Il dominatore del Texas

Today was the Celebration of the Débarquement de Provence (in France ...), and I saw an excellent five minutes report on Audie Murphy and his act of war in Ramatuelle. So I decided to watch Gunsmoke I just bought a few days ago, thinking I was going to see a classic Murphy western. But from the first minutes, I discovered a very impertinent Murphy and not looking as fresh as in his other westerns, almost dirty and moving very fast. And permanent twisty action and hit dialogues, even though the subject is well known in westerns, it turns to be very original in its construction with permanent moves sometimes every twenty seconds. The whole casting is good, Susan Cabot, Paul Kelly, Charles Drake, Mary Castle, ... Produced by Aaron Rosenberg (Gunsmoke is not far from Anthony Mann's westerns produced by Rosenberg) and directed by Nathan Juran (who directed two other fine Murphy westerns, Tumbleweed and Drums Across The River), a very tense and unforgettable western.

While certainly in the mold of a "B" western, Gunsmoke manages to raise itself above its peer group. Good production values, an above average supporting cast that appeared to enjoy themselves, an OK plot bolstered by some spirited dialog, and a young Murphy showing he was incorrect in his self-assessment of "no talent."

The plot is pretty much by the numbers: Gambler Telford (Donald Randolph) wants Dan Saxon's (Paul Kelly) ranch and sends for gunslinger Reb Kittridge (Murphy) to arrange an early departure for Saxon from this earth. Due to the luck of the draw, or more probably Saxon's card skills, Kittridge ends up owning said ranch but has to get the cattle to market to maintain possession. Taking to the trail with Saxon, now a cowhand, Saxon's daughter Rita (Susan Cabot), her possessive boyfriend / ranch foreman Curly (Jack Kelly), and the rest of Saxon's old crew, Kittridge must beat both the elements and Telford who doesn't give up just because he's had a setback.

This could have been a B caliber movie but it's better than that. The plot is predictable but pretty much everything else is a step up. Veteran screenwriter D.D. Beauchamp's script has more life than usually found in this type of movie. Saxon – "He ain't no killer, Doc." Doc –"Well, if he isn't , he's been taking money under false pretenses all the way from Texas to the Canadian line." Later, when Saxon says he's willing to work for Kittridge in the cattle drive, his daughter pounces on him in an epic fail. Rita – "You mean you're going to work for him?" Saxon – "Well, we gotta eat don't we?" Rita – "I'd rather go hungry." Saxon – "I've tried that too. I wouldn't recommend it."

Paul Kelly adds immeasurably in his role as a rancher who sees parallels in Kittridge with his own early life and wants to provide a bit of course correction into the gunfighter's life. His timing is great and his easy going drawl a great counterpoint for Murphy. His scenes with Chubby Johnson are also great fun. While certainly a lot is filmed on sets, there are some good outdoor scenes and some nifty wagon riding down a hillside. The only quibble I have is with Susan Cabot. Somehow she doesn't have quite the presence of some other not-quite-A- list actresses of that era such as, say, a young Piper Laurie, but I guess that's a personal taste.

All in all, this is a better oater than most B pictures and shows an inexperienced Murphy could perform quite well when given good direction and surrounded with a good cast to play off of. Give it a try, you won't regret it.

Audie Murphy plays Reb Kittredge in this 1953 classic western of good versus bad. When land-grabber Matt Telford wants to buy the entire valley there is one land owner that will not sell. So Telford sends for hired gunman, Reb Kittredge, to make sure that the hold-out, Dan Saxon, will not get his cattle to market to pay the mortgage on his farm- the farm that Telford wants to buy.

But when Reb does not get the payment he was seeking, he then teams up with the Saxon and his beautiful daughter Rita (Susan Cabot) to make sure the cattle makes it to market. Reb and his team are going to meet obstacles along the way as Telford hires his own men to stop the cattle-drive.

Even though Audie Murphy was not the most talented actor on the lot, the story plays out well. At the beginning of the movie it was difficult to see Murphy as the outlaw. But as usual the world returns to harmony as Murphy turns from the outlaw ways and embraces a family in need of his help.

Not the most memorable western but one with many good lines and lots of action. A movie that a western lover will not quickly forget.

A couple of saddle pals, Audie Murphy and Charles Drake, go their separate ways after a job in the Johnson County War in Wyoming. Murphy heads for a job offer from cattle baron Donald Randolph. But like John Wayne who refuses a job from Ed Asner in El Dorado, Murphy decides to throw in with small rancher Paul Kelly. Of course that Paul has an attractive daughter in Susan Cabot has a great deal to do with it.

El Dorado is only one of the other westerns that you can see plot elements from. I can count The Man from Laramie, Coroner Creek, and Destry Rides Again in which parts of those films are plainly visible in Gunsmoke.

Audie Murphy was always one of the success stories of Hollywood and then unfortunately a tragedy. Our most decorated combat veteran could have had a choice of any number of careers after World War II. He had what only could be described as an instinct in that he chose a movie career. He turned out to be a natural for westerns.

His product was always good. Too bad his career never took the path of a successful long running television series or going into A budget projects like John Wayne. Either of those paths might have led him to a longer career and life.

In fact both leads in this film met tragic ends, Audie in a plane crash and Susan Cabot, a notorious Hollywood homicide at the hands of her son. Cabot, but for a decision to leave Universal to free lance, might also have gone a television route. Though she became a cult favorite with The Wasp Woman, cult parts are hard to come by and usually really type cast people.

By the way, though it is not the only element of Desty Rides Again in this film, saloon girl Mary Castle gets to sing the Marlene Dietrich classic See What the Boys in the Backroom will Have in Gunsmoke. And why not? Since Universal produced Destry Rides Again and they own the song why not use it here as it costs them not a cent.

I think western fans will not be disappointed in Gunsmoke.

Like most westerns between 1945 and 1985, the hero begins as an outlaw. I always called this Saul/Paul syndrome. Americans love a bad guy gone good better than anything. That said, this formula western had a creative twist a lot of people who enjoyed the movie never noticed. It may be the only Western ever where the lead character chickened out of fistfights and still held his dignity. In this movie, Audie Murphy plays a man who has virtually one skill-gunmanship. He is not a champion boxer, fighter, cowhand; he can do one thing good, and he is thinking about his future. In fact, his character is much like what the later anti hero of the seventies strived to be. That said, this is a very action packed interesting movie, with bad guys, wise guys, and good direction.