Gun Belt

A low budget 50's western that is not really all that bad. George Montgomery is the hero and Tab Hunter as his nephew. Hunter is so young in this movie that he's almost unrecognizable. You keep looking at him and thinking is that Tab Hunter? The villain is a real scary bad guy whose name is Ike Clinton. Why Clinton? Why not Clanton? Were they going for historical accuracy? The marshall in the town is named Virgil Earp so its hard to say what they were trying to do history-wise. It's slow-paced, melodramatic and cartoony: everything it should be.

In this western, the specialist Ray Nazzaro, the most prolific western provider - with Lesley Selander - borrows some elements from director Ray Enright ; I mean westerns from the last forties where true celebrities of the conquest of the West history were used in terms of characters names. For instance, here, you have the Ringo brothers - from OK Corral myth - and also Wyatt Earp in a supporting character. I would have never imagined Ray Nazarro making his westerns this way. Plus, such a grade B western maker hired Tab Hunter, Jack Elam...George Montgomery is not a surprise though for this cute little and agreeable movie.

Those of us who love B westerns constantly come up with undiscovered gems from the 1950s. This isn't one of them. Gun Belt may be the least impressive of any Wyatt Earp western ever made, though in fact he's seen only in a supporting role, with a bit of historicity in that he's portrayed as deputy to his brother Virgil, which was actually the case. Nothing else about the film 'gets it right,' though - George Montgomery plays Billy (not John or Jim) Ringo, with Tab Hunter as his younger brother, "Kid Ringo." For reasons I can't imagine, they changed the name of Ike Clanton to Ike Clinton! If there's one interesting thing here, it's that some oft overlooked characters - Turkey Creek Jack Johnson,Curly Bill Brocious, and Texas Jack Vermillion - are on hand, the terrific TOMBSTONE the only other film to give them decent screen time. You may recognize the female lead, Helen Westcott, from the similarly titled Ringo movie GUNFIGHTER - though that was one of the greatest of all westerns. This one has corny dialogue, unbelievable plotting, and weak acting, particularly by Hunter, who couldn't deliver a line competently if the survival of the world depended on it. Even the vistas don't look so bright. Here's one that even die-hard western buffs can skip.

Clintons? Hmmm. Ike Clinton. Wyatt Earp. Well they got that name right. Several Ringo brothers! Well it was supposed to be fiction. I suppose it was par for the course for the early 1950s. Aimed mainly at Saturday afternoon kids movies. So .... who cares about accuracy. I recommend a viewing of Tombstone or Wyatt Earp for a reasonable coverage of the Earp, Clanton, Ringo and Curly Bill etc events in Tombstone, AZ. OR the old 1950s TV series The Life and Times of Wyatt Earp. Not all of it historically accurate, but exponentially better. 🙂

A former outlaw, Billy Ringo (George Montgomery) decides to hang up his guns, buy a ranch, wed Arlene Reach (Helen Westcott), and let his nephew Chip Ringo live with them, however that ideal state is tenuous at best when Chip's father Matt Ringo (John Dehner), fresh from escaping prison, arrives coaxing the two brothers to follow a life of crime - Billy is then framed into pulling a bank robbery with Matt and his gang.

After accidentally killing Matt, Billy pretends to side with the gang after informing Marshal Wyatt Earp of the gang's plan to rob a Wells Fargo express wagon. But Billy's main intention is to stop Chip from going down the outlaw trail.

Formulaic, yet watchable western with some finely drawn characters. The plot drives you in, it's brisk, and with some good action - like stagecoach robbery at the finale. The historically named characters weren't really needed, as it could've stood in his own legs with fresh characters, but the trend back then was to use historical characters. Guess it makes it fun.