"The Last Day" is a made for TV movie by producer A. C. Lyles who is best remembered for a series of westerns made mostly in the 1960s featuring casts of actors who had seen better days. This one is no exception.
Will Spence (Richard Widmark) is a retired gunfighter who has settled in the town of Coffeyville, Kansas with his wife Betty (Barbara Rush) and their young son. Bob Dalton (Robert Conrad) is planning a hold up of the town's two banks simultaneously. Dalton, who is living with his girl friend Daisy (Loretta Swit), decides that the time is right and rounds up his gang consisting of his two brothers, Grat (Richard Jaekel) and Emmett (Tim Matheson) along with Dick Broadwell (Christopher Connelly) and the boozy Bill Powers (Tom Skerritt).
Spence learns of the planned hold up from the bar tender. Dalton, meanwhile sends two gunman to town to kill Spence but he overpowers them. Young Emmett is at first reluctant to join the gang but relents. Marshall Ransom Payne (an all in black Morgan Woodward) has been trailing the Dalton's and arrives at Bob's shack after the gang has left for Coffeyville. He kills the guard left behind, confronts Daisy and then rides after the gang. Spence and town Marshal Connelly (Gene Evans) rally the town to foil the planned robbery. The gang arrives, proceed to rob the banks but Bob is delayed by a time lock in one of the banks. As they try to leave all hell breaks loose and.........................................................................
As you would expect, Widmark carries the film as the ex-gunfighter resisting strapping on his gun once more. He gets able support from Rush as his fearful wife , Conrad as the head baddie and Skerritt as the slovenly drunkard. Evans also is good as the aging marshal.
Better than most TV movies of the day. Narrated by Harry Morgan.
Will Spence (Richard Widmark) is a retired gunfighter who has settled in the town of Coffeyville, Kansas with his wife Betty (Barbara Rush) and their young son. Bob Dalton (Robert Conrad) is planning a hold up of the town's two banks simultaneously. Dalton, who is living with his girl friend Daisy (Loretta Swit), decides that the time is right and rounds up his gang consisting of his two brothers, Grat (Richard Jaekel) and Emmett (Tim Matheson) along with Dick Broadwell (Christopher Connelly) and the boozy Bill Powers (Tom Skerritt).
Spence learns of the planned hold up from the bar tender. Dalton, meanwhile sends two gunman to town to kill Spence but he overpowers them. Young Emmett is at first reluctant to join the gang but relents. Marshall Ransom Payne (an all in black Morgan Woodward) has been trailing the Dalton's and arrives at Bob's shack after the gang has left for Coffeyville. He kills the guard left behind, confronts Daisy and then rides after the gang. Spence and town Marshal Connelly (Gene Evans) rally the town to foil the planned robbery. The gang arrives, proceed to rob the banks but Bob is delayed by a time lock in one of the banks. As they try to leave all hell breaks loose and.........................................................................
As you would expect, Widmark carries the film as the ex-gunfighter resisting strapping on his gun once more. He gets able support from Rush as his fearful wife , Conrad as the head baddie and Skerritt as the slovenly drunkard. Evans also is good as the aging marshal.
Better than most TV movies of the day. Narrated by Harry Morgan.