Showdown at Abilene

In my view by far the best book on the Western is Phil Hardy's "The Western".It is volume one of the Aurum Encyclopedia of the Cinema a series which explores different genres in each volume.The methodology of the series is to provide capsule reviews on a year by year basis and the book has been useful in steering me towards some of the less well publicised Westerns

Phil Hardy does not deem this movie worthy of a seperate review and consigns it to a one line mention in an appendix This is a tad unfair because while routine in conception and execution it is sturdt enough and the studio obviously thought well enough of the basic plot to remake it in the late 1960's as "Gunfight in Abilene"starring the least convincing Westerner in the genre's history,Bobby Darin Mahobney plays "Jim Trask" a retuning Cofederate veteran who is pressured by old friend and ruthless entrepreneur "Dave Mosley" played by Lyle Bettger to take up his former job as the law in Abilene,a town riven by conflict between ranchers and the cattle interests represented bty Mosley who feels he can manipulate "Trask" to seve the cattlemans cause

Trouble soon breaks out and open conflict erupts between the parties before the final shootout restores order

Performances are perfunctory and the direction is routine,but genre lovers could do worse as a way of whiling away a wet afternoon

Showdown at Abilene is directed by Charles Hass and written by Bernie Giler and Clarence Upson Young. It stars Jock Mahoney, Martha Hyler, Lyle Bettger and David Janssen. Music is by Joseph Gershenson and photography by Irving Glassberg.

Plot has Mahoney as Jim Trask, a former Sheriff of Abilene who returns home from the Civil War with a guilty conscience and a new contempt for guns. Compounding his troubles is that his old friend Dave Mosely (Bettger) has taken up a romantic relationship with his girl, Peggy Bigelow (Hyer), and he soon learns that Dave is also into villainous activities. Can Trask overcome his troubles and restore order to Abilene and his life?

Better than average and competently acted, Showdown at Abilene is a solid time filler for the undemanding Western fan. Although thoughtful in its treatment of the characters, formula dictates there are no surprises and comparisons are easily drawn to better Westerns with the same thematics. Mahoney (TV series The Range Rider) turns in a good show as the emotionally perturbed Trask, while as a stuntman by trade he isn't found lacking in the physical demands of the role as he leaps around with exciting conviction. Hyer (The Sons of Katie Elder) is pretty as a picture as serves the story well as a rose between two thorns, while Bettger (Gunfight at the O.K. Corral) scores favourably as the crafty Dave Mosely. Not faring so well is Ted de Corsa (also Gunfight at the O.K. Corral) as Dan Claudius, who looks (and is) wrong for prime villain duties. Shot primarily out of Morrison Ranch, Agoura in California, picture sadly is lifeless in colour, so we never get to see the locale and costuming come to life. Producer Howard Christie liked the story so much he re-made it eleven years later as 'Gunfight in Abilene', where Bobby Darin starred as the conflicted lead character.

Nothing overtly impressive here, nor anything particularly damning either. Just safe and solid B Western viewing. 6/10

This is an average western that is predictable right from the start. Excellent performances by Jock Mahoney as Jim Trask, Martha Hyer as Peggy, Lyle Beher as Dave and, a young, David Janssen as Deputy Vern Ward make Showdown At Abeline worth a look. The hired gun was played by Ted de Corsia which was the only error in casting that I could find. The town of Abilene and surrounding areas, do not match the flat lands of Kansas but otherwise, excellent photography give the film added appeal.

Jock Mahoney and Martha Hyer star in this good B western about a Civil War veteran returned from the war with a dark secret and a desire not to carry weapons. Naturally he has no plans to return to his former occupation as sheriff of Abilene.

Abilene has a new sheriff in the coarse and brutal Ted DeCorsia and he's in the pocket of Lyle Bettger who in the interim has moved in on Mahoney's girlfriend Martha Hyer and they plan to be married. Everybody did think Mahoney was killed and one who was killed was Bettger's younger brother.

Abilene has also changed from a peaceful agricultural community to a trail's end for cattle shipping. How many gazillion westerns have been made with that plot premise and all it entails.

Given Mahoney is a cowboy hero in the tradition of Tom Destry you know he only has one way to go. Still Showdown In Abilene is nicely packaged for any western fan.

Couldn't quite give this film an 8, but I think it's a solid 7. First off, it's beautifully shot. The cinematography takes advantage of a few great landscapes, and some solid lot work, and even dares to shoot dark at dusk and in the dark. The depth of the film being pushed becomes really apparent, and it has a thick, rich, painterly quality to it.

Jock Mahoney is said to be wooden, but I think he adapts well in the role of a war- weary veteran with a disability he needs to hide since it is central to his ability to fight and shoot. This is one of a few dynamics that are written into a script that nourishes the emotions and attention of the viewer, something often lacking in modern scripts., where the visual and the casual destroys the immersion. All that's really needed to carry the film is one hero, one tragic figure, one template bad guy (who still warns the tragic figure he's gonna lose, and the tragic figure doesn't take his heed), and a heroine. This keeps the film competently engaging.

The real meat of the script is given to Dave, played strongly and with complexity by Lyle Bettger, whose big eyes project emotion well. His part is really phenomenal in that he is a decent man who is a childhood friend of Mahoney's lead Jim Trask, and yet Trask undoes his entire life and accomplishments, and I ended up wanting him to triumph more than the lead character. It's one of the most tragic figures I've ever seen played in any Western. The trajectory of Dave's destruction occurs on multiple levels, partially through the usual underestimating of his foe, but also at his failure to step in and take down the hero, who has done a list of wrongs any man would kill for.

There's a boilerplate villain, played competently, but not phenomenally, and a heroine who is gorgeous and devoted, but their characters are pretty two dimensional. The strength of this film is really in the dynamic between a hero trying to find his way, and the epic tragic figure of his childhood friend. In fact, the tragedy is almost overwritten, to the point you almost lose support for the lead by the end.

This film has the feel of a peak Hollywood Western, not too clean but far before the revisionism of the 70s. It just has a real authenticity to it, with the dialog and the horse work and stunts, which include Jock Mahoney doing some serious diving into the dirt and hand to hand fighting. The actor was a real physical threat, and it shows.

All in all, a strong film, especially for its time and budget.