The Silver Star

While Gary Cooper "did what a man's gotta do" in the classic High Noon, Earle Lyon (as Sheriff Greg Leach) isn't so sure he has the right stuff for the job. When three gunmen arrive in town and tell him to leave, he is forced to search for the moral courage that is the code of the west. Leach will only do the right thing when he is shamed into it by his girl and her father. This movie was scripted by Ian Mcdonald, who played the heavy, Frank Miller, in High Noon. Features a great title song by Jimmy Wakeley. A low budget classic.

UPDATE-2006 When I wrote the earlier review on this movie, I had not seen it in several decades. Now thanks to VCI Entertainment and Kit Parker it is available on a tandem DVD with Lyon and Bartlett's LONESOME TRAIL. So how did SILVER STAR hold up? Amazingly well. As a much younger person I didn't pay attention to things like production values and such, and make no mistake about it, this IS low budget fare. But what sells this little jewel is the screenplay. When SILVER STAR was filmed-1955-we had Cheyenne, Paladin, and Matt Dillion, all doing "what a man's gotta do." Fearless heroes. Here we have Earle Lyon, a newly elected sheriff, running at the first glimpse of trouble. His mentor, an old man attempts to shame him into action, and his sweetheart pleads with him to act like a man. This was pretty heavy stuff for the mid 50s! Jimmy wakely's title song holds up extremely well also, sounding much more like a folk song than a movie theme. If there is a drawback to the picture it is the conclusion...a little of the action seems muddled and the ending is somewhat inconclusive. And I still walk away from this one thinking that if the sheriff is ever faced with a similar situation, we'll have to go through all these motions again! A GREAT low budget B movie.

A dour, offbeat western with some good acting and some not so good acting. A seasoned director and a slightly larger budget might have made this really click. Still, if you like 50s B westerns, it's worth seeing.

A favorite scene of mine goes directly to the low budget of the film and the offbeat quality of the film. When Edgar Buchanan is thrown out of the bar across the the wood platform and onto the dirt street, we hear breaking glass as a sound effect! But then....he continues to grab his arm (the assumption is that is was hurt when he was thrown onto the street). I liked that. Very realistic. Something you almost never see in an old low budget film.

If you have seen Joseph Pevney's THE PLUNDERERS, starring a terrific Jeff Chandler, you'll find many similarities with this one, where a sheriff is alone against a bunch of hoodlums. In the Pevney's film, Chandler was a war vet and one armed guy; here the sheriff is an actor whom I have never heard of nor seen anywhere before, and that's very surprising. He has to face and fight against outlaws, show his courage. This is a pretty cute western, full of charm, as the other films from Richard Bartlett as a director. Some kind of personal touch that I appreciate. Try it please, you'll won't regret it.

Although this nifty little western drama is seldom available for viewing, it remains as one of the better western character studies of the 50s. Perhaps the lack of action, and the stark reality of the picture account for the poor reviews it received upon it's release, however, in hindsight, it remains one of the better "High Noon" inspired quickies, and is perhaps in some respects even better than it's insparation. Lyon shows signs of real acting brilliance as the cowardly Sheriff, only willing to fight when he is shamed into it. The great title song by Wakely is unforgettable.

This may have been the worst Western ever made. Edgar Buchanan must have been embarrassed to be a part of this disaster - he alone gave this movie what little professionalism it possessed. From a faulty storyline to a horrible script - it was painful to watch.

Lon Chaney Jr. Must also have been desperate to participate in this fiasco give the many films he completed that were classics.

The plot line was so paltry, that the viewer is actually puzzled as to the purpose of the conflict. The Sheriff's cowardice was well done - but the plot line dissolved it by simply changing scenes. The sheriff goes from coward to hero in seconds - and even when he finally acts like a sheriff he appears to be a bungling amateur.

One star is too much for a movie that throws a shadow on the two actors (Chaney and Buchanan) who were outstanding in many other films.