The Bushwhackers

A Confederate veteran Jeff Waring (John Ireland) arrives in Independence, Missouri shortly after the Civil War, still with intention of never using a gun again. He finds that rancher Artemus Taylor, an arthritic despot, and his henchies, Sam Tobin and Cree, are forcing out the settlers in order to claim their land for the incoming railroad.

The Bushwhackers is a well-acted western, with some interesting characters such Taylor's independent daughter who has a mean streak mile wide and even pips her father to that post on that score. The enchanting Dorothy Malone plays a daughter of a newspaperman who she berates for not revealing who is behind the attacks on other settlers. John Ireland is quite good as the pacifist, but you know he won't stay pacifist for long. Lon Chaney Jr. Steals the scene as the barmy rancher.

The plot is quite strong with some twist and turns and some grittiness is executed quite well. A little disjointed in places as scenes jump from one scene to another without flowing naturally, but it's a decent western with an arresting plot and fine characters. It's a little violent for its time - such as Jack Elam killing settlers and burning down the house with delight on his face - and has some noir flavour.

A pacifist-minded ex-Confederate gets caught up in a land war as he seeks a new life in post- Civil War Missouri.

Considering the bizarre cast, I guess I was hoping for too much. After all, the compelling Tierney, Elam, Chaney Jr. and Dell are all established movie toughies. Then there's the unpredictable Ireland and Morris, performers comfortable playing with a wobbly moral compass. And finally there's the luscious Malone playing the good citizen, though she could also wobble when necessary, e.g. Written On The Wind (1955). Trouble is Tierney's entirely wasted, disappearing early on. No scary stare or frozen face here. As a result, there's no logical showdown between him and Ireland, as dramatically promising as that would be. Also, Chaney only gets a few minutes of loopy screen time, while Morris seems unsure of what he's supposed to do as the Marshal. And the latter's really too bad since the Marshal's uncertainty could be the story's most interesting character.

The narrative itself is fairly familiar—greedy plotters trying to drive settlers off their land so they can cash in on the railway coming through. Not exactly a ground-breaking premise. On the other hand, shifting alliances among the town folk add character interest, while a restrained Ireland carries the film even though in a clichéd role. Still, I like the fact that the settlers organize themselves without waiting for the hero to save the day. That's a good non- clichéd touch.

All in all, I'm wondering how a budget indie like this was able to assemble such an exotic cast, and whether they had to haul legendary juicers like Tierney and Chaney out of the nearest Hollywood bar. Too bad the screenplay didn't make better use of these colorful characters. That would have made something truly memorable. Instead, we get an unexceptional if occasionally interesting western.

1951's "The Bushwhackers" is a very tight, tough hour-long Western, featuring a solid cast of capable veterans. The Civil War has just ended, and confederate soldier Jefferson Waring (John Ireland) believes he'll never again have to point a gun at another man. Unfortunately, he soon finds himself in a lawless Western town where the settlers are battling to defend their homes against evil, greedy homesteaders headed by Artemus Taylor (Lon Chaney), a crippled, wheelchair-bound madman whose bitterness is matched by his devoted daughter (Myrna Dell), who may be even more ruthless than he is. Among the many familiar faces, Wayne Morris easily stands out as a marshal clearly working out of Taylor's pocket, yet trying vainly to keep the peace, mainly through jailing the unarmed Waring. Third-billed Lawrence Tierney, never at home in Westerns like his younger brother Scott Brady, is totally wasted as a hired gun, dispatched midway through, while Jack Elam relishes his bad guy role, whether lasciviously eyeing the ladies or simply killing people. Despite playing the lead villain, Lon Chaney has very little screen time (only three scenes), but this elderly, arthritic character led to his being cast as Gary Cooper's elderly, arthritic Marshal in the subsequent "High Noon."

(1951) The Bushwhackers WESTERN

Co-written and directed by Rod Amateau starting the movie with the end of the civil war, and former confederate soldier, Jefferson Waring (John Ireland) vowed never to lift another gun ever again, only then as soon as he resides to a different town, he comes across a land baron, Artemus Taylor (Lon Chaney Jr.) and his hired gunmen/ outlaws of Sam Tobin (Lawrence Tierney) and Cree (Jack Elam) terrorizing against farm owners to build a railway across.

The film feels very rushed making it very forgettable and such little action despite some of the drama moments being well done.

By the time Lawrence Tierney appeared in the b-western THE BUSHWHACKERS, his leading man career was finished.. but he's used importantly here, at least in the rudimentary stages: a hired thug appearing before crippled land baron Lon Chaney Jr and the lethal daughter who hired him to kill off random settlers...

Ironically, Chaney and daughter are correct about the squatters being more interested in big money than settling down... while Tierney continues bullying more underdogs, including passive leading man John Ireland, a Civil War veteran who, during a historic prelude, promised to never use a gun again...

The familiar plot-line seems somewhat original, mainly because the venomous Dell's Noreh Taylor, actually held back by her commanding/demanding father... she would have fared much better as the sole heavy, perhaps with hired-gun Lawrence Tierney being smitten with his blonde boss or... some kind of side-plot that would keep him around longer...

Unfortunately, the third-billed DILLINGER icon is anticlimactically killed halfway through, cutting the overall threat in half, leaving sparse closure between Ireland and the only person worthy of a vengeful showdown (left with henchman's henchman Jack Elam)... but at least he has honest newspaperman's idealist daughter Dorothy Malone (who handles a gun well herself) to retire with: He just needed to work a lot harder to rest with those laurels.