Le justicier de la sierra

"Panhandle" is a B-western from Allied Artists...the same company formerly known as Monogram Pictures. I am not sure of the name change and assume it was simply because Monogram had a pretty poor reputation and the name change would possibly evoke more positive imagery to the consumer. However, despite this, "Panhandle" was actually a pretty good film...better than I expected.

John Sands (Rod Cameron) was a feared gunman long ago. However, he tired of the life and retired to a small border town. But this quiet life is interrupted when he learns that his brother was murdered in another town. And, when he arrives in the town, he realizes NOTHING is done without the local boss' permission. In other words, Matt Garson (Reed Hadley) is clearly behind his brother's murder. But since he's the boss, he has lots of men to go through and John will sure have a difficult time getting to him.

Apart from one woman who is inexplicably nasty towards a poor Mexican guy, the acting was very good and the villain easy to hate. I also thought Cameron and the fight scenes were done very well. I have no major complaints about the story and it held my interest throughout.

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.

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.

John Sands is a famed ex lawman ,most celebrated for having faced down Billy the Kid .He is now living in Mexico ,having fallen foul of the law in the States,and is working as a storekeeper when news reaches him that his brother has been murdered .He vows to return to America to avenge his brother despite knowing full well this places him at risk of arrest . He is drawn into enmity with the ruthless Matt Garson who is also his rival for he hand of Garson's secretary (Joan O'Carroll)and to complicate matters he law is on his tail.

Blake Edwards -a man mostly known for his acerbic comedic scripts-co wrote this movie and the screenplay is above average for the genre, and the era .Add some lively action ,including the old genre staple of a bar -room brawl ,and some capable performances and the result is a good and watchable B movie that devotees of the Western will especially enjoy