Alba di fuoco

For this viewer at any rate the prerequisite for sitting through any film starring Rory Calhoun is to ascertain who else is in the cast! Here we have the excellent David Brian and Alex Nicol and the always good value Edgar Buchanan.

That being said, the character of tubercular gambler Brett Wade which is plainly inspired by Doc Holliday, gives Mr. Calhoun a rare role of substance and he certainly rises to the occasion.

Not for the first or indeed the last time it is the remarkable Piper Laurie who leaves the deepest impression. She is surely one of the greatest actresses never to win an Oscar and it is inconceivable, even by Hollywood standards, that after her stunning performance in 'The Hustler' she was obliged to wait fifteen years for her next film role. She and Mr. Calhoun work surprisingly well together here and were to team up once again in the lightweight 'Aint Misbehavin' the following year.

Solid direction here by George Sherman and the shoot outs, one of which is more than a passing nod to that at the OK corrall, are well staged. To say that Mr. Sherman is an old hand at this sort of thing would be an understatement as he made his first Western in 1937 and his last in 1971.

Its a Western so enjoy the saloon, whiskey, women, gambling, horses, railroad with a mix of good and bad guys thrown and we are off. The actors take it seriously and the saloon girl has a draw on you that adds to the fixation of the whole thing. I had deja vu with flashbacks to the O.K. Corral storyline and lets face it all Westerns are basically the same except for the unique story and glimpses they give of the Wild West by gone days. Notice to that being quick on the draw was no myth and stop and think how many months or years in practice it must take to reach the lethal draw stage. Of course the exception to this was Wild Bill Hickok who they claim wielded pistols so well they became part of his hands and his hands operated at lightning speed. He was a natural. Enjoy some familiar faces and also note that the gambling reached into the tens of thousands of dollars. Back then, you could buy a nice spread and retire even with hired help and minimum effort and still have left over. These boys were betting it like it wasn't. One wonders what is the point to keep playing, get drunk, carry a gun, watch back etc after you have won that much? Lets ride

Rory Calhoun is a world weary and consumptive gunfighter who just would like to hang up his six shooter, but a whole passel of enemies he's made over the years just won't let him quit. A little bit of Gunfight at the OK Corral and The Gunfighter tossed together.

After a shootout in one town he arrives by stage to Socorro where Sheriff Edgar Buchanan wants to get him out of town before any more blood is spilled on his turf. But Calhoun lingers and lingers, impressed by the beauty of Piper Laurie who he's ridden to town with on the stage.

It's a good B western, directed by a veteran of that genre, George Sherman. Sherman keeps the action going at a good clip and the cast knows their way around a western set.

Dawn at Socorro was probably a B feature that didn't bore too many people who went to see the A picture from Universal it was playing with.

A colorful western that is well-acted, unusually atmospheric and filled with intelligent dialogue and dramatic scenes is a rarity. The term "western" simply refers to a North American-based adventure or dramatic film wherein the central character acts in places where trains and modern technology are not the available norm. Those who would like to limit the term are obviously therefore wrong or worse. "Dawn at Socorro", with a literate script by George Zuckerman proves this point beautifully, I suggest. The stars of the film are attractive Rory Calhoun, lovely young Piper Laurie, powerful David Brian, charismatic tough guy Alex Nicol, graceful Lee Van Cleef, Edgar Buchanan as a harried sheriff and a raft of fine supporting actors including George Homeier, Ron Roberts, Paul Brinegar, Mara Corday and others. The unbilled star of the film is the state of New Mexico colors and the art director's, set designer's and costumer's achievements. This film feels like the real West where I have lived for many years, a countryside that is rough; it is being slowly civilized and lived in by men, but is still untamed as much as any zone in this country that I know. From the unforgettable opening narration in Lordsburg read by Roberts that sets up a fabled gunfight at the stockyards in Lordsburg through a memorable stagecoach ride, a long dramatic night at Brian's Bis Casino in Socorro to the climactic shootout and resolution, there is only only jarring element I suggest. This comes into the script because gambler Brett Wade, decently underplayed by Calhoun, probably the model for "Maverick", loved every minute of his notorious hell-raising past, yet now is forced to repudiate that vanishing time of which he says, "There'll never be another like it". When asked who is coming after him at the end, he says, "My past--every dark miserable day of it." But he triumphs in the end, as a cultured gentleman from South Carolina who plays classical piano ought to do; and despite his doubts and regrets for lost years, he manages to go on with hope. And what one remembers most of this terrific idea-level movie is the strongly-etched characters, the logic of their actions and motivations and the physical beauty of what is actually a "B" film production from Universal but looks more expensive at every moment. This is a movie that I claim is like a can't-put-it-down thriller, but with important ideas being expressed. Unusual, and powerful. George Sherman's fluid direction can be given much of the credit. This western is not to be missed.

Not bad little movie, shows up on TCM every so often. And darned if Rory Calhoun doesn't look exactly like GEORGE CLOONEY at times, or is it vice versa? Anyway, interesting turn on the gunfighter trying to go straight story with an appealing Piper Laurie and mean gambling hall owner David Brian. They play cards and throw dice for the girl, with fortunes going back and forth. Edgar Buchanan plays a nervous sheriff and not the usual dimwit he's known for and Alex Nicol chews the furniture as the edgy slinger waiting to gun down Calhoun. But then comes the typical Hollywood ending where none of the characters show even a lick of common sense. Sorry to see that ending, this isn't a half bad film until the last five minutes, and then it's Universal Studios back lot fireworks. Too bad.