User reviews

"Riding Shotgun" is a very entertaining western, were only they all so good. It boasts an unusual story and pacing: 80 percent of the movie takes place between a bloody stagecoach robbery in the beginning of the movie and a violent casino robbery at the conclusion of the movie. During this 80 percent middle period, Scott is alone in town trying to convince the elders to recall the sheriff and posse which have gone after the stage robbers, who Scott knows robbed the stage to draw the sheriff-posse out of town so they could more easily rob the casino. And the townsfolk think Scott is part of the gang of stage robbers and wants the sheriff-posse recalled to protect the gang. So what we have is this intriguing story, rugged handsome Scott, good color photography, some humor supplied mainly by deputy sheriff Wayne Morris and cantina-owner Fritz Feld, an interesting/wacky group of townsfolk (in varied dress,looks and demeanor ), beautiful Joan Weldon, and Scott's narration. Unfortunately the ending doesn't live up to the delicious intro, but the ride was most enjoyable. And nice fade-out.

Seeing "Riding Shotgun" again after half a century is a welcome reminder of the peak that the western film of the fifties achieved.

Director De Toth, who actually had ranch experience despite his Hungarian origins,obviously took great satisfaction in finding such a variety of effective angles and pieces of western imagery to present what is a well constructed story. When our weathered hero has to shoot out the candle in Fritz Feld's "dirty little cantina" it not only provides a chance for master cameramen Bert Glennon ("Stagecoach") to do an effective light change but it also gives us a couple of reels of the disturbing image of the blackened door-way that no one in the town is game to enter, not sure if Randy is dead or not.

The film making is better than most of the bigger pictures could muster.

The Warner western street re-dressed. Interesting cast - Joe Sawer in a non comedy role, punching it out with Scott, Charlie Bronson getting started, Millican in his best part - are those Frank Ferguson, Cesare Gravina and Bob Steele in uncredited walk-ons?

Pretension free, work like the Scott-De Toth series made going to the movies a rewarding, addictive habit.

Stagecoach guard Larry Delong (Randolph Scott) is obsessed with catching criminal Dan Marady who leads a ruthless gang and killed his relatives. He falls into trap, hog-tied, and left to die in the sun. The stagecoach gets attacked and the men are killed. Larry escapes and returns to town. He is surprised to find that most of the population believe that he is part of Marady's gang and they are unwilling to listen to his warning of an imminent return of the gang to raid the town. Meanwhile, Marady's gang is infiltrating the town.

This is a great depiction of mob rule. These regular town folks may seem like cartoons but they are more real than one expects. These are men of pitchforks and torches. I love the regular people turning on the hero. As for the criminals, I expected them to be more ruthless. This is still an old fashion western which is barely more than seventy minutes. It doesn't go as dark as it could have. The last act is doing a happy Hollywood ending. The narrating is a little interesting in that it gives Larry's gunfire some inner monologue. I wouldn't mind a modern remake with a more brutal final act.

A Randolph Scott Western from the 1954. Scott plays a stagecoach guard who rides shotgun as their transport is about to enter their next stop. What Scott doesn't know is that his sworn enemy is going to lure him from his duties (Scott has vowed revenge in voice over for a past crime) so that an elaborate heist is attempted. Working again w/Andre De Toth (House of Wax), this Scott vehicle is unique in the fact it almost plays like a Western noir where narration & a weird story structure keeps the barely ninety minute feature interesting & quite watchable. Look for Charles Bronson (billed under his birth name Charles Buchinsky) as a member of the villain's gang.

I'm glad to see that a majority of reviewers liked this film. I did, too. It's one Scott Western that's passed me by until now, though others are frequently shown on British TV.

The plot was more original than many 1950s' Westerns, and the town looked a little different to those so often seen. As has already been remarked, the townsfolk were a quirky lot, and there was some nice minor characterizations, especially the guy fondling a rope all the time.

What little love interest there was was unnecessary, doing nothing to the plot.

One might quibble at Scott's wish for a messenger to be sent to recall the posse. There wouldn't have been enough time to track it down and for it to return in time to combat the raid. And how obliging of Scott to ride so precisely under the tree that Bronson could jump on him. At least the revolvers ran out of ammunition after being fired six times, forcing their users to reload, unlike in some Westerns where they seem to have eight or more rounds in them.

I'll be happy to watch it again some time.

Riding Shotgun is directed by Andre De Toth and adapted to screenplay by Thomas W. Blackburn fro the story "Riding Solo" written by Kenneth Perkins. It stars Randolph Scott, Wayne Morris, Joan Weldon, Joe Sawyer, James Millican, Charles Bronson and James Bell. Music is by David Buttolph and Warnercolor cinematography is by Bert Glennon.

Before he would make the Western movies with Budd Boetticher that would define him as a Western movie legend, Randolph Scott worked tirelessly in the genre. He would make 6 films with Ray Enright and 6 with Andre De Toth, all of these are good value for the Western fan. They vary in thematic quality, but production value was always decent and there was always Randy at war with some gruff or poncey bloke, nice location photography and of course some gorgeous ladies as well. That's enough for genre fans who happily take these movies on their required terms.

Anyone else got anything to say?

Riding Shotgun has Scott as Larry Delong, a man who spends his time "riding shotgun" as a stagecoach guard. He has an ulterior motive, though, he's constantly on the look out for a known outlaw, Dan Marady (Millican), and he wants him dead. Sure enough Malady is about the place and Larry falls into a trap and finds things spiralling so out of control, that by the time he manages to get back into town, practically everyone hates him and thinks he's part of Marady's murderous gang.

Hate makes a man careless.

Cue a scenario where Delong, who has been wonderfully providing us with a film noir like narration throughout (love the wry David and Goliath observation), literally has to make a one man stand against the dimwit townsfolk and also Marady and his henchmen who are fronted by twitchy gun Pinto! (Bronson). It clocks in at under 75 minutes, it's brisk, it has Scott kicking ass big time and it looks lovely (unsurprising with Glennon photographing).

Is it flawless? God no! There's some distinctly below average acting around Scott (Morris/Millican), while Fritz Feld as the Cantina owner (erm, called Fritz) where Delong holes up, is annoying in the extreme. While as radiant and perky as Joan Weldon is, she's no actress capable of grabbing a scene and shooting electricity through it. But this type of Scott Oater is comfort food to genre fans who once in a while like to down pistols and relax away from the more serious genre fare. 7/10

After his family is murdered by a ruthless outlaw gang, a man by the name of "Larry Delong" (Randolph Scott) accepts a job guarding a stagecoach line in a certain part of the country under the firm belief that he will be able to find and kill the people responsible. However, in the course of his search for them he accidentally falls into a trap by that same gang and is almost killed. Fortunately, during his time in captivity he learns of their plans to lure a posse from a nearby town on a fruitless search in order to facilitate their plans to rob the bank. Wanting to warn the citizens he then rides into that town but to his surprise the people there mistake him for one of the outlaws which results in him taking shelter in a store while a mob gathers all around with the intention of lynching him despite his warnings meant to protect them. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a rather odd film which resembled the classic western "High Noon" in many respects. It doesn't, however, have the same level of intensity or suspense and as a result I have rated this film accordingly. Average.

This exciting picture tells the story of a upright stagecoach guard called Larry Delong (Randolph Scott) . Larry tries to warn a town of an imminent raid by a band of outlaws and the townsfolk mistake him for one of the band . But Delong has sworn revenge and detain to undercover the real outlaws . Delong is besieged by Sheriff Tub Murphy (Wayne Morris) , deputies and other villagers and no one in town is willing to help him . In the Old west there are always the men who live breathe violence and the women who hold their breath .

This undemanding western is plenty of suspense as the dreaded final showdown approaches and the protagonist realizes he must stand alone against impossible odds as his fellow town people for help , nobody is willing to help him but they pursue him , while he attempts to clear his name as wrongfully accused of robber and murder . This passable tale is almost rudimentary though full of clichés , a good guy come to narration is almost adjusted in real time from the starring arrives in the little town until the ending confrontation and is given a limited time to resolve the accusation as stealer and murderer . The highlights of the film are the facing off between Scott and his enemies and the climatic showdown on the final . Phenomenal and great role for Randolph Scott as tough guy , he's the whole show , he plays a stagecoach guard seeking to clear his reputation . He gives a perfect acting as stoic , craggy, and uncompromising figure . Good support cast , such as Wayne Morris , Joan Weldon , Joe Sawyer , Frank Ferguson , James Bell , uncredited Dub Taylor and Charles Bronson as Charles Buchinsky , many of them usual in Western . Although made in short budget by the producer Ted Sherdeman , it is a enough efficient film and very entertaining . The picture contains an excellent cinematography by Bert Glennon -John Ford's usual photographer- and appropriate musical score by David Buttolph .

This typical Western was professionally directed by Andre De Toth . At his beginnings he entered the Hungarian film industry, obtaining work as a writer, editor , second unit director and actor before finally becoming a director. He directed a few films just before the outbreak of WW II, when he fled to England . Alexander Korda gave him a job there, and when De Toth emigrated to the US in 1942 , Korda got him a job as a second unit director on Jungle Book (1942) . Andre De Toth was a classical director , Western usual (Indian fighter, Man in the saddle, Ramrod , Last of Comanches , The stranger wore a gun), but also made Peplum (Gold for the Caesar) and adventure (The Mongols , Morgan the pirate , Tanganyika) . Probably his best known film is House of wax (1953), a Vincent Price horror film shot in 3D .

Larry DeLong(Scott) is Riding Shotgun on stagecoaches, keeping them safe. After a holdup, the town first thinks that he's a coward and then decide that he must be a part of the gang -- and they're gonna get him! Meanwhile, the real baddies are heading to town to rob the bank and only Scott can prevent that.

Not quite up to High Noon standards, but a good yarn. Randolph Scott comes through, once again!

"Riding shotgun" begins interestingly enough with voiceover by Randolph Scott. That is fair enough and what I would expect from the lead, as he manages to free himself from being tied down by a very young Charles Bronson, who plays Pinto, a robber cum murderer who owes very little to intelligence and not only does a poor job of tying up the fearsome gunhand but actually leaves Scott's gun and horse nearby. That is not all, another dimwit in the group also drops the Derringer that is used as bait for the evil Marady (reliably played by James Millican) to entrap Scott.

Confusing enough? Not as confusing as comparing this modest Western with HIGH NOON, a masterpiece on many levels, including an incisive attack on HUAC and McCarthyism.

That said, I found it confusing, if not downright exasperating, to see Scott decide to stay in a barroom while the town's residents plan to lynch him, fire shots at him, goad the deputy sheriff Tub Murphy (the Christian name Tub fits, he spends most of the film eating) into doing something about Scott while Marady and Pinto proceed to rob the local bank. The barroom owner is understandably peeved that his prized mirror might be shattered by bullets, as Scott fires one to kill the flame of a candle giving away his position. All of that makes for a mid-section with many different faces, and not much of a connecting thread, but the ending is great with Scott suddenly taking the limelight again and making sure that the robbers will not be able to use their horses to flee. Even poor dumb Pinto gets his due while trying to mount, and Marady's good luck piece changes hands!

Good fun, decent direction by the ever predictable and steadfast André de Toth. OK photography and script... for a B Western.

A bit too redolent of "High Noon" for my taste with a screenplay that is way too talky and features more needless narration than you can shake a Mark Hellinger at. However, director Andy DeToth keeps the verbose proceedings moving at a good clip, Randy Scott is solid as usual, and Wayne Morris' dyspeptic everyman sheriff is a tad better than that. Give it a C plus. mostly for Tub.

This is pretty much another over-lit, clothes-too-clean, shot-in-los-angeles-hills backlot, cookie-cutter color Western of the 1950s. EXCEPT -- it has some tasty fun stylings, like the Noir-ish narration of Scott's character, with some gunfighting tactics and decision-making revelations rarely found in Westerns, but not unusual in police procedurals and noir of the 50s. Also nifty -- the airtime given to Mexicans and their cantina beyond the usual cliché. And a little richer character detail than usual for this genre.

It's not a movie to go out of your way to see or rent; it's not some form of cinematic gold. But under the rules of its genre, it's above average. The acting isn't above-average, but the dialogue is one notch above. Not two notches. Just one notch, but that's still a good thing.

Stage-line security guard Scott is lured away from town by a member of his arch-enemy's gang and tied up to die from exposure. Escaping, he returns to find the stage robbed and everyone thinking he's in cahoots with the villains, with no one believing him when he tells them that the robbery was a ruse to get the law out on a goose-chase so that the real deal could go down. In fact, the whole town is ready to lynch Scott!

Though some of the portrayals of the ignorant townspeople are clearly over-the-top, Riding Shotgun is a very well-made and well-paced little western that really delivers the goods in terms of action and especially suspense.

There's a great role for a young Charles Bronson, who in his western debut (excluding an episode of The Roy Rodgers Show where he plays a boxer) as a sadistic member of the outlaw gang. The scenes where he joins the lynch mob and stokes them are pretty neat.

There's also a great role for Wayne Morris, who's probably best remembered for his role as a cowardly officer in Stanley Kubrick's Paths Of Glory, as the town's remaining deputy who desperately tries to prevent needless bloodshed.

I'll watch any western with Randolph Scott and they run the gamut from great to not so hot. In the latter we have "Riding Shotgun", an illogical, muddled tale of Randy being mistaken as in cahoots with the gang that shot up the stage coach and plans to rob the town. The plot, such as it is, is often only moved forward with Randy proving a voiceover Greek chorus. Randy was in there pitching but is done in with bad dialog and little support from the rest of the cast.

I never saw a randolph scott film i didn't like ... quite a fair sized town with ignorant fools quick to pass judgement on something they don't understand...kudos to tubb, the deputy and the girlfriend who manage to help larry out of a tight spot

Riding Shotgun is a western movie telling the story of Larry Delong, a stagecoach guard on the hunt for a gang of outlaws who attacked the stagecoach he was guarding, but his warning about them is dismissed by the citizens of Deep Water, who want the deputy remaining to arrest him on the belief that he was in on the attack. Now holed up in a cantina, Larry must find a way to escape and get his revenge.

It's an okay western. The action and story is good, but the actors are hit-or-miss and the pacing can be painfully slow in some parts.