Gunsmoke

Audie Murphy plays Reb Kittredge in this 1953 classic western of good versus bad. When land-grabber Matt Telford wants to buy the entire valley there is one land owner that will not sell. So Telford sends for hired gunman, Reb Kittredge, to make sure that the hold-out, Dan Saxon, will not get his cattle to market to pay the mortgage on his farm- the farm that Telford wants to buy.

But when Reb does not get the payment he was seeking, he then teams up with the Saxon and his beautiful daughter Rita (Susan Cabot) to make sure the cattle makes it to market. Reb and his team are going to meet obstacles along the way as Telford hires his own men to stop the cattle-drive.

Even though Audie Murphy was not the most talented actor on the lot, the story plays out well. At the beginning of the movie it was difficult to see Murphy as the outlaw. But as usual the world returns to harmony as Murphy turns from the outlaw ways and embraces a family in need of his help.

Not the most memorable western but one with many good lines and lots of action. A movie that a western lover will not quickly forget.

No, not the long running TV show but an Audie Murphy Western from 1953. A land baron wants to take over the homestead of a man, along w/his dutiful daughter, so he hires Murphy to come in & do his thing to rid the baron of his problem but when he doesn't meet Murphy's money requirement, Murphy decides to work the cattle himself (he has won the property from the owner in a gentleman's cut of a card deck) & bring them in for sale. The baron decides to bring in another hired hand to deal w/Murphy (who turns out to be an old friend of his) & the race to bring the steers in begins. W/crackling dialogue & a short, terse running time, this oater only falters in its presentation (a blu-ray or remastered print would be a key asset to this classic) which in the version I saw had its colors look a bit washed out & faded but being a superior Murphy outing makes up for the faulty showing.

Hired gun Audie Murphy hits town to help bad guy Matt Telford (Donald Randolph) take over Dan Saxon's (Paul Kelly) spread. After winning Saxon's ranch and cattle in a game of chance, Audie declines Telford's offer and keeps the ranch for himself. Murphy then decides to drive his newly won cattle herd to the railhead to meet the note payment on the ranch, with the help of Saxon, his daughter (Susan Cabot), and their former wranglers. Forced to get a new rent-a-gun, Telford hires Murphy's old cohort Johnny Lake (Charles Drake) to stop Murphy from reaching the rail line.

Although "Gunsmoke" is pretty much 1950's drive-in fare, this one has Audie Murphy in top form. Directed by Nathan Juran in just his second film, this movie moves along at a nice clip. A strong script that avoids a lot of clichés, makes the dialog far better than average for this type movie. Murphy and and the familiar face veteran cast all deliver good performances and turn a what might have been a pretty standard medium budget horse opera into one of Audie's best films. Watch for Jack Kelly in his pre-Maverick television series days as malcontent foreman Curly Mather.

Entertaining Western. Definitely worth a watch.

A couple of saddle pals, Audie Murphy and Charles Drake, go their separate ways after a job in the Johnson County War in Wyoming. Murphy heads for a job offer from cattle baron Donald Randolph. But like John Wayne who refuses a job from Ed Asner in El Dorado, Murphy decides to throw in with small rancher Paul Kelly. Of course that Paul has an attractive daughter in Susan Cabot has a great deal to do with it.

El Dorado is only one of the other westerns that you can see plot elements from. I can count The Man from Laramie, Coroner Creek, and Destry Rides Again in which parts of those films are plainly visible in Gunsmoke.

Audie Murphy was always one of the success stories of Hollywood and then unfortunately a tragedy. Our most decorated combat veteran could have had a choice of any number of careers after World War II. He had what only could be described as an instinct in that he chose a movie career. He turned out to be a natural for westerns.

His product was always good. Too bad his career never took the path of a successful long running television series or going into A budget projects like John Wayne. Either of those paths might have led him to a longer career and life.

In fact both leads in this film met tragic ends, Audie in a plane crash and Susan Cabot, a notorious Hollywood homicide at the hands of her son. Cabot, but for a decision to leave Universal to free lance, might also have gone a television route. Though she became a cult favorite with The Wasp Woman, cult parts are hard to come by and usually really type cast people.

By the way, though it is not the only element of Desty Rides Again in this film, saloon girl Mary Castle gets to sing the Marlene Dietrich classic See What the Boys in the Backroom will Have in Gunsmoke. And why not? Since Universal produced Destry Rides Again and they own the song why not use it here as it costs them not a cent.

I think western fans will not be disappointed in Gunsmoke.

Gunsmoke is directed by Nathan Juran and adapted to screenplay by D.D. Beauchamp from the novel Roughshod written by Norman A. Fox. It stars Audie Murphy, Susan Cabot and Paul Kelly. Music is supervised by Joseph Gershenson and cinematography by Charles P. Boyle.

A safe recommendation to Western fans who just want to be entertained by an Audie Murphy picture of no pretensions. Nicely filmed out of Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, it's an unassuming film that follows familiar B Western plotting. Bad guy has reform in him and finds it when he ends up fighting for the underdog and falling in love with the daughter of said underdog. Characters are well defined, pace is brisk and the action is well constructed by Juran (latterly 7th Voyage of Sinbad/Jack the Giant Killer). Enjoy the shoot-outs, the cattle drive, the wagon down the hill sequence (those stunt workers rock!), and get on board with the devilishly handsome Murphy and the heart achingly sexy Cabot (check out how she carries off a red number during one scene as she gets the boys all hot and bothered).

It's not original and it doesn't bring any psychological smarts to the narrative, but it plays the clichés well and all involved deliver a professional and good looking picture. 7/10