There is no more lasting or powerful myth of the old west than the "Fast gun" and the main street shootout. We know that these things rarely, if ever, happened. Most gunmen got their reputations by killing unarmed or unaware opponents. But with the advent of the "Dime Novel" and later the motion picture, the shoot out became an undying part of western lore.
Many a good film has focused on the gunfighters, and a smaller portion of them have dealt with the burned out gunman who doesn't want to face the endless line of punks who want to prove themselves the "Fastest Gun Alive" by killing the biggest name in the country.
Few films, however have dealt with the idea with the humanity and heart that this film does. Glenn Ford is the fast gun who has come to the small town to hide himself away and run a store. He and his wife are happy there, if you don't count how hard it is for him to hide his light under the bushel. Then the word gets out, and everyone decides let him stay in anonymity. Until the gunsligers come to town. Criminals on the run, who find out about the local celebrity. The leader of the group, ablily acted by Broderick Crawford, cannot allow this to go unchallenged. He threattens to burn the town to the ground unless Ford draws down on him. What happens next is what makes this one of the 25 or 30 best westerns ever made.
Here is some of the cast:
Glenn Ford . . . George Temple / George Kelby, Jr.
Jeanne Crain . . . Dora Temple
Broderick Crawford . . . Vinnie Harold
Russ Tamblyn . . . Eric Doolittle
Allyn Joslyn . . . Harvey Maxwell
Leif Erickson . . . Lou Glover
John Dehner . . . Taylor Swope
Noah Beery Jr. . . . Dink Wells
Not only is the film good, but every scene is populated with enough, "Hey, I know that face" actors that trivia nuts will have a blast with it too! (They even give Russ Tamblyn a dance number!)
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