''Guns of the Timberland'' is a 1960 American Technicolor

lumberjack Lumberjacks are mostly North American workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees for ultimate processing into forest products. The term usually refers to loggers in the era (before 1945 in the Unite ...

Western film directed by

Robert D. Webb Robert D. Webb (January 8, 1903 – April 18, 1990) was an American film director. He directed 16 films between 1945 and 1968. He won the Academy Award for Best Assistant Director for ''In Old Chicago'', the last time that category was offer ...

and starring

Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake ...

, Jeanne Crain, Gilbert Roland and Frankie Avalon.

Plot

Logger Jim Hadley and his lumberjack crew are looking for new forest to cut. They locate a prime prospect outside the town of Deep Wells. The town's residents, led by Laura Riley, are opposed to the felling of the trees, believing that losing them would cause mudslides during the heavy rains.

Cast

as Jim Hadley * Jeanne Crain as Laura Riley * Gilbert Roland as Monty Welker * Frankie Avalon as Bert Harvey * Lyle Bettger as Clay Bell *

Noah Beery Jr. Noah Lindsey Beery (August 10, 1913 – November 1, 1994) was an American actor often specializing in warm, friendly character roles similar to many portrayed by his Oscar-winning uncle, Wallace Beery. Unlike his more famous uncle, however, ...

as Blackie (as Noah Beery) * Verna Felton as Aunt Sarah * Alana Ladd as Jane Peterson * Regis Toomey as Sheriff Taylor * Johnny Seven as Vince * George Selk as Amos Stearns * Paul E. Burns as Bill Burroughs *

Henry Kulky Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

as Logger

Production

Development

Louis L'Amour's novel ''Guns of the Timberlands'' was published in 1955 and sold more than one million copies. Alan Ladd's film production company

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

optioned the novel that same year. The working title for the film was "Shasta." In 1957, it was announced the film would be produced from a script by David Victor and Herbert Little, with Albert J Cohen as producer. Ladd had worked with

Aaron Spelling Aaron Spelling (April 22, 1923 June 23, 2006) was an American film and television producer and occasional actor. His productions included the TV series ''Family'' (1976–1980), '' Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1981), ''The Love Boat'' (1977–1986 ...

on two TV pilots, and Spelling's work so impressed Ladd that he made Spelling a producer on the picture. Robert Webb was signed to direct. Ladd offered a lead role to Van Heflin, hoping to reunite with his costar from ''Shane''. He also wanted to cast Raymond Burr. Jeanne Crain and Gilbert Roland were signed to support Ladd, along with the Ladds' daughter Alana. Frankie Avalon, following his recent hit single '' Venus'', signed to make his dramatic debut in the film. Avalon later said, "I'm sure the reason why Warner Bros. said, 'Let's get this kid' is that he has lots of fans out there and he's getting 12,000 to 15,000 fans letters a week. 'Let's put him in a picture with a guy like Alan Ladd'." Avalon's performance led to his casting in ''

The Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Anto ...

''.

Shooting

Filming started in April 1959 on location in and around

Blairsden, California Blairsden is a census-designated place (CDP) in Plumas County, California, United States. Blairsden is located east-southeast of Quincy. The population was 39 at the 2010 census, down from 50 at the 2000 census. History The Blairsden post office ...

Graeagle, California Graeagle is a town and census-designated place in eastern Plumas County, California, United States, located along the Middle Fork Feather River in the Northern Sierra Nevada. The population was 737 as of 2010. History The town was founded in 191 ...

and other locations throughout Plumas County. The scenes involving the steam engine and railroad cars were shot on the Western Pacific Railroad right-of-way. The scene in which the steam engine goes over the tall "bridge" pictured the Clio Trestle. Filming finished in June 1959.''Los Angeles Times'', June 8, 1959

Music

In the film, Avalon sings two songs, "The Faithful Kind" and "Gee Whiz Whillikins Golly Gee." Both were released as a 45-rpm single in 1960.

References

Bibliography

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External links

* *
''Guns of the Timberland''
at TCMDB * {{DEFAULTSORT:Guns Of The Timberland 1960 films 1960s English-language films Warner Bros. films Films directed by Robert D. Webb Films scored by David Buttolph 1960 drama films Films based on American novels Films based on Western (genre) novels American drama films Films based on works by Louis L'Amour Films set in forests Films about lumberjacks 1960s American films