Testamento di sangue

This was a fair western but Jock and Tim Hovey worked well together. He finally got his chance to show his stuff. Actually, my mom's favorite western was "Slim Carter" about a man changing his ways over a kid. Mr. Mahoney was in a lot of movies but for a long time you never saw his face, just his riding skill on a white horse. Eventually he was shown as a Texas Ranger chasing the Durango Kid over rooftops and finally jumping off a roof onto the white horse. Part of the time Jock was literally chasing himself. My favorite DK series was "Bandits of El Dorado". There were so many well known names..John Dehner,Fred Sears, Lewis, and of course...Clayton Moore, whose voice I recognized instantly as the future Lone Ranger. In the movie of this subject, Jock looked like a powerful man, large shoulders small waist, and could ride a horse like he was part of it. Thanks for letting me share.

Money, Women and Guns is directed by Richard H. Bartlett and written by Montgomery Pittman. It stars Jock Mahoney, Kim Hunter, Tim Hovey, Gene Evans, Tom Drake and Lon Chaney Jr. Music is by Joseph Gershenson and CinemaScope photography is by Philip Lathrop.

A strange bag of oats is this one. The makers have offered up CinemaScope and parked up at Lone Pine to film it. The colour lensing is beautiful, while the story has promise unbound, yet it still struggles to come out in credit.

Story sees an old prospector murdered at pic's start (we don't see who done the deed), so in comes detective Silver Ward Hogan (Mahoney). Hogan sets out to find the killer and also an heir to the dead man's fortune.

And thus we have a sort of Hercule Poirot in the Wild West. Which is fun, and the mystery element is engaging and constantly strong. Yet the Scope potential is barely utilised, action is in short supply, and the acting performances - whilst adequate - reek of easy paycheck time.

Not a waste of time by any stretch of the imagination, but it sure as hell is frustrating. 6/10

This film is very unexpected. Almost from the beginning it just does not seem like a western and it really is not. It's a first rate drama that just happens to have a western setting. There's no gun shooting, no chases, no brawls - but there is serious dialogue that grips you immediately. The story is also very unusual, hardly the kind of matinée western Universal was famous for. But through all of it Jock Mahoney is absolutely luminous he is so handsome, dashing, and sexy. You just cannot take your eyes off him. Kim Hunter, the woman Jock falls for is a perfect foil for him. He is interested right away but the idea of settling down is more than he can take. What happens and how it happens is a delightful surprise.

The title itself just about sums up Hollywood film production. Kidding aside, this Western's got a number of nice touches, and with a more involved director (Bartlett) and dynamic lead (Mahoney), could have gelled into a genuine sleeper.

It's got an unusual mystery premise for a Western— detective Hogan has to figure out which beneficiary killed the wealthy old miner— as well as a cast of former A-players— Chaney, Drake, Evans, Gleason, and Terry. But especially, there's Kim Hunter who only a few years earlier picked up a heavyweight Oscar for A Streetcar Named Desire (1951).

I suspect it's a better than the average B-production because of studio (Universal) backing. That backing leads to some scenic locations, fine color photography, and the supporting cast of familiar faces. Also, the unconventional script contains some nice ironies, along with a few surprises. In fact, calling this a pacifist Western may not be too much of a stretch.

Mahoney certainly looks the part of a Western hero, but unfortunately more or less walks through his part in a perfectly tailored outfit. Then too, director Bartlett does nothing to draw us further into the story-- as a result, we remain on the outside, looking in. Anyway, it remains a Western of fine visuals with an unusual storyline, despite the two central drawbacks.

Some thieves want to take the gold of a humble prospector, as they arrive in his mine and one of them takes his life . But before dying the prospector arranges to scrabble his will and to murder two of his assailants and while the third flees. Later on, a detective bounty hunter Silver Hogan : Jock Mahoney , is assigned the mission to track down the legitimate heirs and to solve who is the murderer who killed the old prospector. Along the way, the famous gunfighter Silver Hogan joins forces a young man : Tim Hovey and meets a beautiful widow :Kim Hunter and her child.

Decent Western with intriguing premise to discover a real heir as well as the nasty killer who robbed a loot of gold. It is a mystery, intriguing Western with whodunit touches. It contains enjoyable performances from a decent main and support cast. However, too much conversation and too little action , at times, although fights, crossfire and suspense are nice. And at the end the subsequent plot twist in which truth comes out, including the killer's true identity. This is a suspenseful and twisted Westen in which Jock Mahoney playing a two-fisted detective looking for a killer with unexpected consequences. Not very known actor Jock Mahoney was an acceptable player who had a passable cinematic career. When WWII broke out, he drafted as a Marine fighter pilot and instructor. In Hollywood he was a noted stunt man, doubling for John Wayne, Errol Flynn and Gregory Peck. Gene Autry signed him for the lead in his 78-episode The Range Rider TV. He tested to replace Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan but lost out to Lex Barker. In 1960 he played the heavy in Tarzan the Magnificent with Gordon Scott and his part there led producer Sy Weintraub to hire him as Scott's replacement. Finally, he played the title role in Tarzan goes to India and Tarzan's 3 challenges, doing his own stunts. Eventually, he went on working in spite of dysentery, dengue fever and pneumonia. However, by this time producer Sy Weintraub was looking a younger Tarzan and envisioning a future TV star he found Ron Ely, then by mutual agreement , the contract between Jock Mahoney and Weintraub was dissolved. Here Jock Mahoney is well accompanied by good secondaries such as : Kim Hunter, Gene Evans, Lon Chaney Jr, Tom Drake Jeffrey Stone, William Campbell, Judi Emerich, William Campbell, among others .

It packs a colorful and brilliant cinematography by notorious cameraman Philip H. Lathrop. As well as atmospheric musical score by Herman Stein and Irving Gertz, Universal's regular. This motion picture was professionally directed by Richard Barlett. He was a Western expertise as TV as Cinema. As he directed a lot of westerns, such as : Two-gun lady, The lonesome trail, The silver star, Joe Dakota aso starred by Jock Mahoney, the sam as this Money, Women and Guns. Rating 6/10. Decent, but not notable oater that will appeal to Western enthusiasts.