''The Forty-Niners'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by Thomas Carr and written by

Daniel B. Ullman Daniel B. Ullman (1918–1979) was an American screenwriter.Gevinson p.350 Also writer-director and director. Selected filmography * ''Ringside (1949 film), Ringside'' (1949) * ''Outlaws of Texas'' (1950) * ''Hot Rod (1950 film), Hot Rod'' (195 ...

. The film stars

Wild Bill Elliott Wild Bill Elliott (born Gordon Nance, October 16, 1904 – November 26, 1965) was an American film actor. He specialized in playing the rugged heroes of B Westerns, particularly the Red Ryder series of films. Early life Elliott was born Gor ...

, Virginia Grey, Harry Morgan,

John Doucette John Arthur Doucette (January 21, 1921 – August 16, 1994) was an American character actor who performed in more than 280 film and television productions between 1941 and 1987. A man of stocky build who possessed a deep, rich voice, he ...

, Lane Bradford and

I. Stanford Jolley Isaac Stanford Jolley (October 24, 1900 – December 7, 1978) was an American film and television actor. He starred in the 1946 film serial ''The Crimson Ghost'', in which he played the role of Doctor Blackton and also voiced the title cha ...

. The film was released on May 4, 1954, by

Allied Artists Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios in ...

Plot

Behind a narration in the style of

Jack Webb John Randolph Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, Television director, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Joe Friday, Sgt. Joe Friday in the Dragnet (franchise) ...

on TV's "Dragnet", U.S. Marshal Sam Nelson, posing as Sam Smith, is sent to a gold-boom town in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

to learn the identity of three killers. Posing as a gunman and killer, he soon strikes up a friendship with card-sharp Alf Billings after saving him from being lynched when caught cheating in a card game. Billings suggests they become partners as his skill with cards (overlooking the near lynching he just escaped) and Sam's ability with guns should make them a fortune. Sam agrees, hoping that Billings will lead him to the men he is hunting. Billings leads him to Coldwater sheriff William Norris and Ernie Walker, Norris's partner in a saloon and gambling operation, both implicated in the murder case Sam is investigating.

Cast

as Sam Nelson * Virginia Grey as Stella Walker * Harry Morgan as Alf Billings *

as Ernie Walker * Lane Bradford as William Norris *

as Everett *

Harry Lauter Herman Arthur "Harry" Lauter (June 19, 1914 – October 30, 1990) was an American character actor. Early years Lauter was born in White Plains, New York. He worked as a model for a professional photographer and was a rodeo rider before m ...

as Gambler * Earle Hodgins as Hotel Clerk *Dean Cromer as Sloane *

Ralph Sanford Ralph Dayton Sanford (May 21, 1899 – June 20, 1963) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films and in at least 200 episodes on television between 1930 and 1960, mostly bit parts or supporting roles. Sanford frequently ...

as Bartender

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Forty-Niners 1954 films American Western (genre) films 1954 Western (genre) films Allied Artists films Films directed by Thomas Carr Films scored by Raoul Kraushaar American black-and-white films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films