Kentucky Rifle is a 1955 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

movie starring a buckskin-clad

Chill Wills Theodore Childress "Chill" Wills (July 18, 1902 – December 15, 1978) was an American actor and a singer in the Avalon Boys quartet. Early life Wills was born in Seagoville, Texas, on July 18, 1902. Career He was a performer from early chi ...

and featuring

Cathy Downs Catherine N. Downs (March 3, 1926 – December 8, 1976) was an American film actress. Biography Downs was born in Port Jefferson, New York. She was the daughter of James Nelson Downs and Edna Elizabeth Newman. A model for the Walter Thornton ...

Sterling Holloway Sterling Price Holloway Jr. (January 4, 1905 – November 22, 1992) was an American actor and voice actor who appeared in over 100 films and 40 television shows. He did voice acting for The Walt Disney Company, playing Mr. Stork in ''Dumbo'', Ad ...

and

Henry Hull Henry Watterson Hull (October 3, 1890 – March 8, 1977) was an American character actor perhaps best known for playing the lead in Universal Pictures's ''Werewolf of London'' (1935). For most of his career, he was a lead actor on stage and a ch ...

, involving smuggling a wagon filled with rifles past American Indian tribes already aware of the subterfuge. The picture was directed by Carl K. Hittleman.

Plot

The film opens with a wagon train sequence. Jason Clay is a cowboy with several cases of Kentucky Rifles heading out to California when his wagon breaks down. Unfortunately, the axle is broken as well as the wheel, forcing Clay, his mentor Tobias, and others—Lonnie Settler, Luke, Preachur Bently, Amy Connors and her boyfriend Fostner and the Hays (with the wife Cordy expecting a child)--to scout for a piece of sturdy wood to mend their axle. In the process, they encounter some Indians. The next day, Jason finds that Luke (who was forced to stay with the group against his will by the leader of the wagon train) has left them. He finds him killed by Comanche Indians. Fostner wants to trade Jason's Kentucky Rifles in order for safe passage but Jason disagrees, and when Jason and Amy begin forming a bond, Fostner becomes jealous. The group encounters more Indians with whom Jason battles. The settlers are proved to be dangerous when Tobias manages to shoot an Indian's feather off of Luke's grave, sparing them. The group manages to find wood and begin repairing the wagon. In the night, the group is again attacked by Indians, and Jason is wounded in the arm. Amy tends to his wounds and they kiss. The group awakes the next morning and finds Fostner missing in action. Jason finds him captured by Indians, with whom he struck a deal—trade the guns in exchange for safe passage. Jason consults the group, and, against Tobias' and Amy's wishes, decides to give up his guns. Tobias and Jason return to the Indians, and arrange to get the guns. As they ride away, Fostner sees the Comanches prepare to fight and he realizes the settlers were being double-crossed. He rides to warn Jason and Tobias, and is wounded in the process. A band of Comanches appears and strikes the group twice but both times they are beaten back, thanks to the group's use of the Kentucky Rifle. A rogue Indian strikes again, and kills Fostner. As the group leaves through the mountainous pass, they encounter more Comanches, but they do not fight as they know they have lost. The group safely makes it across the pass but Tobias is shot and killed by a rogue Comanche. He dies in Jason's arms, but not before telling him that "guns and girls do mix", as opposed to his saying earlier that "guns and girls do not mix", and to set up a shop to sell the Kentucky Rifles.

Cast

as Tobias Taylor *

Lance Fuller Lance Fuller (December 6, 1928 – December 22, 2001) was an American actor. Biography Born in Somerset, Kentucky, he worked as a contract actor for most of the 1950s with Universal-International. With many uncredited roles for the firs ...

as Jason Clay *

as Amy Connors *

as Lon Setter *

as Preacher Bently *

Jeanne Cagney Jeanne Carolyn Cagney (March 25, 1919 – December 7, 1984) was an American film, stage, and television actress. Early years Born in New York City, Cagney and her four older brothers were raised by her widowed mother Carolyn Elizabeth Cagn ...

as Cordy Hay *

Jess Barker Jess Barker (June 4, 1912 – August 8, 2000) was an American actor who was active between the 1940s and 1970s. He was best known as the first husband of actress Susan Hayward. Early years Barker was born in Greenville, South Carolina. Career ...

as Daniel Foster * John Pickard as Reuben Hay *

John Alvin John Henry Alvin (November 24, 1948 – February 6, 2008) was an American cinematic artist and painter who illustrated many movie posters. Alvin created posters and key art for more than 135 films, beginning with the poster for Mel Brooks' ''Bl ...

as Luke Thomas * I. Stanford Jolley as Jed Williams *

Rory Mallinson Charles Rory Mallinson (October 27, 1913 – March 26, 1976) was an American film and television actor. Career Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Mallinson began his acting career after signing a contract with Warner Brothers in 1945. That year he had ...

as Indian Chief *

George Keymas George Keymas (November 18, 1925 – January 17, 2008) was an American film actor, film and television actor.Martin p.68 Keymas graduated from Springfield (Ohio) High School. Keymas began his Hollywood career in 1950, mainly in Westerns. His f ...

as Interpreter * Clyde Houck as Clyde Thomas * Alice Ralph as Mrs. Thomas *

Charles Soldani Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

as Indian (uncredited)

Production

Part of the film was shot on location in

Palmdale, California Palmdale is a city in northern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. The city lies in the Antelope Valley region of Southern California. The San Gabriel Mountains separate Palmdale from the Los Angeles Basin to the south. On Aug ...

Release

The film premiered on April 27, 1955 in New Orleans. It opened in

Owensboro, Kentucky Owensboro is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. It is the fourth-largest city in the state by population. Owensboro is located on U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 165 about southwest of Lou ...

on May 4, 1955.

References

External links

* {{AFI film, 53486
''Kentucky Rifle''
in the

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