Gunsmoke in Tucson

Besides THE TALL STRANGER, yes, this western shot in LBX is probably the best western from bland film maker Thomas Carr, who was mostly a prolific grade Z western maker. The plot could de summarized on the back of a parking ticket. It is question of ranchers, cattle owners and two brothers, each from a side of the law; different sides. Nothing new, nothing exceptional, but agreeable to watch, especially in LBX. I like those B westerns looking like A westerns,LBX I mean. They have some charm, no matter the plot, acting, settings. Mark Stevens is quite good here, for this kind of production. Yes, I like.

This is a tough one to like for several reasons. Mark Stevens stars as a guy who turned outlaw because as a kid he was forced to watch some ranchers lynch his pa for helping himself to one of their horses. His big brother went the other way, becoming a hard-nosed marshal who later sent his brother off for an eight-year paid vacation to the nearest graybar hotel with a very restrictive checkout policy.

Fresh out, Stevens has a plan to go mostly legit, but lands in a simmering range war. One greedy Ben Cartwright wannabe rancher vs. Some pious, hard working farmers who just want a humble piece of the valley to raise crops and young 'uns. How original.

But the script overflows with a**holery beyond the rich rancher and his cadre of bullies. The two brothers are jerks toward each other and everyone else - including the women (Kobe the ingenue; Robbins the hardened saloon gal with a heart o' gold) what loves Stevens - for far too much of the running time. When the inevitable ending arrives, it plays out so hastily and oddly that it seems like they ran out of film or budget, and cut the script short. Couldda been a lot better than it was.

Very familiar western plot, but well worth watching. Two young brothers witness the hanging of their father and are forced to grow up on their own. One becomes a sheriff and of course the other an outlaw. Good enough to keep your interest.

Cast includes Forrest Tucker, Mark Stevens, Gale Robbins and Bill Henry.

Same old story coupled with confusing characters - one with the highly unlikely name of Blue Chip. Sodbusters versus Cattlemen but not very convincing. Script seems to be written by 7 graders and acting, except for Forest Kelly, is wooden. I watched this movie because it was filmed in Old Tucson (movie set) and surrounding area which is where I grew up about this same time. Photography is representative and good. Nothing else is.

As young boys, two brothers, Jed (AKA: Chip) and John, witness their father being hung by a vigilante gang. Chip, angry and bitter, grows up to be an outlaw and leader of the feared Blue Chip Gang. John goes the other way and becomes a U. S. Marshal. Two brothers on opposite sides of the law, destined to become embroiled in an Arizona range war between cattlemen and farmers.

Gunsmoke in Tucson is a formulaic yet watchable western with a brother-against-brother theme which plays out against a plot that mixes fistfights and shootouts with questions of guilt and redemption. There's a tendency of talkiness, but enough things happen in the plot to keep the wheels turning, though towards the end the pace lags. Good performances, characterisation and some nice action scattered here and there lifts this above the average sagebrush actioner. Forest Tucker as Mark Steven's' brother is great as usual though hasn't got much screen time. Mark Stevens, who I think fits the genre really well with his gaunt features and laconic style, does really well, though that mustard colour of his outfit looks dodgy.