Wild Women

"Wild Women" is a film shown originally as part of the "ABC Movie of the Week" series. I never saw it when it first aired but found it and many other "ABC Movie" installments on YouTube. They seem to have about half of the films that aired on ABC over these years.

Hugh O'Brian plays Killian, a guy who is trying to smuggle guns into Texas during the time of the Texas Revolution of 1835-1836. However, he cannot do this alone and needs help, so he goes to a local women's prison and gets the warden to parole a group of these 'ladies' to his care. Naturally, being a group of misfits, they have some hard times here and there but ultimately pull it all together...which is EXACTLY what you'd expect in such a film.

If you like this sort of plot, you'd love the later "ABC Movie", "The Daughters of Joshua Cabe" which also used this idea...and a bit better.

The acting is fine and I have no major complaints EXCEPT for the complete lack of historical accuracy. Like so many films about this time period, they show folks with repeating pistols...something that really weren't available in any number until the Civil War and post- Civil War period...decades later. So, you see a battle near the end where hundreds and hundreds of shots ring out...though nothing like this could have happened with just a couple dozen folks fighting.

Average western stars Killian (Hugh O'Brian) who's assigned by Col. Donahue (Robert F. Simon) to a perilous mission . But he cannot do this alone and needs help , so he goes to a local women's jail and gets the warden to parole a motley bunch of misfit women . As a scout leader Killian defends a heroic expedition plenty of spunky women against a lot of dangers and Indian attackers . As five feisty women convicts , a rag-tag band of all-female (Anne Francis, Marilyn Maxwell, Marie Windsor , Sherry Jackson , Cynthia Hull) have been recruited to secretly transport weapons into Mexican-held Texas in 1840s and along the way threatened by an impending Indian attack . All of them head to Texas , and getting a chilly reception throughout the risked paths , and without water , anxiously desiring to drink , suffering starvation , thirsty , assaults , while being surrounded by Mexican military and rebel Indians . As the tribes on the warpath and the Mexican army is controlling the colonists and invaders on the Texas region.

This fresh but average picture gets Western action , shootouts , agreeable outdoors , a lot of attractive , exuberantly frisky female roles showing a lively aggressiveness and turning to be entertaining enough , but slow-moving . It's a medium budget film with good actors , technicians, production values and mediocre results . A passable TV Western by the professional and craftsman filmmaker Don Taylor who brought ¨The final of countdown¨and ¨Damien : Omen 2¨ , dealing with an undercover group who's trying to smuggle guns into Texas during the time of the Texas Revolution of 1835-1836. Excitement and entertainment but uneventful , relying heavily on the relationship between the touchy women with full of nervous energy and the male heroes , while defending the arms wagon . The main and enjoyable plot line results to be functional about the risked expedition to defend themselves against Indian tribes on the warpath and to repel the Mexican attacks that will eventually come . Exploring the anguish of women , the hard relationship among them and including jarring bursts of action and emotion . This is a thrilling tale of a valiant and a hard-bitten group , assembling a detail of misfit women to hold-off rampaging Indians and avengeful Mexicans . Exploring the distresses and desperation of some fainthearted women . This Western is predictable and conventional but entertaining enough . It is an uneven Western with a plot that several times reminds ¨Westward the Women¨(1951) by William A Wellman and ¨The Guns of Fort Petticoat¨ (1957) by George Marshall . In Wild Women(1970) stands out the beautiful women , some of then veteran actresses , such as : Anne Francis as the appealing Jean Marshek , Marilyn Maxwell as the stubborn Maude Webber, Marie Windsor as the quarrelsome Lottie Clampett, Sherry Jackson as the spoiled , fidgety Nancy Belacourt, and Cynthia Hull as brave Indian Mit-O-Ne.

The motion picture was regularly directed by Don Taylor . He was an actor and director as TV as cinema , he played one of the leads in the Army-Air Force production of Hart's play, "Winged Victory¨ . Returning to civilian life, Taylor resumed his work in pictures with a top role in the trend-setting crime drama ¨The naked city (1948)¨ and played successful films as ¨Destination Gobi , Battleground and Stalag 17¨. In later years Taylor became a film and TV director, being nominated for an Emmy for his direction of an episode of "Night Gallery" (1969). Don met his wife Hazel Court when he directed her in a 1958 episode of "Alfred Hitchcock presents" (1955). Taylor was an expert filmmaker on adventures genre as ¨Adventures of Tom Sawyer¨ , Terror as ¨Damien : Omen 2¨ and science fiction as ¨Island of Dr. Moreau¨, ¨Escape from Planet of Apes¨, and ¨The final of countdown¨. Rating : Average , 4.5/10 . Acceptable and passable , but mediocre. Only for hardcore Western fans.

Basic Plot: The US Army wants to move some guns into the disputed Texas Territory. They decide to disguise the guns in a wagon train taking settlers west. To make things look truly authentic, though, they need women. The Army recruits five women from a local stockade to act as wives for the men.

Overall, Wild Women is harmless enough, but it's not very good. It's all horribly predictable and there's not much to get excited about. The title, Wild Women, is misleading. Sure, all of the women were in prison, but these are hardly hardened criminals. But "Wild Women" sounds more enticing than "Moderately Fun Women" or "Mildly Amusing Women". I suppose the "Wild" part had to be toned down as this was made for television. Also, being made-for-TV means that you know everything's going to be okay in the end. Any hardship they might face - Indian attack, lack of water, or the Mexican Army - is going to be resolved fairly quickly and in our heroes' favor. This isn't Peckinpah.

The cast is actually better than it had any right to be. I always enjoy seeing Marie Windsor. She's been a favorite of mine since I first watched Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy about 45 years ago. Wild Women also features the talents of Anne Francis, Huge (yes, I typed it that way on purpose) O'Brian, and Marilyn Maxwell. Not a bad cast for a fairly lame movie.

This is a sexy sensuous cute Western about five women convicts trying to deliver arms to 1840 Mexican Held Texas.Made back in 1970,it's comparable to the other great westerns of that era that's highly commendable and recommended.It's a fun must see movie that's very well worth watching!!!