Fermati cow boy!

An Audie Murphy Western from 1959. Murphy is drunk, playing cards in a saloon when a man, played by John Dehner, comes a-calling. It turns out Murphy's father has passed & left his ranch to him but Murphy left home a while ago on the outs w/his father so Dehner proposes to purchase the estate from him (he's cobbled together a collection from all the other ranch hands), all Murphy has to do is come back, sign over the deed & go his merry way but once he's among the people he left behind, specifically the girl, now a young woman, who jilted him at the altar, all his past transgressions melt away emboldening him to propose marriage, which she accepts. The fearlessness continues when he announces he's not going to sell & herd 3000 head of cattle to New Mexico (to pay off the debt his father had saddled the farm with). At first his workers/investors aren't too pleased but his determination to get the job done does impress even though there are those among them who would be willing to bump him off if a stampede could happen at the right time. Offbeat to be sure, Murphy rises to the challenge in a role not unlike John Wayne's in Red River (where a megalomaniac pushes his men to their limits) but Dehner is his equal as an old herder who's too stubborn to admit his past regrets must now swallow his pride for the good of the ranch. Also starring a couple of Dukes of Hazzard vets, Denver Pyle & James Best, as Murphy's reluctant workmen.

Maybe the most unknown picture that Audie Murphy offerings to us, a bad temper guy wanderer which is running from is rough father, his name is Matt, until be found by the loyal foreman (Dehner) that his father already has dead and surprisingly he left to him the big farm, the young drunkard don't want to be rancher again, The foreman has a fair proposition, many employers has 20.000 dollars to offer to all lands, Matt accept at once, but has to go back to sign the papers, there he was seen with sneering by so many people, just a useless booze, in such atmosphere he refused to sell their lands anymore, meanwhile his father left a bank's debit a large sum of money that must to pay in few days, the answer will be sell all cattle at Santa Fé, Matt becomes in few days likes his father, cruel, bossy and has no feelings concerning those employers, who work so hard for countless years, this picture has an contradiction, the sudden changing in just few days of a man, sounds weird in such behavior, the major fact will be reveal in the cattle's journey, a minor picture of Murphy, but still interesting due such greatness of this charismatic cowboy, pay attention on John Dehner, he was a key of the all things!!

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First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7

Not his best but not his worst. He will always be one of my Western Heroes

Murphy was a hero in World War 2, being the most decorated soldier of the war, but as an actor he left much to be desired. Black and white should have gone the way of the arc projector lamp by the 1950's! The film does have a good cast of character actors doing they're best to pull this film out of it doldrums. Ms. Moore seems out of place in this film, lacking her usual sensuality. John Dehner is his usual best as the stern character of the film, outdoing Murphy who's supposed to be the lead. James Best is in his heyday period and shows good acting. One wonders if Murphy being a co-producer has any bearing on the quality of this flick? I would recommend it to people who like typical westerns of the B class.

Back in those days of the 19th century the polite phrase in describing Audie Murphy's illegitimate birth was to say he was born on the left side of the blanket. I think this story came from the left side of the blanket.

Cast A Long Shadow has Murphy as the illegitimate son of the owner of the local Ponderosa who lives a wastrel life. As the film opens the foreman of said Ponderosa John Dehner pulls a drunk Murphy out of the saloon and tells him his father died and as he had no other family the whole thing is left to him.

Dehner was hoping it be left to him, but since it wasn't and Murphy just wants to keep on with his wastrel life, Dehner has built up a syndicate of sorts from the locals to purchase the place and keep Murphy in booze for a very long time.

What happens afterward, the way Murphy is treated by the townspeople no matter how their 19th century blue noses felt for a man who was to be their benefactor is just ridiculous. Only Terry Moore who Murphy once courted treats him well.

All Dehner's and the rest's plans go up in smoke for the unbridled contempt they hold him in and for another little joker in the deck that gets sprung on everyone. How it all is resolved is for you to see Cast A Long Shadow.

Try as I may I really could not accept people acting against their own rational self interest the way these people do when it comes to Murphy. Cast A Long Shadow will not be rated as one of Audie's better westerns.