The Legend of Tom Dooley

The popularity of The Kingston Trio's record of the song guaranteed The Legend Of Tom Dooley a built in audience. As a lad I remember going to see this film as the second feature of a double bill at the old Nostrand Theater in Brooklyn. I also remember for months during 1958 you could not avoid hearing the title song over the radio.

Before he was Little Joe Cartwright Michael Landon plays the title role in this film. Tom is a part of Mosby's raiders along with his two fellow soldiers Dee Pollock and Richard Rust and they do all kinds of guerrilla type action behind enemy lines like holding up the stagecoach you see in this film. The problem here is that after killing three Union soldiers acting as escort they find out the war is over. Worse than that Landon is from the area and the passengers recognize him.

Here's where common sense departs and the male member takes over. It would be the reasonable course of action to flee immediately, but Pollock is wounded and Landon wants to see the girl he left behind Jo Morrow. He was of Confederate persuasion in a Union area and they remember. And Morrow has Jack Hogan looking to move in on Landon's claim.

The Legend Of Tom Dooley is a cheaply made quickie by Columbia to take advantage of the song's popularity. Still I have to say that Landon and Morrow are a pair of winning young lovers who deliver sincere performances and that helps put the film over.

Not great, but a decent film and Michael Landon's fans should love it. He's even got the left handed draw that Little Joe Cartwright had.

I have just seen this film on TV last night, it is the first time I have seen it, and although not a classic, it does have a certain amount of charm and given that it was a cheaply made 'B' movie I thought it was well acted and well directed. It certainly held my attention and kept me entertained for the 90 minutes or so that it was on for. I would certainly like to watch more films like this one than the majority of the films that are made now. I notice that several reviewers have stated that it is not historically accurate in a few details, maybe that is so, I couldn't say, but whether it was accurate historically or not is of small consequence to me, I watch a film to be entertained not to have a lesson in factual history. Others have said that it is too much like an episode of "Gunsmoke" and uses the same sets, as "Gunsmoke" was one of the longest running and best western series ever aired on TV I would have thought that was not a bad thing and a plus rather than a negative.

Now in endless reruns on the Western Channel, the movie's not half-bad for a quickie production intended to exploit the booming popularity of the folk song. Landon and Rust are quite good as returning rebs caught behind Union lines at Civil War's end. Their chemistry is more like that of brothers than comrades-in-arms. The production appears to have piggy-backed on the "Gunsmoke" series, using many of the same sets and locations, along with veteran Gunsmoke director Ted Post. Maybe that's why the fist-fight at the gutted cabin is so well executed-- the boys really give the slick choreographing their all. Then too, I wouldn't be surprised that this performance won Landon the career role of Little Joe on Bonanza; it's certainly good enough. Anyway, the film shows how even a cheap quickie with no pedigree can exceed expectations.

It's to appalled the opening song already suggest a final destiny of the main character Tom Dooley (Michael Landon), in other hand when the confederate soldiers surrender the union soldiers they must to telling them that war is over, instead the first shooting coming from the wagon by a civilian I suppose, then they aren't the guilty as such, in fact they shot back, keeping aside this early inconsistence, all upcoming events implied they as true assassins, Landon on leading role is good enough, however I rather the Country Boy (Jack Hogan) who steal the show, a persuasive Mississippi's accent, also the most relevant acting coming from him, the dreadful final expose a dysfunctional and so implausible plot, sorry for the bad screenplay!!

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First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD-R / Rating: 6.25

The Legend of Tom Dooley is based on the old folk song, Tom Dooley, which itself was inspired by a real life case about Tom Dula, who was convicted of the murder of Laura Foster in 1866. The films story pretty much follows the song, performed by The Kingston Trio as the title song and as part of the soundtrack - cum - screenplay!

Photographed nicely out of Chatsworth and Thousand Oaks, California, by Gilbert Warrenton, it stars Michael Landon, Jo Morrow, Jack Hogan, Richard Rust and Dee Pollock. The narrative and various character actions hit all the right emotional beats. A series of events, where circumstance dictates, puts Dooley and his two pals on the run, which with the Civil War literally only just over, makes for a powder-keg like backdrop. Things are further compounded by the fact that Dooley wants to go to his home town and get Laura, to elope to Tennessee, only he has a major love rival, the bitter and vengeful Charlie Grayson.

There's nary a dull moment in the 80 minute runtime, no pointless exposition or scene fillers of no consequence. Action junkies are catered for, with the usual Western staples adhered - though the speeding up of one round of knuckles is more chucklesome than exciting, but a shoot-out (actually a hold-out is a more appropriate terminology) part of the play is splendidly executed. Cast are dandy, doing what is needed to make it all work on an emotional level, with the stand out being Rust as Country Boy. He's a sort of John Ireland/Kevin Bacon hybrid, a very good character actor who deserves to be better known, even if he thankfully carved out a good career in film and TV.

It's no hidden gem of the Western genre sphere, and it doesn't break any new ground, but it's admirably constructed and keeps those wagon wheels turning. 7/10