''Showdown at Boot Hill'' is a 1958 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 Gene Fowler Jr., written by Louis Vittes, and starring

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. He was known for his roles in action films and his "granite features and brawny physique". Bronson was born into extreme poverty in ...

, Robert Hutton,

John Carradine John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later J ...

, Carole Mathews, Fintan Meyler and Paul Maxey. The film was released on May 1, 1958, by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

. It was the first film Gene Fowler Jr. made for Regal Films.

Plot

US Marshall Luke Welsh rides into a Mound City to serve a warrant and arrest Con Maynor with the plan of collecting the $200 bounty. Maynor decides to try and outdraw the Marshall but ends up losing. At the coroner's inquest the shooting is ruled as self defense. When the Marshall asks for the judge to sign an affidavit to the facts the judge does but does not put the name of the deceased on the affidavit. Without the name on the paper the Marshall will not be able to collect the bounty. It turns out that Maynor was well liked by the community and noone will attest to the dead man being Maynor. The Marshall keeps trying to get someone, anyone, to identify Maynor so he collect the bounty. During this time he learns more about why the town liked Maynor so much. He also has a growing attraction to Sally Crane, the local saloon owners daughter. He also meets Doc Weber who is the town's philosophical barber, and undertaker. The Marshall's presence eats at the town and they begin to look for ways to get rid of him starting with egging a young, wannabe, gun slinger into drawing on him. The Marshall only wounds him. The town then gets a mob together to attack and kill him. Jill finds out and tells The Marshall ans Sally to hide in her house. The gun slinger, delerious from being shot, finds the Marshall and in the ensuing struggle shoots Jill. While this is going on Maynor's brother Charles comes to town for the funeral with his family. Unknown to the family Charles plans on killing the Marshall, his wife, seeing the Marshall with Sally, makes him rethink it. The next day at the funeral Marshall presents himself, unarmed, to Charles as the man who shot his brother. Charles attacks him but is stopped by the funeral attendees. The Marshall and Doc discuss everything and the Marshall decides that he and Sally belong together and leaves to be with her.

Review

An unusual western plot that is character driven and reaches beyond right/wrong morality, requiring its male and female leads to develop and act on introspection. Bronson portrays a Marshal who has turned bounty hunter explicitly as a reaction to his being "short" and unable to command the allegiance of those he is to protect. His beliefs and lifestyle are challenged by Doc played by John Carradine who sees something of his younger self in this angry man with a gun. Also driving the psychological elements of the film is the Marshal's growing attachment to Jill (Carole Mathews) and her daughter Sally (Fintan Meyler).

Cast

as Luke Welsh * Robert Hutton as Sloane *

as Doc Weber * Carole Mathews as Jill Crane * Fintan Meyler as Sally Crane * Paul Maxey as Judge Wallen * Thomas Browne Henry as Con Maynor *William Stevens as Corky *Martin Smith as Tex *Joe McGuinn as Mr. Creavy * George Douglas as Charles Maynor *Mike Mason as Les Patton *George Pembroke as Sheriff Hinkle *

Argentina Brunetti Argentina Brunetti (born Argentina Josefina Ángela Ferraù; August 31, 1907 – December 20, 2005) was an Argentine stage and film actress and writer. Biography Brunetti was born Argentina Ferraù in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Italian p ...

as Mrs. Bonaventura *Ed Wright as Brent *Stacey Marshall as Saloon Girl *Shirley Haven as Customer

Production

The film was shot in late 1957, and gave an early lead role to

. The film was the first in a series that Gene Fowler Jr. made for Robert L. Lippert. Fowler said "that Lippert experience was wonderful in a way because we had the run of the Fox lot; whatever sets happened to be still standing, we'd use those sets. My partner, Lou Vittes and I, would walk through those sets that had already been used for more expensive pictures than we could make and we would pretty much write the script around those sets." Parts of the theme song sound similar to the theme from '' The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'', directed by

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

four years later and starring

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...

and

Lee Marvin Lee Marvin (February 19, 1924August 29, 1987) was an American film and television actor. Known for his bass voice and prematurely white hair, he is best remembered for playing hardboiled "tough guy" characters. Although initially typecast as th ...

References

External links

* 1958 films 20th Century Fox films American Western (genre) films 1958 Western (genre) films Films directed by Gene Fowler Jr. Revisionist Western (genre) films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films English-language Western (genre) films {{1950s-US-Western-film-stub