Le shérif de tombstone

Having a narrator sounding like so many TV shows of this era and earlier actually detracts, in my opinion, and having so many real-life bad guys as characters also does, in my opinion.

It's a pretty good story otherwise, and George Montgomery was nearly always fun to watch.

Beverly Tyler is very much fun to watch. She was an extremely talented woman, with a reputation as a great singer, although she was not given any opportunities to sing on film -- more Hollywood strangeness.

Harry Lauter gets to play a good guy, and shows he should have had even more chances.

Gerald Milton, playing this version of "Ike Clanton," is someone I've not heard of before but seeing him in this role shows me I've been missing out. What a great performance.

YouTube has a good print, although there is an extra almost 30 minutes tacked on for no good reason.

The Toughest Gun in Tombstone is directed by Earl Bellamy and written by Orville H. Hampton. It stars George Montgomery, Jim Davis, Beverly Tyler, Gerald Milton and Don Beddoe. Music is by Paul Dunlap and cinematography by Kenneth Peach.

Solid "B" type Oater finds Montgomery as Matt Sloane, an undercover Arizona Ranger sent into Tombstone to rid it of its outlaw elements. He also has a vested personal interest since the man who killed his wife - and who has shot and injured his son - also resides within the outlaw group.

Standard rules apply here, clocking in at just 72 minutes in run time, the requisite fist fights, chases, shoot outs and good versus bad shenanigans fill out the play. There's some nifty cryptic detective work going on, even some stentorian narration suggesting the makers have been watching the noir crime movies of the era. The romantic angle is not over played, with a nice surrogate mother thread ticking along nicely, and the cast and tech crew perform capably within the confines of the low budget production limits.

With the opening broadly telling us about the "infamous" named characters operating in Tombstone, it should be noted this is of course not a history lesson, so don't expect one. While elsewhere after being told that President Chester A. Arthur has "ordered" the end of outlaws, it's a little disappointing that there wasn't more scope to expand upon the birth of The Arizona Rangers. But as it is this is sturdy and enjoyable fare for the genre fans to pass the time away with. 6/10

In this interesting 1958 B-western, George Montgomery is sent to rowdy Tombstone to clean up lawlessness and corruption there. He encounters the likes of Johnny Ringo and Ike Clanton as he proceeds to throw the book (and LEAD ) at the lawless cowpokes. Eventually, good overcomes evil and all is well in the Arizona town..........

Montgomery is fine as the good guy, riding to the rescue. His acting range was limited, but he made up for it with a dogged intensity. Jim Davis was very good as Ringo, making this a fun but undemanding film.

Fans of this era of western film should enjoy this one. It's not Shakespeare, but it is entertaining in a low-budget sorta way !

Thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Montgomery is always smooth, but tough. Good storyline, great cast.

The producers and screenwriters of this small western were the same who worked with Edward L Cahn. Same atmosphere, frame, story telling. Not a bad film, despite the cast and Earl Bellamy in his earliest days, before he became more ambitious with bigger budgets and TV industry jobs. And, as many other westerns, the story uses real names of the West history: here Clanton family. It could have been Billy The Kid or Jesse James. I repeat, not a bad western, but rapidly forgettable. But if you can get it as a western buff, of course try. George Montgomery has done worse than this one. Awful predictable ending.