Gun for a Coward

This is one rather unusual western with themes explored that are not normally reserved for western films. Gun For A Coward did come out in the Fifties the decade when the western finally did become adult.

Fred MacMurray, Jeffrey Hunter, and Dean Stockwell are the Kehoe Brothers who have the local Ponderosa spread courtesy of their father. Unlike the Cartwrights the Kehoes still have their mother Josephine Hutchinson still living with them.

MacMurray is the older and most sensible brother and he's in charge of the place. The youngest is Dean Stockwell who's a hotheaded kid. It's the middle brother Jeffrey Hunter. He's the one that mom kind of reserved for her own. The frontier life isn't for him, she wants him to go east possibly take up the law as a profession.

Hunter as per mom's raising always tries to talk his way out of all situations. That doesn't always work and older brother MacMurray is forever trying to both explain him and figure him out and younger brother Stockwell is impatient with his pacifism. Is Hunter really the coward of the family?

Some of the situations that normally come up with Ponderosa owners who are the good guys come up in this film. It's how they're dealt with and the attitudes expressed that are what makes Gun For A Coward a different kind of western.

One I think you'll enjoy.

A mother and her three sons run a cattle ranch. At the same time, two of the brothers compete over the same girl, though one of the brothers appears cowardly.

Drama heavy western. Good thing that Universal went out and got some of the better young actors of the day which helps. Then too, there's Fred MacMurray, also a fine actor, but miscast as a 50-year old bother to both a 30-year old Hunter and Dean Stockwell at just 20 . At the same time, the supposed mother of the brood, Hutchinson, is only 5-years older than MacMurray and it shows. Too bad the screenplay couldn't make Will (MacMurray) the dad, but I guess that would have ruined the romance setup with the young Aud (Rule).

Anyway, the acting is good which helps the talky narrative go down, along with the excellent Technicolor photography. The movie's biggest problem, however, is the generally slow pacing that at times drags out the talky scenes long after we've gotten the idea. A brisker pace would have made the story more condensed and riveting. The elements of a good story are there. Is Bless (Hunter) a pacifist or a coward. People come to believe the latter. But if he's to win Aud and a share of the ranch he's got to show he can handle the challenges. But not in the hot-headed way of his younger brother Hade (Stockwell).

Note in the supporting cast the presence of the great Bob Steele who enlivened many a sagebrush matinée in his day. I hope he picked up a good paycheck. All in all, it's a decent western, a little heavy on the dramatics, but with a number of compensations.

This saga of Western Gun-Justice stars after the death of a father and whose three sons go on to run the family ranch , as a very young brave cowboy (Dean Stockwell) , a peaceful quiet youngster called Bless (Jeffrey Hunter) who has aversion to violence and the eldest (Fred MacMurray) who is the strict boss of the strange family . Bess usuallly finds his eldest brother often doing his confrontation for him , as in duels as fighting , and he begins to earn a reputation as a coward . Their mummy (Josephine Hutchinson) dotes on the middle son , attempting to protect him from the world and get him to move back east with her , towards St. Louis , Missouri . Things go awry when some squatters occupy countryside farms . Then Bless is really considered as a coward for not joining in a foolhardy gunfight in which a member is murdered. Challenge one brother...you answer to all!.

Classic and traditional western deals with three motley brothers who run a prosperous ranch after the death of a rancher , but one of them is seen as a coward because of his reluctance to gunfight ; it is plenty of psychological motives , family conflicts , thrills , emotion and crossfire . It is a medium budget movie with a triangular love story , noisy action , shootouts , stampedes as well as fine players, nice production design and pleasing results. It is still a run-of-the-mill entry in Western genre . Fred McMurray is adequate as elder brother who unjustly censures his youngest brother , this is one of a clutch of acceptable horse operas he made in the forties , in the late 50s and the early sixties , such as ¨Texas Rangers¨, ¨The trail of the lonesome Pine¨, At gunpoint¨, and ¨Good day for a hanging¨. Although MacMurray also played other genres as drama , adventures , wartime , children films , such as : The happiest millionaire , The shaggy dog , Son of Flubber , The absent-minded profesor , The princess come across , The Caine mutiny , Dive bomber , Above suspicion , Murder he says , The miracle of the bells , Alice Adams , The apartment , and Noir film as the classy : Double indemnity . He is accompanied by Jeffrey Hunter who gives a decent acting as the peace-loving young whose dedication to the principles of peace and reason has earned him a reputation for cowardice .The movie contains a great support cast , plenty of familiar faces from vintage Westerns such as : Iron Eyes Cody ,John Larch , Kevin Corrigan , Bob Steele , Paul Birch , Chuck Hayward and all of them are outscored by a peach of acting from the veteran Chill Wills .

Atmospheric cinematography in glimmer Technicolor by George Robinson. Evocative and thrilling musical score from Irving Gertz , Henry Russell and Frank Skinner , though uncredited . Well produced by William Alland , the motion picture was professionally directed by Abner Biberman . He directed in sure visual style and he made all kinds of genres, especially Westerns , as in cinema as TV especially . As he directed some films such as : The Night Runner, Behind the High Wall , The Price of Fear , Running Wild , The Looters , The Golden Mistress and a lot of Television episodes from known series as The Virginian , Ironside , Hawaii 5.0 , Laredo , The fugitive, Gunsmoke , Zane Grey , Tightrope, Lloyd Bridges show , Imperium , The outer limits , 77 Sunset Strip and many others . Rating :5.5/10 , decent , acceptable and passable Western , as well as enough entertaining and interesting . Well worth seeing

Fred MacMurray starred in a number of interesting color westerns in the 1950's. In this film, 3 brothers come face to face with violence, cowardice and personality conflicts. MacMurray , with his laconic sense of irony, shines in this film.

Jeffrey Hunter has the key role of the the young brother. Hunter was a great actor, who is best remembered to day for his role in The Searchers. He performs well in this one and is a good match for this interesting role.

This movie is only slightly above average, being aided by two fine actors at the top of their game. Worth a look for that alone ........

It is a small budget and very intelligent psychological western, speaking of cowardice and the elements in relation of this. But I guess it could have been a bit better though, more gritty, poignant, with a different ending. The director Abner Biberman offered us good stuff, but not too many films, unfortunately. This one is also a family - brothers - story, with the good tension that supposes. I did not expect to see Jeffrey Hunter in this movie, besides Fred McMurray. His character is riveting, and only for this, this western is worth the watch. Universal Studios really made interesting westerns.