, Fred MacMurray is Will, the eldest son, who wrestles with his siblings for his mother's love, while procrastinating on intended marriage to Aud Niven, played by Janice Rule. The Keough matriarch, Josephine Hutchinson, is cold towards Will, but possessive and manipulative with blue-eyed Jeffrey Hunter, who is mom's favorite son, Bless. Gentle, peaceable Bless does his own wrestling to break free from his mother's grip and to salvage his reputation as a coward. Dean Stockwell as the youngest Keough, Hade, has little screen time as the rebellious little brother. Add Chill Wills to the mix as Loving, a wizened ranch hand with a long family association, and the six central performances hold the film together.

Beyond a few brawls, a shooting or two, and some bronco riding, "Gun for a Coward" is short on action and long on drama, with overtones of "East of Eden;" Janice Rule has the Julie Harris role, promised to Will, but drawn to Bless. Fred MacMurray in the James Dean part seeks his mother's approval, but she spurns him and dotes on Bless. Poor Hade, meanwhile, is neglected all around. Not a great film, nor a particularly bad one, just fodder for a lazy afternoon and rewarding for fans of Fred MacMurray and Jeffrey Hunter.

Fred macmurray never was even a fair western actor mainly because he wasn't tough enough nor was he smart enough ... to wit, he neither recognized that his girl wasn't his girl ... he drove a large herd of cattle to market and didn't take contingency provisions ... then he left the herd in charge of his brothers while he went off to make his wedding plans ... its not logical ... you can't run a ranch with your brothers like they were my three sons

This is one rather unusual western with themes explored that are not normally reserved for western films. Gun For A Coward did come out in the Fifties the decade when the western finally did become adult.

Fred MacMurray, Jeffrey Hunter, and Dean Stockwell are the Kehoe Brothers who have the local Ponderosa spread courtesy of their father. Unlike the Cartwrights the Kehoes still have their mother Josephine Hutchinson still living with them.

MacMurray is the older and most sensible brother and he's in charge of the place. The youngest is Dean Stockwell who's a hotheaded kid. It's the middle brother Jeffrey Hunter. He's the one that mom kind of reserved for her own. The frontier life isn't for him, she wants him to go east possibly take up the law as a profession.

Hunter as per mom's raising always tries to talk his way out of all situations. That doesn't always work and older brother MacMurray is forever trying to both explain him and figure him out and younger brother Stockwell is impatient with his pacifism. Is Hunter really the coward of the family?

Some of the situations that normally come up with Ponderosa owners who are the good guys come up in this film. It's how they're dealt with and the attitudes expressed that are what makes Gun For A Coward a different kind of western.

One I think you'll enjoy.

A great western from 1956 with Fred Macmurray. Typical western from this era. Lots of action and romance

This extremely good albeit short western is only marred by the casting of Fred Macmurray as one of the brothers. Macmurray looked about 50, and he was clearly too close in age to the actress playing his mother. A younger actor like Richard Egan should have been cast.

Dean Stockwell is fine in a James Dean-like performance as the youngest brother, and Chill Wills is excellent.

It is a small budget and very intelligent psychological western, speaking of cowardice and the elements in relation of this. But I guess it could have been a bit better though, more gritty, poignant, with a different ending. The director Abner Biberman offered us good stuff, but not too many films, unfortunately. This one is also a family - brothers - story, with the good tension that supposes. I did not expect to see Jeffrey Hunter in this movie, besides Fred McMurray. His character is riveting, and only for this, this western is worth the watch. Universal Studios really made interesting westerns.

The "western" movies are usually about solitary cowboys trying to find (or sometimes loose?) themselves. Brave, fearless men of little words who shed their failure to adjust and an ethics of their own on the screen. In two words, solitary heroes. But this film is maybe, just maybe, about a little more than that. It's about many things, possibly. About the beginning of one of those heroes (the older brother's destiny, at the end?) and about another kind of failure to adjust, the middle brother's one. And it gives us a hint of how everything starts: inside the family. Good acting, not so brilliant direction (but who needs one, when the contents and the dialogs are superb?). A final word to compliment the work of the actors in the 3 main roles (Will, Bless and Aud). And hey, how can John Ford's The Searchers be any better than this movie? Not in a million years.

Although better known for cranking out TV productions from the late 1950s onward and for his acting as one of the Indian rebels in GUNGA DIN /1939/, Director Abner Biberman does a splendid job of directing GUN FOR A COWARD.

To that end, he summons splendid service from talented cinematographer George Robinson, snappy editing from Edward Curtiss, and a screenplay that imbues characters with strong dialogue - and an odd turn of events whereby the woman older brother Fred MacMurray loves and plans to marry, suddenly falls in love with middle sibling Jeffrey Hunter, the so called coward of the title (who is not really so but who at the age of 7 had a psychologically devastating encounter with a snake that resulted in his father's death), while younger bro Hade (devilishly played by a very young Dean Stockwell) lurks about looking for any violence he can stir.

Add to that Josephine Hutchinson as the mother who says Bless (Hunter) is the only person she ever really loved, thereby distancing Will (MacMurray) and Hade... and she wants him out of the ranch and studying medicine in St Louis under her skirts.

Poor MacMurray gets a degenerate part: he has to keep a clear head to lead ranch and his bros whilst losing his lovely to his better looking, younger and seemingly yellow sibling Bless, having to step in every so often to save Bless' honor and life.

In the end, Hade goes to hell, Will moves to another town, and Bless is blessed with beautiful Janice Rule, who - at least until that point, perhaps later things change - is not the snake in paradise.

Interesting Western - 8/10.