Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalIMDb TIFF Portrait StudioHispanic Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Colt .45

  • 1950
  • Approved
  • 1h 14m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
Randolph Scott and Ruth Roman in Colt .45 (1950)
DramaWestern

Gun salesman Steve Farrell gets two of his new Colt .45 pistols stolen from him by ruthless killer Jason Brett but vows to recover them.Gun salesman Steve Farrell gets two of his new Colt .45 pistols stolen from him by ruthless killer Jason Brett but vows to recover them.Gun salesman Steve Farrell gets two of his new Colt .45 pistols stolen from him by ruthless killer Jason Brett but vows to recover them.

  • Director
    • Edwin L. Marin
  • Writer
    • Thomas W. Blackburn
  • Stars
    • Randolph Scott
    • Ruth Roman
    • Zachary Scott
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.0/10
    1.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Edwin L. Marin
    • Writer
      • Thomas W. Blackburn
    • Stars
      • Randolph Scott
      • Ruth Roman
      • Zachary Scott
    • 37User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos20

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 14
    View Poster

    Top cast65

    Edit
    Randolph Scott
    Randolph Scott
    • Steve Farrell
    Ruth Roman
    Ruth Roman
    • Beth Donovan
    Zachary Scott
    Zachary Scott
    • Jason Brett
    Lloyd Bridges
    Lloyd Bridges
    • Paul Donovan
    Alan Hale
    Alan Hale
    • Sheriff Harris
    Ian MacDonald
    Ian MacDonald
    • Miller
    Chief Thundercloud
    Chief Thundercloud
    • Walking Bear
    Victor Adamson
    Victor Adamson
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Carl Andre
    • Indian
    • (uncredited)
    Stanley Andrews
    Stanley Andrews
    • Sheriff
    • (uncredited)
    Monte Blue
    Monte Blue
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    John Bose
    John Bose
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Lovyss Bradley
    Lovyss Bradley
    • Townswoman
    • (uncredited)
    Richard Brehm
    • Henchman
    • (uncredited)
    Jerry Brown
    Jerry Brown
    • Indian
    • (uncredited)
    Bob Burrows
    • Henchman
    • (uncredited)
    Jess Cavin
    Jess Cavin
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Roydon Clark
    Roydon Clark
    • Indian
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Edwin L. Marin
    • Writer
      • Thomas W. Blackburn
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews37

    6.01.2K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    6Hey_Sweden

    Pour yourself some backbone and SHUT UP!

    Randolph Scott, as jut jawed and heroic as he's ever been, is gun salesman Steve Farrell. One day, in a prison, he's showing off his pride and joy, and sadly this will assist outlaw Jason Brett (Zachary Scott) in a jailbreak. Wrongfully locked up when it's assumed that he must have been an accomplice, Steve is soon released, and sets out to bring the bad guy down. Brett, of course, is having the time of his life utilizing Steves' prized Colt .45s.

    This is an okay, routine Western. It does benefit from some good action scenes, and the cast makes the most of the situation. The very pretty Ruth Roman is engaging in an under written role as Beth Donovan, the wife of Paul Donovan (Lloyd Bridges), one of Bretts' cohorts. Randolph Scott doesn't have to stretch himself at all, but he's in good form, while Zachary Scott commands a great deal of the attention as the thoroughly nasty, overconfident villain who feels emboldened by his new weapons. Bridges is fine as the weaselly Paul, who's not as degenerate as Brett, but is absolutely no rose, either. Alan Hale provides a rock steady presence as the morally compromised Sheriff Harris (this, unfortunately, was one of his final roles, as he died later the same year). Ian MacDonald, who later gained his greatest fame as the gang leader Miller in "High Noon", is also playing a character named Miller here. And Indian actor Chief Thundercloud is able to play his proud character Walking Bear with some dignity.

    Direction (by Edwin L. Marin), production design, cinematography, and music are all handled capably, making this decent entertainment for 74 minutes.

    Six out of 10.
    jday-67061

    Endless Ammunition

    These were supposed to be prototypes Brett stole. So where did he get all the bullets for these guns that hadn't been commercially produced yet? It's not like he could go online and order a couple of cases of ammo whenever he needed some.
    6bkoganbing

    "Law And Order In Six Finger Doses"

    The Colt.45 is what Randolph Scott is selling, the latest item in weaponry. While selling a pair to a sheriff who's ordered them, prisoner Zachary Scott breaks free and kills the sheriff and steals the weapons Randy was about to sell. After convincing the townsfolk that he wasn't in on the jailbreak and the killing of their sheriff, Randy takes his display models and goes after Zach.

    This is an average B western from Warner Brothers and it really turns on the character that Zachary Scott is playing. Zach is a really loathsome punk, but a clever one who realizes that until these weapons come into widespread use, those that possess them can be king of the mountain. He also thinks fast on his feet and avoids capture and turns the tables on Randy on more than one occasion.

    Colt.45 coming out at the time that Broken Arrow and Devil's Doorway were running benefited from those far better westerns in terms of influence. Part of Zach's scheme is to frame some innocent Indians for a stagecoach robbery that Randy foils. Because of that Randy makes friends with Chief Thundercloud and his whole tribe. Colt.45 takes its place in the history of the big screen western with a more sympathetic attitude towards Indians.

    Scott's leading lady is Ruth Roman who is certainly pretty and capable, but her part is rather ill defined. She's the wife of one of Zach's henchmen Lloyd Bridges another real punk, but not as clever. She switches loyalties, but really doesn't help much.

    In the cast in one of his last roles for Warner Brothers where he was a contract player for about 15 years and almost exclusively appeared in films for that studio is Alan Hale. He plays another sheriff, a corrupt one.

    Colt.45 is a fast paced, but badly edited film, still fans of both Scotts, Randolph and Zachary should like it.
    7Captain_Augustus_McCrae

    Worth watching because of Randolph Scott

    I have one major problem with this film. Set in the late 1840's or early 1850s, it highlights the introduction of the "Colt .45 revolver". Actually, the gun depicted in the film is a Colt's DRAGOON .44 cap & ball sixgun. I don't know why the title, "Colt .45" is stuck on this film, when "Colt .44" would have been just as sexy-sounding, and would have been historically accurate, as well. The introduction of a reliable, durable and accurate revolving pistol did really revolutionize things in the Old West, as depicted in the film but still, the name of the gun is wrong. I guess the film maker either didn't know or didn't care about the inaccuracy. All that being said, This is still a film worth watching. The reason is Randolph Scott, of course. I have been a huge fan since viewing "Ride the High Country" about 25 years ago. Over time I have seen most of his Westerns and while the films themselves vary in quality, the performance of Mr. Scott is almost always excellent. This is a lesser offering, granted, but the presence of Mr. Scott makes it worth the time. I'd rate it a 7.
    BrianDanaCamp

    Below-average Randolph Scott western

    In the 1950s, Randolph Scott made a number of westerns at Warner Bros., ranging from the sublime (Andre De Toth's CARSON CITY) to the ridiculous (this one). COLT .45 (1950) has got a number of things wrong with it, including ludicrous plotting, but is at least fast-paced, well-cast and dotted with frequent bursts of violence and gunplay. The screenwriter seems to have bent over backwards to tie a standard lawman-vs.-stage robbers tale to the Colt .45 revolver which is apparently being introduced to the west at the time this film takes place. The plot has to do with an outlaw's theft of a pair of the title six-shooters and the robbery-and-killing spree that results. The owner of the guns, Steve Farrell (Randolph Scott), a salesman for the Colt company, takes off after the villain with a second pair of the six-guns. At various points during the action, Farrell is accused of complicity with Brett (Zachary Scott), the robber he's pursuing.

    Zachary Scott makes a suitably snarling, mustachioed villain in a performance seemingly fueled by ample infusions of "fire water" consumed between set-ups. Ruth Roman makes a spunky and attractive heroine as the wife of a miner (Lloyd Bridges) who's in cahoots with Zachary. Alan Hale (Sr.) plays a corrupt sheriff also working with Zachary.

    The most interesting thing about this western is the inclusion of a tribe of Indians who pop up at convenient moments to help hero Farrell. Given the pervasiveness of corrupt whites in Bonanza Creek, the backlot town where the film takes place, the Indians prove to be Farrell's only dependable allies. The chief is played by respected Indian actor Chief Thundercloud, who adds virtually the only note of historical authenticity to the entire film. At one point, one of the Indian women supplies heroine Roman with a very fashionable white buckskin jacket that she sports for the rest of the film.

    The film is set during the James K. Polk administration immediately after the Mexican War, placing the action sometime in the 1840s. Given that photography was a brand-new (and quite time-consuming) technology back then, it's anachronistically amusing to see posters featuring a black-and-white head shot of Randolph Scott distributed to peace officers in the film.

    Shot in color, COLT .45 is a relatively low-budget affair with shooting restricted to the Warner Bros. backlot and nearby studio ranches.

    More like this

    The Desperadoes
    6.4
    The Desperadoes
    Tall Man Riding
    6.4
    Tall Man Riding
    Fort Worth
    6.2
    Fort Worth
    Gunfighters
    6.3
    Gunfighters
    The Man Behind the Gun
    6.0
    The Man Behind the Gun
    Colt .45
    7.2
    Colt .45
    The Nevadan
    6.3
    The Nevadan
    Canadian Pacific
    5.9
    Canadian Pacific
    A Lawless Street
    6.4
    A Lawless Street
    Riding Shotgun
    6.4
    Riding Shotgun
    Dallas
    6.2
    Dallas
    Carson City
    6.4
    Carson City

    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    John Wayne and Harry Carey Jr. in The Searchers (1956)
    Western

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Final film of Alan Hale. He died about a month after shooting wrapped. Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950) was filmed before this picture was made, but released after it.
    • Goofs
      The firearm in the title and in use in the movie isn't a Colt .45. Colt never made an open-top revolver in .45 caliber, as it was too much gun for that configuration. The biggest it could be is a .44, like the Dragoon or Walker. The .45 caliber didn't show up until Colt made his Single Action Army model in 1872.
    • Quotes

      Prologue: A gun, like any other source of power, is a force for either good or evil, being neither in itself, but dependent upon those who possess it.

    • Connections
      Featured in Night Across the Street (2012)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ15

    • How long is Colt .45?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 27, 1950 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Colt 45
    • Filming locations
      • Santa Clarita, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $636,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 14m(74 min)
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.