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For a modestly budgeted, unambitious horse opera, this is as good as it gets. Audie Murphy's Western vehicles of the 50s don't command the respect of Randolph Scott's or Joel McCrea's, but they are just as entertaining. A few of them ("No Name On The Bullet," "Posse From Hell") have an unusual edge that makes them noteworthy, but this one simply transcends its limitations to be a damned good entertainment. Walter Matthau steals every scene he's in as an alcoholic judge, while Murphy's subtly nervous performance as the would-be outlaw pretending he's a respected lawman may remind one of David Janssen as TV's "The Fugitive." Audie reportedly was uncomfortable with romantic scenes, but here he handles some innuendo-laden dialogue with Gia Scala quite nicely. Henry Silva and Mort Mills provide some surprisingly restrained (for this sort of thing) villainy. The premise (good-at-heart outlaw is reformed by wearing a badge) was old hat, but the execution is great! Set your expectations for a medium budgeted Western with no pretensions, and you won't be disappointed. You may even be pleasantly surprised.

This was a good Westrn, pretty much of a formula Western of Hollywood from 1950 to 1990, in which the hero begins as a bad guy. One wonders if a Western hero could ever have started out good to be a Hollywood hero. The answer is "no". Murphy plays an outlaw who assumes the identity of a lawman whom he sees fall off a cliff. He becomes a celebrity in a town where the law in a roguish judge played by Walter Mattheau. The movie is more of a showcase for him than anything, and he does brilliantly. People who know who Audie Murphy really is show up with ulterior motives, and Murphy finds himself in the middle. No doubt, most people will find the main character's part a bit formula, but likewise, most people will enjoy Mattheau very much. A lot of likable aspects to this story. Not packed with gunplay, but there are several guns going off. Enough action to keep 98% of the audience interested. Lots to like.

Ride a Crooked Trail is directed by Jesse Hibbs and adapted to screenplay by Borden Chase from a story written by George Bruce. It stars Audie Murphy, Walter Matthau, Gia Scala, Leo Gordon, Henry Silva and Eddie Little. A CinemaScope/Eastman Color production, music is by Joseph Gershenson and cinematography by Harold Lipstein.

A blend of the breezy and the beefy here as Audie saddles up as Joe Maybe, a bank robber who after assuming the identity of the detective who was sent to capture him, winds up as the sheriff of a corrupt town. Ironically it's the town he and his dastardly cohorts had planned for their next big robbery. But as Joe insinuates himself into the company of the town's better citizens, he begins to doubt his dark side.

It's pretty routine as per the bad man trying to turn good axis of Western movie plotting, but there's a good sense of fun running throughout. Murphy himself seems to really be enjoying himself in the role of Joe Maybe. Leading the front of frivolity is Matthau as the town judge, his capacity for alcohol is as legendary as his ability to find a quip or sarcasm in the most trying of situations. Many of the scenes shared between the two men are most funny, be it hangovers, court room shenanigans or generally sounding each other out, they make for a great pair of characters.

Of course all this good fun has to ease off for the plot to take its darker turn. Which brings in the villains and the action scenes just as Joe's conscience starts to gnaw away at him. Costuming is appealing, especially when modelled by Scala, Gershenson provides another one of his lively Western musical scores and Lipstein's Scope photography makes good use of the gorgeous scenery. It's a bit creaky in parts and Hibbs sometimes lets the pace sag, but this is good entertainment for Audie and Matthau fans. 7/10

RIDE A CROOKED TRAIL is an Audie Murphy western distinguished by good writing and a flamboyant early role for Walter Matthau as a silver-haired, hard-drinking, shotgun-toting judge in a growing river town. It has surprisingly little action for a Murphy western, but it's consistently engaging thanks to a group of interesting, well-etched characters, a strong cast, some welcome humor, and a script by western veteran Borden Chase (WINCHESTER '73, BEND OF THE RIVER, THE FAR COUNTRY, BACKLASH, etc.).

Murphy was always at his best when surrounded by solid co-stars and here he's got Matthau as a persistent father figure; Gia Scala as a femme fatale ripe for reform; and Henry Silva as an outlaw gang leader. Murphy plays a wanted outlaw himself who is mistaken by Matthau for a missing marshal (who'd fallen off a cliff while pursuing Murphy) and soon has to assume the functions of the marshal's office in order to keep up the charade and escape detection. When Scala gets off the riverboat from New Orleans, she recognizes Murphy and calls him by his real name, "Maybe," forcing Murphy to cover up by telling Matthau Scala is his wife. But Scala is there to case the town's bank for Silva, so she has to act the respectable lady for a few days till Silva and company come to town. Both she and, later, Silva expect Murphy to help with the bank job. After a while, Matthau starts to get suspicious, even as Murphy begins to grow comfortable in the marshal's job. Added to the mix are a precocious orphan boy (Eddie Little) and a dog who, true to form, gradually tug at Audie's and Gia's heartstrings.

Murphy seems more relaxed here than usual. Perhaps he was grateful for the opportunity to turn the more attention-getting dramatics over to Matthau. Murphy also has good chemistry with Scala, who is quite attractive and confident here in a way that looks forward to Isabella Rossellini (who played a similar role in Lawrence Kasdan's WYATT EARP, 1994, with Kevin Costner).

Joanna Moore (mother of Tatum O'Neal) makes an attractive saloon girl. Mort Mills has a small, vivid part as one of Silva's gang and his appearance will be enjoyed by those who recall him as Charlton Heston's sympathetic colleague in TOUCH OF EVIL the same year and as the highway patrolman who stops Janet Leigh in PSYCHO.

Most of the film was shot in a western town set on the Universal Pictures backlot, although a few chase-and-cattle scenes take place on location late in the film. It's a relatively light-hearted film for screenwriter Chase, who wrote or co-wrote so many harder-edged westerns, but it turns out to be among the best of the roughly two dozen westerns Murphy made at Universal.

As simple case of mistaken identity puts wanted bank robber Audie Murphy in position of Sheriff in a small but fast growing Western Town - with its own large bank. The film plods along nicely giving enough to keep the viewer interested and when it does begin to delve into Murphy's character, it still manages to keep the question 'will he or wont he' wide open. Walter Mattau provides the comedy as the drunken judge who rules with an iron fist. Enjoyable..

This is quite a good, light-hearted little western featuring Audie Murphy as an escaping bank robber who arrives in a town only to be mistaken by the local judge - a feisty Walter Matthau - for a likely candidate for sheriff. When Gia Scala - Murphy's old flame gets off the river boat she almost lands him it, so to avoid discovery he claims that they are married so as he can carry out his own nefarious plans. When her real beau and his gang arrive in town things all start to get a bit complicated... It's an entertaining hour and a half; with a good rapport between all three principals and Eddie Little as the young "Jimmy". It's got an half decent script and some good action thrown in too. The ending is a bit poor, but I suppose it was inevitable...

After robbing a bank Murphy assumes the identity of his pursuer, a famous US Marshal, when he stumbles into a town and is confronted by the local judge, Matthau. Murphy is forced to remain as the new Marshal; an old flame, Scala, nearly unmasks him by accident, only to be forced to assume the ruse of being Murphy's wife. The "couple" given a house and respectability, which neither has had before. They maintain the charade to avoid hurting a young orphan boy, Matthau's ward. Scala is torn by her loyalty to boyfriend planning to rob the bank and growing feelings for Murphy.

Not as action packed like Murphy's other westerns, which disappointed me the first time I watched it as the storyline of an outlaw mistaken for a lawman spelled "plenty of shoot 'em ups", but with a second viewing I found Ride the crooked trail an engaging mix of humour and romance with light interplay between characters. Audie and Gia Scala have a good chemistry. And it's all enjoyable, and keeps one watching.

i really enjoyed this western as i always liked audie murphy westerns. also a great performance by walter matthau as the crusty old judge. also gia scala is great as the bad girl with a big heart

i wish they would show this, other audie murphy movies and all the 50's westerns

from universal-international on tcm. also what do we have to do to get these great old western from universal on DVD? "ride a crooked trail" rates up there with me with "the cimmaron kid" "night passage" "the duel at silver creek" and the "unforgiven" as audie's great westerns. they put out old black & white westerns from the 30's and 40's from other studios but why don't they put universal's great color westerns from the 50's out on DVD

In a comic change-of-pace role, WWII hero turned actor Audie Murphy does an amiable job as Joe Maybe, an outlaw who rides into the river town of Webb City. He had managed to escape from a pursuing marshal, and is then assumed to be the marshal by the authorities in the town, led by the genial Judge Kyle (Walter Matthau, in a show-stealing performance). Joe keeps up the ruse, thinking he'd like to rob the town bank, and the ruse is threatened when his old acquaintance, Tessa (Gia Scala), shows up in town and nearly exposes him. So he forces her to pose as his wife, and *she's* not happy about that. Then her boyfriend Sam Teeler (Henry Silva, amusing as always), who is Joe's rival in crime, shows up, and of course he wants to rob the bank too.

Scripted by Borden Chase, based on a story by George Bruce, this is just good, straightforward Western entertainment, given polished direction by Jesse Hibbs. Hibbs had previously guided Murphy in "To Hell and Back", the film version of Murphy's wartime exploits. What gives "Ride a Crooked Trail" some distinction is its light comic touch. Among other things, Joe decides to sleep in a bathtub when Tessa refuses to sleep with him. Naturally, a fair amount of the humour lies with Matthaus' deft, offbeat performance. The judge is not one to be messed with, but at the same time he does take a fatherly interest in this young newcomer to his town. (This, despite the fact that Matthau was only a few years older than Murphy in real life.) Murphy is quite engaging himself, creating a character who is sometimes on edge (instinctively flinching when people say the word "maybe") and out of his depth. Scala and briefly-seen Joanna Moore add plenty of feistiness and sex appeal; Scala has some good chemistry with Murphy as they do a fair bit of bickering and bantering. Silva is great value as always. As the viewer will see, Sam Teeler is an unscrupulous, lying weasel. Child actor Eddie Little is appealing as an impressionable boy named Jimmy, who begins to look up to Joe. Familiar character actors like Mort Mills, Leo Gordon, Bill Walker, and Richard H. Cutting fill out supporting roles quite well. Bob Steele and Morgan Woodward have uncredited bits.

All in all, "Ride a Crooked Trail" is pure fun for fans of the genre, complete with the time-honoured premise of the potential redemption of a person who's had no breaks in life and a criminal past. It begins with an action scene, and gives plenty to amuse and delight the viewer before wrapping up quite pleasantly.

Seven out of 10.

The most decorated war hero of WWII is convincing in this story about an insecure man who, nonetheless, is very brave. He is an outlaw on the run, but through an unexpected happening is later mistaken for a sheriff in Little Rock, Ark. Walter Matthau is the judge there.

He does fool people there for a very long while, actually being thought of as a model law-abiding citizen, when the truth of the matter is he is an outlaw on the lamb. He will make it almost perfectly easy for the members of his outlaw gang to rob the local bank there.

The beautiful Gia Scala makes a definitely striking screen appearance. For Henry Da Silva the part of an outlaw is tailor-made. As the judge Walter Matthau is both rough yet sometimes humorous.

The color and old west setting are very drawing as well.

I would have to say, walter matthau in this early supporting performance was truly a stage presence to have in a film like this. This movie being one that shows the lines and decisions that a born tough guy must make to decide whats really whats truly dear to him. Sort of a shadow to Audie Murphy's character was the young boy, who grew up also in a saloon, but never stood a chance to grow up straight until a man, such as himself took a stand against injustice and only then, was the young boy cured of the sins he was born into...

Excellent choice if you want to know what moral 50's Hollywood wanted to put out there.

Ritchie Fontaine

In Ride A Crooked Trail a young fugitive Audie Murphy is forced to assume the identity of a famous US Marshal when he's seen with a broken badge that this marshal was known to wear. The marshal was killed on the trail, but Murphy had no hand in that.

This film is a treat for fans of Walter Matthau who plays a Roy Bean like judge who enforces his decisions with a shotgun that he wields to deadly effect. Being fast on the draw does nobody any good with Matthau having it out and ready to splatter an entire saloon full of outlaws.

But Murphy goes along as it fits into his plans to rob the town bank at an opportune moment. Gia Scala an entertainer from New Orleans and her outlaw boyfriend Henry Silva may spoil things. But Murphy has plans for both of them.

This is a decent enough Audie Murphy western, but Walter Matthau as the judge really makes this one special. Matthau did all kinds of roles before he became a star after the Oscar he received for The Fortune Cookie, some serious, some comic, some good guys, some bad. Here like Roy Bean he's the symbol for law and order in his part of the frontier, but like Roy Bean he makes it up as he goes along.

Audie's fans will like Ride A Crooked Trail, but for fans of Walter Matthau here's a chance to discover one of his more neglected performances.

.....when I look at Audie Murphy's filmography ;apart from Huston ,Siegel and Mankiewicz,it's mostly B movies .That does not mean they were not good;this actor sometimes got excellent screenplays:"no name on the bullet" is a good example.

Like "hell bent for leather","ride on a crooked trail" -which perfectly depicts the hero's life till...-is a case of mistaken identity.The story may seem trite ,but the characters are colorful and there's more humor than in the average western.

Walter Matthau as the grumpy kind-hearted judge accentuates the comedy side of the film.Henry Silva restores the balance .

In his movies ,boyish Murphy had always had a bizarre Relationship with women (in one of his roles,he's alone in a fort and he's got to teach them the soldier job):here he sleeps in the bathtub and cooks breakfast for his "wife " Gia Scala (the future traitor in "guns of Navarone" ).There's actually a good chemistry between the two stars who must pretend they are husband and wife ,which gives good lines when Murphy says that "this bank is almost his" and his companion,very interested in the place too,has to be involved in women's club ,which is not her cup of tea (in both senses of the term).

Even more interesting is the friendship between Murphy and the little brat ;both are waifs ,raised in bars ,and if the judge considers his marshal a little as his adoptive son,the cute Jimmy feels that he might find a family too .Anyway,both the judge and the kid ,who leaves the house he 'd like to call home,guess there's something wrong: two married persons share the same bedroom and the same bed ,every kid knows that.

Jimmy is a strong kid who knows what he wants : we see him study - which is very rare in westerns-,and finally he plays a prominent part in Maybe's redemption.

Born in a saloon, Joe Maybe is a fast-on-the-draw wannabe bank robber. After a failed robbery attempt, Joe is pursued by a marshal, who accidentally falls off a cliff in the pursuit. Intent on robbing the bank in the next town, Joe arrives riding the marshal's horse, and the town judge assumes from the tin star in the saddlebag that Joe is the deceased marshal. Thus begins a tale of deception and intrigue with a touch of romance in the entertaining western-drama "Ride a Crooked Trail."

War-hero Audie Murphy is too clean cut and well scrubbed to be a convincing outlaw; his amiable screen presence is even a bit naive and shy for romance. Even Joe's sins lie only in intent and not in deed; his shooting tends to wound, not kill. Thus, no surprise that Walter Matthau as the colorful Judge Kyle steals every scene; with a fondness for the bottle and a legal philosophy all his own, Matthau's Kyle takes a shine to the marshal's young impersonator and makes him the town's lawman. When a lovely young woman, played by Gia Scala, who has a history with Joe, arrives from New Orleans, Joe passes her off as his wife, and the plot thickens. Complicated by a young orphan with a dog, the woman's outlaw lover who has the town's bank as his next target, and the bank president's nosy wife, the good-natured film takes several turns and always remains engaging.

Beyond Matthau, the rest of the cast is adequate in undemanding roles. Jesse Hibbs, who directed Murphy in his autobiographical film "To Hell and Back," maintains a steady pace, avoids mawkishness with the orphan and dog, and provides a few decent action sequences. While no classic, "Ride a Crooked Trail" is a fun movie. Predictable and concerned with story over action, this western may appeal more to adults than children. Nevertheless, the film is good family entertainment with any hints of illegitimacy, prostitution, and adultery air brushed away as only 1950's movies could.

Bank robber Audie Murphy is mistaken for a famous marshal by judge Walter Matthau and forced to be sheriff. He doesn't mind too much, because there's a shiny bank in town. Gia Scala shows up and masquerades as his wife. Other bank robbers show up and cut a deal for when the bank will be full, and double-cross him. Matthau grows suspicious.

It's a tale of the rocky road to redemption, and how much easier it is when people think you're a good guy. Matthau tries some flour in his hair and does an imitation of Gabby Hays playing Roy Bean, with his arm in a sling for a third of the movie; clearly this was a statement on his abilities as an actor compared to the other members of the cast. It's another of the competent "Shaky A" westerns that Universal starred Murphy in in this period, with a screenplay by Borden Chase.

For a rare foray into actual direction, Jesse Hibbs shows more quality than I would expect from someone who was a second unit or assistant director for most of his cinema career, before turning to TV. He is helped by a clever script from Borden Chase.

Matthau shows all his acting and humor skills in a memorable part as a judge who is highly partial to drinking but sober enough to know that MAYBE he can turn a criminal into a lawman - that is Audie Murphy, trying to convince Matthau that gorgeous Gia Scala is calling him BABY instead.

Surprising start to the flick with Audie as an outlaw shot off his horse by someone I expected to be a heavy, but turned out to be a marshall, who then takes a miscalculated fall down a river. As a natural born thief, Audie couldn't help but keep the marshall's wallet and broken point tin star.

Small but catchy, fun western with undeceived Matthau grooming Murphy into a lawman. Loved it.

This director, who worked frequently with Audie Murphy, and not only for westerns, has never reunited such a cast: Wally Matthau, Audie Murphy, Henry Silva. This is an above average Audie Murphy vehicle, despite some humor touches, but that doesn't smash the story. It may look like a comedy oriented western, from time to time, but the presence of villians such as Hank Silva finally saves the whole. WALK THE PROUD LAND, another Audie Murphy costarring a then young Anne Bancroft was powerful, maybe more than this one. Great production design, care in the amosphere and overall directing obviously delightful.

Can't watch this movie on Roku devices because it's too clean. Actually I can list several movies that Roku claims you can watch but not available. Monopoly.

the cast makes difference in this case. the story, the end, the little tricks are old ingredients of genre. and performance, it can be only correct because it represents only part of machine. so,for not to be another western, this film search be a different game. the nice Audie Murphy gives all necessary nuances to his bad guy with good soul, Eddie Little represents ideal spice for a story of masks, using the Puck place and remembers from Lassie, but the key of film are Gia Scala in a splendid role and , sure, Walter Mathau.and this is the secret of this little film - the balance between humor and drama, the expected events in soft package. in same measure, good occasion to remember the "roots" of Henry Silva.