''The Silver Whip'' is a 1953 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 ...

film directed by

Harmon Jones Harmon Clifford Jones (June 3, 1911 – July 10, 1972) was a Canadian-born film editor and director who worked for many years at the 20th Century-Fox studio in Southern California. He is credited as the editor for about 20 feature films through 1 ...

and starring

Dale Robertson Dayle Lymoine Robertson (July 14, 1923February 27, 2013) was an American actor best known for his starring roles on television. He played the roving investigator Jim Hardie in the television series '' Tales of Wells Fargo'' and railroad owner Be ...

Rory Calhoun Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922April 28, 1999) was an American film and television actor. He starred in numerous Westerns in the 1950s and 1960s, and appeared in supporting roles in films such as ''How to Marry a Millio ...

and

Robert Wagner Robert John Wagner Jr. (born February 10, 1930) is an American actor of stage, screen, and television. He is known for starring in the television shows '' It Takes a Thief'' (1968–1970), ''Switch'' (1975–1978), and ''Hart to Hart'' (1979– ...

Plot

Cocky young drifter Jess Harker (Robert Wagner) wants to be a driver on the stagecoach's main line, just like Race Crim (Dale Robertson), his hero. The coach line's boss, Luke Bowen, doesn't believe Jess is ready yet. Race goes to bat for Jess in getting a chance to guard the next stage leaving Red Rock, which will be carrying $27,000 in gold dust plus two passengers, including the woman Race loves, the beautiful saloon girl Waco (Lola Albright). For good luck, Race gives a gift to Jess, a silver-handled whip. A gang of outlaws led by Slater ambushes the stage. Jess disobeys direct orders and the results are disastrous: Slater rides off with the money and both passengers are killed although Race would have certainly been killed had Jess followed Race's orders and driven the stage away to save the gold and passengers. Jess is ordered to return home by an angry Bowen, but he joins the posse led by Sheriff Tom Davisson (Rory Calhoun) and is eventually deputized instead. Race is out to avenge Waco in his own way. He becomes a vigilante, killing two of Slater's men before Tom's posse can get to them. Tom wants the wanted men brought back alive to stand trial. He is able to apprehend Slater, returning him to Red Rock, where a lynch mob wants the outlaw hanged. The circuit judge isn't in town so the sheriff walks across the street to send off a wire to get the judge to come in the morning, leaving Jess to guard the prisoner. Race personally leads the vigilantes, who attack the jail's door with axes. After repeated warnings which Race won't take seriously, Jess shoots him. The mob disperses. By the time Tom is freed after being tied up by Race, Tom and three of his men make their way inside the jail and peace is restored. Jess is ready to ride again with Kathy (Kathleen Crowley) going with him while the sheriff is pleased that his friend Race is recovering from the gunshot wound to the chest.

Cast

as Race Crim *

as Sheriff Tom Davisson *

as Jess Harker *

Kathleen Crowley Kathleen Crowley (born Betty Jane Crowley; December 26, 1929 – April 23, 2017) was an American actress. She appeared more than 100 times in movies and television series in the 1950s and 1960s, almost always as a leading lady. Biography E ...

as Kathy Riley *

James Millican James Millican (February 17, 1911 – November 24, 1955) was an American actor with over 200 film appearances mostly in western movies. Millican was the son of Fred S. Millican, a circus owner, and Dorothy Millican. Millican was a clos ...

as Luke Bowen *

Lola Albright Lola Jean Albright (July 20, 1924 – March 23, 2017) was an American singer and actress, best known for playing the sultry singer Edie Hart, the girlfriend of private eye Peter Gunn, on all three seasons of the TV series ''Peter Gunn''. Early ...

as Waco *

J.M. Kerrigan Joseph Michael Kerrigan (16 December 1884 – 29 April 1964) was an Irish actor. Early life Joseph Michael Kerrigan was born on 16 December 1884 in Dublin, which was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland at that time. H ...

Riley * John Kellogg as Slater *

Ian MacDonald Ian MacCormick (known by the pseudonym Ian MacDonald; 3 October 1948 – 20 August 2003) was a British music critic and author, best known for both ''Revolution in the Head'', his critical history of the Beatles which borrowed techniques from a ...

as Hank

Production

The film was based on the novel ''First Blood'' by Jack Schaefer, originally called ''Solistice'' (Schaefer wrote ''First Blood'' right after ''Shane''). The film was announced in August 1952 as ''Stage to Silver City'' with Wagner, Robertson and Calhoun attached and

Jesse L. Lasky Jr. Jesse Louis Lasky Jr. (September 19, 1910 – April 11, 1988) was an American screenwriter, novelist, playwright and poet. Early life He was the son of film producer Jesse Lasky Sr. and his wife, Bessie Ida Ginsberg. Lasky was born on Broadway ...

writing the script. In September the title was ''The Silver Whip''. Filming took place in October 1952.

Home media

''The Silver Whip'' has been released as a DVD in the United States. Home video release of the 1953 film.

References

External links