For a rare foray into actual direction, Jesse Hibbs shows more quality than I would expect from someone who was a second unit or assistant director for most of his cinema career, before turning to TV. He is helped by a clever script from Borden Chase.
Matthau shows all his acting and humor skills in a memorable part as a judge who is highly partial to drinking but sober enough to know that MAYBE he can turn a criminal into a lawman - that is Audie Murphy, trying to convince Matthau that gorgeous Gia Scala is calling him BABY instead.
Surprising start to the flick with Audie as an outlaw shot off his horse by someone I expected to be a heavy, but turned out to be a marshall, who then takes a miscalculated fall down a river. As a natural born thief, Audie couldn't help but keep the marshall's wallet and broken point tin star.
Small but catchy, fun western with undeceived Matthau grooming Murphy into a lawman. Loved it.
Matthau shows all his acting and humor skills in a memorable part as a judge who is highly partial to drinking but sober enough to know that MAYBE he can turn a criminal into a lawman - that is Audie Murphy, trying to convince Matthau that gorgeous Gia Scala is calling him BABY instead.
Surprising start to the flick with Audie as an outlaw shot off his horse by someone I expected to be a heavy, but turned out to be a marshall, who then takes a miscalculated fall down a river. As a natural born thief, Audie couldn't help but keep the marshall's wallet and broken point tin star.
Small but catchy, fun western with undeceived Matthau grooming Murphy into a lawman. Loved it.