Terreur dans la vallée

Gunslinger Tom Early (Stewart Granger) returns to his hometown without much welcome. His beloved wife is dead and his abandoned son is angry with him. Most in town ostracizes him. Only Jo (Rhonda Fleming) shows him any acceptance. Cattle baron Grimsell and his thugs run roughshot over the the town and he's the only one who has the ability to fight back.

I really like the story of the returning gunslinger. The son is an issue. He's written all over the place and the acting is really broad. The melodrama gets a bit much. On the other hand, Rhonda Fleming is great. I also like the Priest character and his flaws. As for Tom Early himself, I like the idea of the character. I imagine Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven. Stewart Granger is not as hard as that, but he's good enough. The ending has some of that. I would like it to be harsher. All in all, the story is great western fare with a simple confrontation and some minor issues.

After leaving his wife and son to begin a quest for fame and fortune a gunman by the name of "Tom Early" (Stewart Granger) finally returns home to discover that his son no longer respects him and his wife has passed away and been buried. Although he tells his son that he wants to change his ways when he rides into town he has to shoot and kill another man in self-defense which convinces everyone that he is still the same. Additionally, when he hires a pretty, young woman named "Jo" (Rhonda Fleming) to help out at his ranch it creates gossip and even more trouble among the townspeople as well. Now rather than reveal any more of this film and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was a decent western movie by and large. It had a decent cast and both Stewart Granger and Rhonda Fleming performed in their usual professional manner. Likewise, Rhonda Fleming was also quite attractive. Having said that I must admit that the plot was rather predictable and some of the scenes could have used a bit more passion or excitement in some parts. Even so I suppose it was enjoyable enough for the time spent and I rate it as about average.

Westerns were in fashion after the surprise smash of "Fastest Gun Alive", 1956.

"Gun Glory" opens with a gunfighter (Stewart Granger), facing community rejection upon returning home to settle down... He finds his wife dead and his son resentful...

Granger's personal magnetism is fair enough to carry a tedious story... He manages to be quiet fast in the gun... Strong, warm, sure and tender while remaining a father and a man in love...

Rhonda Fleming comes out graceful but her character loses some of its translation to Western lead... She seems more comfortable with her lighthearted love interest...

Despite a few pretentious action moments, "Gun Glory" - photographed in color and CinemaScope - is, on the whole, good only for its two stars...

Above Average 50's Western with a few Edgy Things that Elevate beyond the mundane. Stewart Granger and Rhonda Fleming are Attractive Stars and Competent Actors.

The Film was Shot in Cinemascope that adds to the Wide Open Landscape. The Colorful Setting is used to advantage and the Simple Story is Spiced with some Atypical Shacking Up and Lustful Scenes. That alone is against the grain of most Fifties Fodder and Preaching.

Although, it must be said there is a Heavy Amount of Preaching in the Screenplay. Chill Wills as a Bible Toting Preacher is a Major Character and the Dialog often reverts to Philosophy from the Pulpit. It almost becomes too much but not quite.

The Tension and Action are Amped Up in the Second Half as things become Violent and Explosive. The Solid Direction from Old Pro Rowland keeps things from becoming Clichéd and/or Standard Stuff.

Overall, a Well-Done Entry in the Abundance of 1950's Westerns and is, Unlike the Majority of Output in the Decade, well Worth a Watch.

The story of peace-loving farmers and townspeople fighting for land, water, law and order, and the respect and ultimate subjugation of the long entrenched cattle interests and their hired guns had been worked over better in earlier (Shane) and probably later films as well. There's some good action scenes and the general layout of the story, excluding a disappointing ending, is well executed. Law and order and religion have established roots in the town, but the old order of cattle drives, cowboys, and gunslingers is still around as well. The clash of the two occurs in a nicely staged ambush scene where the townsmen ride right into a trap. Granger, an ex-gunfighter, plays the guy who is shunned by the very townspeople who need his expertise with a gun.