Four Guns to the Border

Richard Carlson is more known as an actor than as a director, and that's unfair because he brought us very good surprises, unusual and charming stuff as this one now. Wally Brennan and Rory Calhoun are in the cast and several other figures such as Charles Drake, George Nader and John McIntire Universal Studios "home" actors. It is short, a bit over eighty minutes, good paced, never boring nor cheesy. So, a good moment to spend. Rory Calhoun is not really a good hero here, rather ambivalent dude and that suits him well. In real life, don't forget that he was a bad boy, former inmate in institution for young offenders. Charles Drake in a sheriff role, not far from the one he had in NO NAME ON THE BULLET, where he fought against a very ambivalent Audie Murphy in the lead. A rather good character study that concerns the outlaws around the female, daughter of Walter Brennan.

Decent Universal International production full of action , violent characters , thrills and lots of shots . A good example of B-Hollywood western genre mostly filmed in studios and including gorgeous exteriors . An outlaw gang (Rory Calhoun ,George Nader ,John McIntire , Jay Silverheels) on the lam encounters former associate Simon Bhumer (Walter Brennan) and his beautiful daughter (Colleen Miller), who's drawn to their leader Cully. They get together at a desert inn where scheme a robbing . As the band heads for the border after a bank heist, they encounter a band of renegade Apaches. One for all and all for trouble!

This is an exciting film , plenty action , thrills , fights , gun-down and breathtaking outdoors . One of a long series of colorful , double-features made at Universal International studies in the Fifties , films which made starts on of male actors : Rock Hudson , Audie Murphy , Ray danton , George nader and female actresses as : Rhonda Fleming , Yvonne De Carlo , Mauren O'Hara , , besides the stars of this Western : Rory Calhoun , George Nader and Richard Carlson himself . Well-made action sequences with rousing attacks and spectacularly made shootouts . Charismatic performance for whole casting .The rough outlaw Rory Calhoun and Colleen Miller as the luscious daughter Lolly deliver a nice loving chemical , in fact the best scenes happen at a stormy night, when Cully/Rory and Lolly/Colleen almost have an affair, including some erotic shots . Support cast is pretty good , such as the good-looking George Nader , the eternal secondary Walter Brennan playing an old gunfighter who still has a fast draw and now planning to retire on a farm, Nina Foch , the veteran John McIntire , Charles Drake , Nestor Paiva , Mary Field , Jay Silverheels as a half-breed bandit though he was better for his character as Tonto in the long -running Lone Ranger series .

The motion picture was well directed and in traditional style by Richard Carlson . Richard was a notorious actor who even played two classic movies such as It came from outer space and Creature from the black lagoon . He subsequently accepted charge of directing a silly pseudo-scientific premise entitled Riders to the Stars (1954), a low-budget enterprise bogged down at the expense of drama. In the course of the next twelve years, he directed some better second features, including the westerns Four Guns to the Border (1954) , The saga of Hamp Brown and Kid Rodelo (1966), many of them starred by Rory Calhoun , as well as a number of television episodes. He also wrote the occasional TV script, as well as contributing articles on non-fiction subjects to several magazines .

This is a very enjoyable movie, though you wouldn't know it from its low (5.8) user rating. I guess that rating is due to its rather friendly disposition -- no evil bad guys, no murders, not so much action. There is a lot of amiable camaraderie amongst the protagonists, and maybe the theme of the movie (good women civilizing their menfolk) doesn't turn most Western fans on.

However, if you disregard this movie, you are missing a superior B-Western (or mediocre A-Western). It was directed by a TV and movie actor familiar to most of us, Richard Carlson, who acted in over 100 productions, including "The Creature From the Black Lagoon" and "King Solomon's Mines." Among the film's many pluses are:

¶ a surprisingly superior cast beginning with Rory Calhoun. As one reviewer said, "the rest of the cast is first choice with the a young Colleen Miller and remarkable supporting actors (the Best of Universal's contract actors) : Walter Brennan, John McIntire (in only a handful of scenes) and Charles Drake."

¶ By far, the best actor and scene in the movie is from Nina Foch. Calhoun and Drake used to be friends and hellions in town. Both apparently were friendly with Koch, who ended up marrying Drake, who became sheriff. Calhoun moved away, but continued as an outlaw. The best scene in the movie is when Calhoun returns to town to stage a fist fight with sheriff Drake as a diversion while his gang robs the bank. Great are Calhoun's reminisces with Koch, and Koch's breaking up of the fistfight.

¶ the entire production was competent and pleasant -- cinematography, scenery, color, music, direction, acting, etc.

The Four Guns To The Border that are in the title is an outlaw gang headed by Rory Calhoun with George Nader, Jay Silverheels, and John McIntire as members. They're returning to Calhoun's home town where he was run out of years ago by sheriff Charles Drake. Calhoun's ex-girl friend Nina Foch wound up marrying Drake.

Calhoun's not going there for any revenge though giving Drake a beating does have its satisfactions. He's going to challenge Drake quite publicly and while he and Drake are fighting, the other three can rob an unguarded bank. It works, but then the outlaws meet up with old time outlaw Walter Brennan and his daughter Colleen Miller who are besieged by renegade Apaches.

They met up with Brennan and Miller earlier. Of course the young ones Calhoun and Nader get their hormones in an uproar. But Brennan's not having any daughter of his taking up with no outlaw.

Four Guns To The Border is a good no frills western with some of its plot taken from Three Godfathers. The outlaws prove to have more character than they realize. A good ensemble cast is gathered for this which as another viewer observed has no real good or bad guys. Or to put it another way the line of demarcation between the good and the bad isn't all that clear.

As good a film as Four Guns To The Border is, it's kind of story was being found on the adult westerns popping up with increasing regularity shortly.

Four bank robbers run for the border. On the way, they run into leader Rory Calhoun's old friend Walter Brennan and his gorgeous daughter, Coleen Miller. Miss Miller and Calhoun fall for each other, despite Brennan's objection.

Richard Carlson takes one of his occasional trips behind the camera to direct this shaky A western. Brennan, of course, gives a fine performance, and the other performers are good, but it all seems to be too well calculated, from the occasional grace notes for the camera, to the arc of the plot. Perhaps tighter editing would have helped. With George Nader, Nina Foch, Jay Silverheels and Nestor Paiva.