The Silver Star

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.

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.

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.

November 1954 saw the swift completion of "The Silver Star," the last of Lon Chaney's three releases from Lippert Pictures, this one from a short-lived outfit formed by producer Earle Lyon and director Richard H. Bartlett. A pedestrian ripoff of the superior "High Noon," partially conceived by actor/co-producer Ian MacDonald (main villain Frank Miller from "High Noon"), producer Lyon taking the lead as newly elected sheriff Gregg Leech, while director Bartlett opposed him as top henchman King Daniel, riding into town with two comrades, challenging Leech to face them at 8PM or get out fast (obviously, HIGH 8PM doesn't have the same ring!). Where its inspiration featured a plethora of interesting characters in support, such as Katy Jurado and Lloyd Bridges, this ultra low budgeter falls flat with non descript characters, only top billed Edgar Buchanan, in the retired sheriff role essayed by Chaney before, getting much of a chance to sink his teeth in (there's even a similar theme song, done by Jimmy Wakely rather than Tex Ritter). The cowardly Leech was recommended to replace Buchanan because both his father and grandfather were lawmen, but he simply wanders from one end of town to the other, unable to make up his mind until a certain amount of running time is used up, while the three hired gunmen take over the saloon, a steady supply of whiskey evidently ruining their shootin' eyes for the predictable outcome. Lon Chaney plays crooked attorney John W. Harmon, on the losing end in the election for sheriff, whose smiling demeanor fools absolutely no one, all convinced that he is the one responsible for those hired guns, entering at the 25 minute mark, almost 5 1/2 minutes screen time but a weak villain that hardly taxes his abilities. In cahoots with Chaney is fellow veteran Barton MacLane, again joining together the following decade for the A.C. Lyles Paramount Westerns. Producer Earle Lyon and director Richard H. Bartlett probably did the leads as a budget saving device, but their nonacting isn't helped by the sketchy characters they portray, robbing this modest effort of any possible tension. Lyon continued after their partnership dissolved, while Bartlett moved into television, after directing Chaney once more in a Universal oater starring Jock Mahoney, 1958's "Money, Women and Guns."

The Silver Star is one of that slew of westerns that came out after High Noon about the job of a sheriff and the responsibilities and risks that go with it. Although done on a C picture budget The Silver Star is not a bad film with a nice ensemble cast brought together by producer/directors Earle Lyon and Richard Bartlett who also star in the film as the hero and one of three gunfighters looking to take him out.

Old sheriff Edgar Buchanan has retired and the town mostly on his say so has chosen young Lyon who has a law enforcement pedigree from his father and grandfather gets the job over Lon Chaney, Jr. who ran against him. Then three killers headed by Bartlett ride into town and plant themselves in Morris Ankrum's and Marie Windsor's saloon and said they're here to kill the sheriff whom they've never met.

Poor Lyon just doesn't feel he's up to a job that killed both his father and grandfather and it takes a lot to prod him into action. But when the action does come it's explosive.

In the tradition of High Noon which had a former movie cowboy and country/western singer Tex Ritter do the immortal ballad associated with the film, The Silver Star has Jimmy Wakely singing the title song which serves the same function as Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling. The song moves the story narrative along quite nicely.

Although this kind of stuff was being seen on the small screen more than the big by this time, The Silver Star is a nice no frills B western like they don't make any more.