User reviews

Ted Post directed this Charles A. Wallace story which was created most likely as a pilot for a T.V. Series. I suppose that's why Clint Walker was selected. He looks tall and Majestic in the saddle. The story as Wallace wrote it has Marshal Dave Harmona (Clint Walker) arriving in town and no sooner does he arrive, when a couple of rowdies challenge his authority. Unable to talk one cowboy out of his gun, the Marshal is force to kill the other which does not sit well with the older brother. (Morgan Woodward) In addition to taking charge of the law in town, Harmon is given a murder mystery to solve and some restless Indians who are threatening to go on the warpath to placate. Finally, there a hotel owner who is set on winning a place in the marshal's heart. All in all the series would have begun as part western, part who-done-it, had the option been picked up. As it is, the movie moves into the what-if category and Walker rides into the sunset. It would have been interesting to see the film pan out as several other notables were included in the cast. Such actors as Barry Sullivan, Edgar Buchanan and Peter Mark Richman as Major Lucas. Otherwise, it's a good movie which never ever matured. ****

Clint Walker would have been a great movie cowboy had he born twenty years earlier. As it was he made his mark on television playing that most stoic of western characters in the title role of Cheyenne. In this film Yuma he brings his Cheyenne Bodie persona to the role of Dave Harmon, US Marshal sent to cleanup the lawless town of Yuma.

No sooner does he arrive in town than he's forced to kill the hotheaded brother of cattle baron Morgan Woodward. He arrests another brother, but later two men break him out of prison and then shoot him in the back. Unfortunately for them there was a witness, a young Mexican kid played by Miguel Alejandro who Walker has taken in.

Woodward is not a man given to calm discourse and that's what the people who shot him are counting on, that he will rid them of their new Marshal so that a nice little racket they have will go on unmolested. But Walker's witness leads to a nicely paced unraveling of the whole affair and a surprise ending, kind of tacked on, but still interesting.

Such players as Kathryn Hays, Peter Mark Richman, John Kerr, Barry Sullivan and Edgar Buchanan round out a cast of professionals that are comfortable in a sagebrush setting. Director Ted Post best known for Clint Eastwood classics Magnum Force and Hang 'Em High directed many a television western and he knew what he wanted and got it out of his cast.

Fifteen or even ten years earlier Paramount would have released Yuma to the big screen as a second feature in a double bill. Yuma will satisfy any western fan's appetite.

"Yuma" is hardly great art, nor even a great Western. It is a good TV Western, and a good TV mystery. The cast of stalwart TV regulars, a post-Cheyenne Clint Walker as well as the lovely Kathryn Hays (Gem of the odd Star Trek episode "The Empath" I believe)make for good viewing. Peter Mark Richman brings his unusual screen presence and the writing is rather good. Walker's character has a tragic back-story that supports his gritty determination. Morgan Woodward brings his usual strong Western presence (again a guest star from Star Trek). In many ways a cross between a fifties Western and a sixties mystery, "Yuma" is not at all a bad way to take a break from the challenges of everyday life in the 21st century. The kid is not all that irritating.

"Yuma" was a pilot movie for a television series that never was made. Apparently, it failed to convince the right folks that they should make another western television show...which isn't surprising since westerns were already falling out of fashion.

When the film begins, two of the King brothers come into town causing trouble...and firing their guns indiscriminately. When Marshall Harmon (Clint Walker) tries to get them to surrender their guns and come along peacefully to jail, the dumber brother takes several shots at Harmon...and Harmon blows him in half with his shotgun.

Later, that night, two guys sneak into the jail and free the other King brother. Are they members of his gang or just doing a bit of charity work? Nah...one of them shoots King dead with the Marshall's shotgun...hoping to get the Marshall blamed for it. A young boy saw what happened and identified one of the men as a soldier. Harmon investigates and finds that the nearby natives are about to rise up because the peace treaty has been broken--they were supposed to receive cattle to help them survive. It seems that the same officer in charge of taking care of this might just be the guy in on the murder. And what of the third King brother? Surely he'll want to pay someone back for the murder. How is Harmon to prevent the town of Yuma from exploding?

Clint Walker was a good actor and was just fine as the Marshall....which is hardly surprising. As for the plot, it's pretty good as well. But I really think the reason this never became a series was that westerns were huge in the 50s and 60s...but the 70s were big for realistic modern programming and not this sort of thing. Good and watchable but nothing more. I did, however, like watching Harmon cross-examining a guy who has broken into the jail.

Yuma is directed by Ted Post and written by Charles Wallace. It stars Clint Walker, Barry Sullivan, Kathryn Hays, Edgar Buchanan, Morgan Woodward and John Kerr. Music is by George Duning and cinematography by John Stephens.

Walker stars as Marshal Dave Harmon, a no nonsense lawman sent into Yuma Territory to clean house. Straight away he is fronted up by the King brothers, something which puts him into conflict with the town bigwig, their father, Arch King (Woodward).

It's a familiar tale, certainly one that any Western fan would have seen numerous times. A TV movie and an intended pilot for a show, the budget is obviously not that high, but there's some good star appeal (Sullivan & Buchanan reassuring presences for Western lovers) and there's a lot crammed into the hour and fifteen minute running time.

Big Bad Clint Walker is a mighty presence, giving us a character that is easy to like and respect, he's not only tough and handsome, but he also turns into a Sherlock Holmes type as well! Into the basic town tamer plot also comes the issues of the Indian Beef treaty, or lack of in this instance, the crafty tactics of the Raiders and their crimes, while there's the cute/annoying kid and a gorgeous lady circling our hero.

It doesn't pull up any trees, but it's well performed, has nice location scenery (Old Tuscon), and the action is well staged (pic opens with a very nifty stagecoach stunt). While of course for Walker fans it's always going to have a watchability factor. 6/10

The new sheriff comes to town and immediately happens to shoot down a hoodlum who happens to be the brother of the local tycoon on whom the whole town depends for its limited prosperity. This is Tombstone and O. K. Corral settings, and if you expect some gunfire you will not be disappointed. The intrigue is good and interesting, as it accelerates by complications, and you are in for some positive surprises. The most interesting part though is played by the Indians, who appear in two scenes, but that is enough to save the film. They are very convincing in their brevity, and Clint is sometimes reminding of both Henry Fonda and Gregory Peck, which brings back to memory other golden times of the very wild west.

Notable is the small part of the lieutenant and quartermaster White, the most sensitive part of the film and in some ways the most decisive, as he is the one who turns the tables. He is played by John Kerr, who excelled in equally sensitive parts in films like "South Pacific" (another lieutenant) and "Tea and Sympathy" with Deborah Kerr, who was not his mother.

Ted Post is also notable for his very few films, he was mainly a TV director, also this one was made for TV, but he has two major films to his credits, "Hang Them High" with Clint Eastwood and the tremendously clever thriller "Nightkill" with Robert Mitchum as the police lieutenant. He lived a long life to 95 years.

Yuma is passable enough entertainment but something directed by Ted Post (Hang 'Em High) and produced by Aaron Spelling (who made some of the best low budget TV movies of the seventies) should have been a bit better. This seems like a television pilot that never materialized into a series.

Clint Walker, the new Marshall of Yuma is forced to deal with the two brothers of a powerful cattleman, shooting one in self defense and jailing the other. Later, two mystery men break him out and shoot him in the back, framing Walker for the death and leading to a confrontation with the cattleman and the uncovering of a larger conspiracy.

Some familiar stars and a good bit of intrigue make this worth watching if not a must-see.

A sheriff named Harmon(Clint Walker) goes into a small town to impose peace and order .The picture deals an intrigue concerning livestock smuggling.Harmon confronts against corrupt owners,Indians and gunfighters.At the ending contains a little action and plot twists.

This mediocre and old-style TV western produced by Aaron Spelling is redeemed by its great stars and supporting cast. Good casting formed by Clint Walker(Dirty dozen), Western usual(Bounty man,None but the brave,Pancho Villa,White Buffalo),Barry Sullivan as mean proprietary of Decker's freighter company, Kathryn Hays as hotel's receptionist, Peter Mark Richman as colonel of cavalry, John Kerr as a captain, and Edgar Buchanan as deputy,he's an eternal secondary of uncountable Western.The movie was a pilot episode but its little success caused cancellation of series. Passable and some dull direction by Ted Post. He's a Western expert, in fact his best movie is still a Western called ¨The legend of Tom Rooley¨. Besides, he has directed Clint Eastwood many times , starting working on Eastwood's television Western series, ¨Rawhide¨. When Eastwood returned to America after his successful Sergio Leone movies , he called for Post who directed him in Western ¨Hang'Em high¨ and the second entry Dirty Harry pictures, ¨Magnum Force¨.Ted Post also directed acceptable Sci Fi(Beneath of the planet of apes,Harrard experiment) and horror movies(The Baby,Dr Cook's garden).

Having just arrived into the town of Yuma, Arizona, "Marshall Dave Harmon" (Clint Walker) tries to arrest two rowdy cowboys who happen to be brothers. One is killed in a shootout and the other is taken to jail. That night the cowboy is killed for mysterious reasons. A third brother named "Arch King" (Morgan Woodward), who is in charge of a cattle drive headed to Yuma, thinks the Marshall did it and he comes into town to exact justice. But there is more to the story and rather than spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it, I will just say that it has several interesting subplots which play out rather well. It has cowboys, Indians, the cavalry, a savvy marshal and a pretty gal named "Julie Williams" (Kathryn Hays) to boot. What more could you ask for? About the only criticism I have is that it is a made-for-television movie and as a result it is a bit tame in order to satisfy a general audience. Likewise, the length of the film is slightly abbreviated to fit within a certain time allocation. It could easily have gone on longer and would have probably been much better if it had. Even so, it was still enjoyable and I recommend it for anybody who likes this particular genre.

... on the part of the actors. Even though it is full of bad acting. But maybe the direction was bad. Who knows. But it is a painfully cheap movie. Cheaply filmed. Cheaply set. Just a B movie really. Not the worst by the worst by far. But not worth watching. When I saw Aaron Spelling's name in the opening credits, I knew then it would be a mess. I assume the actors just needed the little money they made from this. Clint Walker does his best. But still, the movie feels empty and cheap. I imagine this broadcasted on a dinky channel.....in Yuma..at about 3am. Yeah. Thats it.

If you just want to watch out of curiosity, go ahead. If you're looking for that classic feel of a good early 70s western, you will be disappointed. Thank you Aaron Spelling for another waste of human time.

This was an obvious series pilot TV movie that wasn't picked up, most likely due to the fact that there were already Western series on TV and this one did not stand out as particularly unique in comparison. Plus TV westerns were on the way down, being replaced by cops and robbers action series, and such. As a TV movie, this is slightly above average than most, and entirely enjoyable and fairly fast-paced, especially if you like Clint Walker. The other actors are more than adequate for their parts, nothing awe-inspiring, and that's how it's supposed to be in these projects. Nobody shows up the lead. There is little on screen violence, as should be expected for a TV movie from 1971, and the "Indians" are once again pretty stereotypical, and reduced to welfare status as they wait for their dole of cattle from the Army. This part was probably pretty true. One thing that's nice is to see Edgar Buchanan as a weasel get taken down, like I wished he had been on the series Petticoat Junction, where he also played a weasel.

Yuma is a prototype Western movie complete with upstanding sheriff, crooked cattle dealers, blue uniformed union soldiers and grunting Native Americans speaking broken English. In other words, for a fan of the Western movie genre Yuma has everything ... And it's short too boot.

An easy way to spend 75 minutes. Little thinking required, some gunfights all in a traditional Western town setting.

RELEASED TO TV IN 1971 and directed by Ted Post, "Yuma" covers events in Yuma, Arizona, when a new Marshal (Clint Walker) is sent to tame its lawlessness. Morgan Woodward plays a tough cattleman who blames the marshal for the deaths of his two brothers while Kathryn Hays is on hand as a winsome hotel owner/operator. Peter Mark Richman and John Kerr appear as two officers at the local Army fort while Barry Sullivan plays a shady proprietor of a freight company and Edgar Buchanan the owner of a lesser one.

This was the pilot movie for a potential series that was never realized. Its short runtime gives away that it would've fit in a 90 minute slot with commercials. Walker is likable as the towering laconic Marshal whereas sweet Hays shines in her role. The tone is serious & realistic while the story is rather contrived, in the manner of TV Westerns of the 60s (e.g. The Big Valley), yet the latter makes for a brisk viewing with almost zero filler. The story even throws in Natives from a local reservation and the scenic locations (outside the town) lend authenticity.

THE FILM RUNS 73 minutes and was shot in Arizona (Old Tucson, Sonora Desert, Ironwood Forest National Monument, Silver Bell and Riggs Flat Lake) with studio work done at Paramount Studios, CA. WRITER: Charles Wallace.

GRADE: B-/C+

Clint Walter heads up this rather routine western television movie as the marshal "Harmon" who is drafted into the lawless Yuma territory by the state governor. His arrival immediately leads to bloodshed and that sets him against local kingpin "Arch" (Morgan Woodward) whose brother is no longer amongst us. Feeling just a bit outnumbered, he seeks help from a nearby army post but he gets short shrift from them too - seems he has some history with the army and his murdered family. Edgar Buchanan chips in entertaingly enough as "Mules" but the rest of this is all something we have seen done better before. Indeed, it could easily be an episode of something like the "The High Chaparral". That said, there's plenty of action - shoot outs and gunfights, there's a minimum of romance and the ending, though predictable, is acceptable. You will never remember this film, but it passes the time if you're doing the ironing.

Ted Post directed movies such as Magnum Force. He was more known for his television work, especially westerns.

Yuma is a television movie and a proposed pilot written by Aaron Spelling. Marshal Dave Harmon (Clint Walker) is sent to clean up the town of Yuma.

Only the Marshall gets embroiled in a vendetta from cattle baron Arch King (Morgan Woodward.) The Marshal had arrested his brother who was gunned down in a mysterious jailbreak.

It looks like the Marshal did it but he manages to buy time to find the real culprit. Someone has set the Marshal up.

It could be linked to some greedy men in Yuma. There is a contract to deliver beef to Indian reservations, only it has not been delivered.

The Indians are starving and the beef has been diverted elsewhere.

Post struggles to make this interesting. It really is a television pilot within its narrow limitations. The mystery is not up to much. The main actors are sturdy enough, Walker is solid but bland.