The Dalton Gang

Curious and I would say cute too. Short, very short, and if you remove all the scenes showing horses and riders running among sierras, canyons, you obtain an even shorter film. Don Barry is certainly no the best reason to watch this agreeable time waster, and any movie buff, and westerner in particular will prefer Edward L Cahn's LAW AND ORDER, in terms of grade B old western inspired from real figures of the West. But this one is directed by Ford Beebe and it supposes a little respect, despite the poor quality and the low, very low budget. Not the worst western I have ever seen, because Ford Beebe did his best and I even feel some tenderness for this gentle little western.

"The Dalton Gang" was another Lippert Production trading on the names of legendary western outlaws. It starts with a lengthy prologue (courtesy of stock footage and screaming headlines) of the Dalton Gang wreaking havoc in the old west. Fine, but then after a promising start, the movie degenerates into a formula "B" western with minimal focus on the Dalton Gang of the title.

In the town of Rincon three of the Daltons Blackie (Robert Lowery), Guthrey (Greg McLure) and Emmett (Lee Roberts) (what happened to Bob?)are working undercover using assumed names for a water company (of all things) headed by J.J. Gorman (Ray Bennett). Deputy Marshall Larry West (Don Barry) is riding to Rincon when he comes upon a rider (Marshall Reed) being chased by "Indians". He rescues the man and in an odd move convinces the poor sap to assume the identity of the Marshall so that West can work under cover.

West takes on the identity of Rusty (not "Red") Stevens) and takes the local newspaper editor Amos Boling (Byron Foulger) and his charming assistant (Betty Adams) into his confidence. Sheriff Jeb Martin (James Millican) knuckles under to Gorman and his gang. West goes to Chief Irahu (George J. Lewis) and gains his confidence and help in destroying the gang.

The phony Indian attacks have been staged by the Dalton gang however, the link between them and the "Gorman Gang" is hardly explored. Anyway, following the murder of Judge Price J. Farrell MacDonald, West mobilizes Chief Irahu's tribe, the sheriff finds some courage and the final showdown takes place where..................

As in most of the Lippert productions, the cast is made up of many recognizable faces. Barry, Lowery and Millican had appeared in other Lippert Productions. Betty Adams was soon to sign with Universal and change her name first to Julia and later Julie Adams and enjoy a fruitful career during the 1950s. J. Farrell MacDonald had been around westerns since the early silents and George J. Lewis was a familiar face in many "B" westerns for both Republic and Columbia.

Formula "B" western that should have been better.

Another of the Barry produced westerns released by Lippert in the late 40s and early 50s, this one is not the least bit bothered by fact. They didn't even get the names of the Dalton brothers right! Putting that aside, what we have is a light little oater featuring a good supporting cast with a little humor sprinkled about. Another interesting aspect here is that the Indians live in pueblos as opposed to the usual wigwam/teepee. Very watchable.

This "Donald Barry Production", an ego (for Barry)/marketing tagline only devised by Producer Ron Ormond, and Ormond is the ONLY credited Producer on this film, starts off with about three minutes of newspaper headlines detailing robbery, murder and general mayhem in Missouri escapades of The Dalton Gang, backed by montage stock footage scenes, interlaced with escalating reward posters for Guthrie (Lee Roberts), Blackie (Robert Lowery) and Emmett (Greg McClure) Dalton. When next seen, Emmett is "Missouri" Ganz, Blackie is Blackie Mullett and Guthrie is just plain Mac, all working for J. J. Gorman (Ray Bennett) somewhere many miles west of Missouri in Navajo country.

The real/reel story starts when U. S. Marshal Larry West (Don Barry), sent to investigate the goings-on in Navajo country, finds a wounded cowhand named Joe (Marshall Reed) on the trail, and takes him to town. The Gorman Gang (formerly the Dalton Gang), disguised as Navajo Indians, ambushed Joe thinking he was the Marshal they had been tipped off about by gang member Ray Henderson, whose role name was not 'Delivers message'. So, West asks the none-too-bright Joe to pose as West, so that he, the real West can poke around unobserved using the name of Rusty Stevens.

This ruse only lasts about three minutes before Mac (the former Guthrie Dalton), who knows West, arrives and blows the cover. The rest is punch and counter-punch before West and town Sheriff Jeb Marvin (James Millican) join forces with the beleaguered Navajos to put an end to the Dalton Gang, now known as the Gorman Gang.

Once past the meaningless prologue, this one is heads-and-shoulders above the usual Ron Ormond-June Carr offerings, mainly because Julie Adams shows real quick she wasn't destined to remain long on Poverty Row; J. Farrell MacDonald's and Byron Foulger's performances, and the excellent camera work by the under-rated Ernest Miller who, for a change of pattern on Ormond productions, was given a chance to employ many set-ups on various scenes, including lots of close-ups, even in the action scenes.

Walter Greene's music is his usual bass-thumping mess, which still makes it better than what some guy named Barber tossed in on some of the revisionist-version tapes on John Wayne's Lone Star westerns.

This western from Lippert Pictures has the infamous Dalton gang moving west and going incognito. The Daltons are now enforcers for a western development outfit which has recently displaced the Navajos from their land and framed Chief George J. Lewis for murder.

Don Barry as a US Marshal is going undercover as well to investigate the situation as it has a bad aroma to it. Barry gets no help from the local sheriff James Millican who pretty much does what the development company tells him.

His only friends are newspaper editor Byron Foulger and Julie Adams who works for Foulger.

This is a no frills B western with a really blazing shootout at the end between the Daltons headed by Robert Lowery and Barry&friends. Enough action to satisfy any B western fan.