Joe Dakota

A mysterious stranger (Mahoney) comes to town asking after the whereabouts of former resident Joe Dakota. Townsfolk are not very obliging, which seems to have something to do with a recently drilled oil well and who owns it.

The movie year 1957 was saturated with westerns. This one tries to be different, and largely succeeds. Notice that no one—not even arch-movie villains Van Cleef or Akins—sports a six- gun. And, unless I missed something, not even a single shot is fired. Add to that an oil well, of all things, plus a woebegone little prairie town that's definitely not a studio set, and you've got a different looking western.

Then too, the first part manages some pretty good low-key humor; at the same time, Mahoney gets an oil bath, courtesy the townsfolk, that leaves him looking like a human inkblot. For a western, however, there's not much action and none of the usual suspense of good-guy vs. bad-guy showdown. And truth be told, the basic plot is borrowed from 1955's mega-hit Bad Day at Black Rock. But the writers have added enough clever twists and turns to keep the viewer entertained. All in all, it's an interesting, if not very intense, little western.

(In passing—I checked to see if the oil well was an anachronism for this time period. It's not. The first well was drilled in Pennsylvania in 1859. Also, note that William Tallman who played the DA on the old Perry Mason series is one of the two screenwriters here.)

This is a pretty nice little western though inspired - it is so obvious - by John Sturge's BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK. Yes, it is well done, full of charm and charisma, helped by a Jock Mahoney as convincing as ever. There is nothing spectacular, as in any Richard Bartlett's movie, nearly an oater, so for once I advise you to forget cavalry, Indians on warpath, outlaws, and focus on this cute story of a man in search of his pal. It is not a harsh drama, on the contrary, light hearted movie, perfect for sunday matinees at home or in your favourite theater. Of course, Sturges' film was far far better in terms of directing and overall making matters, and the actors different too: Spence Tracy, Bob Ryan, Ernest Borgnine.... But is was not a grade B picture either.

A good film for Jocko fans and western fans in general. Seems to be a remake of "Bad Day at Black Rock" with a few changes. Mahoney is the stranger coming to town as Spencer Tracy was in "Black Rock". The old Indian that's missing was and older Japanese man in "Black Rock", and the town seems to be hiding something just like the townspeople in "Black Rock". Jocko investigates and irritates the townspeople just like Spencer Tracy did in "Black Rock". Mahoney always looks good on a horse and this film is no exception. There are a couple of good fight scenes with Jocko doing all his own stunts as usual. Could have used more action, but all in all is a good western.

I saw this movie when I was younger and never forgot the story, but I couldn't recall the title. I'm so glad to find it after a long search. A man called Joe Dakota arrives in a small western town in California looking for his friend, an old Native American who owns a farm nearby. Why is there such secrecy around the old man's disappearance? Nobody in town wants to talk about it. The mystery slowly unfolds as Joe Dakota launches an investigation. One scene that was unforgettable to me was the bathing scene with the sound of meadowlark birds singing in the background. Great story!

I stumbled upon this movie one day on Encore Westerns, our favorite channel and it is very well done! Joe Dakota was well written and played out very nicely. It was sweet and charming along with great character development and extremely witty. Unlike some other classic westerns that are "to cute" and wrap up quickly to a very predictable end, this movie was fluid and swept you right along a smooth ride! A must see for any true classic western lover! Jock Mahoney was great! I will truly look out for more of his work in the future! His role was thought out and kept you thinking and wondering up until that "uh huh!" moment. I can only say I'm disappointed it took me this long to see it!