''Yuma'' is a 1971 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 ...

television film directed by

Ted Post Theodore I. Post (March 31, 1918 – August 20, 2013) was an American director of film and television. Highly prolific, Post directed numerous episodes of well-known television series including '' Rawhide'', ''Gunsmoke'', and ''The Twilight Zone'' ...

and starring

Clint Walker Norman Eugene "Clint" Walker (May 30, 1927 – May 21, 2018) was an American actor. He played cowboy Cheyenne Bodie in the ABC/ Warner Bros. western series ''Cheyenne'' from 1955 to 1963. Early life Clint Walker was born Norman Eugene W ...

. It was shot in Old Tucson. The film was originally a

television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distr ...

that appeared on the ''

ABC Movie of the Week ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

''.pp. 48-49 Karol, Michael ''The ABC Movie of the Week Companion: A Loving Tribute to the Classic Series'' iUniverse, 2008

Plot

Dave Harmon (

), a former

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the U.S. Army is sent to Yuma as the new

United States Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforc ...

. His wife was raped and son killed and the only description of the criminals responsible was they were wearing army uniforms. He has served in several locations as U.S. Marshal and all were near an army post. Yuma is a city with an army post commanded by Major Lucas (Peter Mark Richman) and an Indian reservation nearby. Harmon rides into Yuma as the newly assigned Marshal and immediately encounters two drunk rabble rousers, the King brothers, who have hijacked a stagecoach outside of town. One is killed in a saloon by Harmon when he draws his gun, and Harmon locks the other in the town jail. The second brother is subsequently murdered, shot in the back, using a gun from the Marshal's office during a nighttime jail break organized by Sanders (Robert Phillips), who is an associate of the freight company owner (Barry Sullivan), in an effort to get the third King brother, cattleman (Morgan Woodward) to kill the Marshal. The murderer had tricked army Captain White (John Kerr) into coming with him to the jail and being an accomplice to the crime, as the freight owner, his employee Sanders, and the Captain are all involved in an ongoing scheme to defraud the Indians out of cattle they need for food that is due them according to a

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pe ...

. The only witness to the break-in is Andres, a Mexican orphan boy that had earlier been taken in by Harmon. He was asleep on the floor in the jail when awoken by the noise of the break-in but only manages to see the intruders boots - one pair being the

US Cavalry The United States Cavalry, or U.S. Cavalry, was the designation of the mounted force of the United States Army by an act of Congress on 3 August 1861.Price (1883) p. 103, 104 This act converted the U.S. Army's two regiments of dragoons, one r ...

army boots worn by Captain White (this clue would later give Harmon the lead to investigate at the nearby army post). The elder King brother rides into town and demands justice. He gives Harmon time to find his other brother's killer or he will return with his men and kill the Marshal. Marshal Harmon, showing no fear, but only a desire to do his official duty, sets out to find the killer and unravel the related corruption involving the Indians, who also threaten to revolt, but come to his assistance as the story unfolds.

Cast

as U.S. Marshal Dave Harmon *

Barry Sullivan Barry Sullivan may refer to: *Barry Sullivan (American actor) (1912–1994), US film and Broadway actor *Barry Sullivan (stage actor) (1821–1891), Irish born stage actor active in Britain and Australia *Barry Sullivan (lawyer), Chicago lawyer and ...

as Nels Decker, freight company owner *

Kathryn Hays Kathryn Hays (born Kay Piper; July 26, 1934 – March 25, 2022) was an American actress, best known for her role as Kim Hughes on the CBS soap opera ''As the World Turns'' from 1972 to 2010. Life and career Hays was born Kay Piper in Princeto ...

as Julie Williams, the hotel owner *

Edgar Buchanan William Edgar Buchanan II (March 20, 1903 – April 4, 1979) was an American actor with a long career in both film and television. He is most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the ''Petticoat Junction'', ''Green Acres'', and ''The ...

as Mules McNeil, a competing freight company owner *

Morgan Woodward Thomas Morgan Woodward (September 16, 1925 – February 22, 2019) was an American actor who is best known for his recurring role as Marvin "Punk" Anderson on the television soap opera ''Dallas'' and for his portrayal of Boss Godfrey, the sungla ...

as Arch King, cattleman * John Kerr as Captain White *

Peter Mark Richman Peter Mark Richman (born Marvin Jack Richman; April 16, 1927 – January 14, 2021) was an American actor in films and on television, who was for many years credited as Mark Richman. He appeared in about 30 films and 130 television series from th ...

as Major Lucas * Bing Russell as Rol King * Robert Phillips as Sanders * Miguel Alejandro as Andres, a Mexican orphan boy hired by Harmon to work in the jail

References

External links

* {{Ted Post 1971 television films American Western (genre) television films 1970s English-language films Films directed by Ted Post ABC Movie of the Week Television pilots not picked up as a series Films scored by George Duning United States Marshals Service in fiction