The Gambler Wore a Gun

Case Silverthorne (Jim Davis) is a recently retired gambler. He's on his way to a ranch that he now owns. However, his ride there is interrupted when he comes upon an injured Marshall and a dead man hanging near him. It seems some gang hung the guy and the Marshall was injured trying to stop them. In a coincidence you'd only find in a film, the dead man is the guy who sold the ranch to Silverthorne! Now, the Marshall and Silverthorne are going to investigate the murder.

Soon after Silverthorne arrives in town, the dead man's grown children learn that their trusted ranch hands are cattle rustlers. The rustlers don't care that they were discovered and say that their dead father was behind all this! Whether or not this is true, the brother and sister aren't sure--but they are afraid to tell others because it might just be true. What's to become of this? Well, it's complicated as the son, Judd, turns out to be a hot-headed idiot! And, what about the murder of their father? See the film if you'd like to know.

This is a relatively low budget film--with fair acting, fair writing and a fair plot. None of it is bad and none is particularly good either. The perfect time-passer.

In the year after Jim Davis made Noose for a Gunman for director Edward L. Cahn, he would also make this one for the same man. Once again, his character's name is Case, this time a gambler named Case Silverthorne who discovers a hanged man and a left-for-dead marshal named Dex Harwood (Mark Allen) who he saves. It seems that Case is claiming a deed for a ranch sold to him by a Will Donovan-the same man found on the hanging noose. Only no one knows about that deed certainly not Will's adult children, Jud and Sharon (Don Dorrell and Merry Anders). I'll stop there and just say this was another very good western Davis made as the lead who brought all his experience of previously playing both good and bad guys in support to the fore for his tough-but-honest portrayal here. Oh, and like the previous one, there's also a leading lady-in this case Ms. Anders-who helps in the climatic shooting that provides a great surprise considering women were rarely involved on such scenes in these old-fashioned oaters. So on that note, I recommend The Gambler Wore a Gun. P.S. I noticed that one of the characters was mentioning a ranch at a town called Southfork (or maybe it was Suffork, who knows considering some of the accents). How ironic since Davis would eventually portray Jock Ewing on the original "Dallas" which partly took place at the Southfork ranch!

I just did remember of Jim Davis on small supporting roles on several series and movies, here he got the top billing with Merry Anders, the movie is usual B-western with a satisfying plot where a former gambler Case Silverthorne (Jim Davis) bought fifty per cent of a farm's cow without had known the real owner, just it sounds a bit strange business to believe, well arriving nearby the city he found a hanged man and the Marshall Dex Harwood (Mark Allen) fainted and slight wounded, although the grateful honest Marshall Dex seeing Case is playing cards on the bonfire, he warning Case that just allow clean games on his town, Case explains that is coming there to be a rancher from now on showing a letter as a true evidence of the sale, then Dex tells to him that the hanged man was his late partner and he had just an useless little piece of paper on their hands, then they made an fair agreement, that the Marshall keeps a mouth shout for a while to him enlighten the facts previously, fine movie that hold us until the predicable ending!!

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First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD-R / Rating: 6.25