Bad Men of Tombstone (1949)

A marshal goes up against a collection of vicious outlaws terrorizing his own.

Director:

Kurt Neumann

Writers:

Philip Yordan (screenplay), Arthur Strawn (screenplay),

Stars:

Barry Sullivan, Marjorie Reynolds, Broderick Crawford

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barry Sullivan	...	Tom Horn
Marjorie Reynolds	...	Julie
Broderick Crawford	...	William Morgan
Fortunio Bonanova	...	John Mingo
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams	...	Red Fisk
John Kellogg	...	Curly
Mary Newton	...	Ma Brown
Dennis Hoey	...	Mr. Smith
Morris Ankrum	...	Mr. Jones
Robert Barrat	...	Leadville Sheriff
Louis Jean Heydt	...	John Stover
Virginia Carroll	...	Matilda Stover
Julie Gibson	...	Dolly Lane
Ted Hecht	...	Blackie
Joseph Crehan	...	Mine Superintendent

Storyline

During the gold-rush days, Tom Horn is jailed for an assay office holdup at Gold City, after he loses his money and horse to cardsharp Blackie. Tom escapes with cell-mate Morgan, when the latter's men, Mingo, Red and Curly, rescue him from the jail. Mingo, and most of the gang, dislike Tom and they have lean times until Tom, using Morgan's gun, robs the Blue Goose Mining Company, where Julie works. The gang hides out in a ghost town from where they rob a train, and Tom saves Morgan's life. Tom and Julie become sweethearts, and he promises her wealth and a trip to San Francisco. But the gang begins to unravel.

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Plot Keywords:

jail | ghost town | gold rush | mining company | sweetheart | 

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Taglines:

Storming out of the badlands to loot the golden west...their wild reign of terror roused the toughest gun town of them all to roaring vengeance!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 January 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Goldräuber von Tombstone

Company Credits

Production Co:

King Brothers Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Éden (2011)

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Soundtracks

"The Girl on the Flying Trapeze"
Written by Clarence Marks and Kurt Neumann

User Reviews

A Powerhouse of a B-Western

Surprisingly well done b/w oater, with great, often noir-ish cinematography by the masterful Russell Harlan. Director Kurt Neumann tightly stuffs the 75 minutes with flawless action. Not a single frame wasted. There are rich clichés and standard situations, for sure, but only the ones we love with classic westerns. And there's a bit of a surprise ending, clearly not what you would call a "Happy End". Character actors Sullivan and Crawford are very intriguing and add some deeper psychological aspects to the outlaw story of friendship, jealousy and betrayal. Both are stone gunslingers without compassion, characters based on the McLoury-Clanton gang of Tombstone. The real brutality and senseless killings of the Old West is installed during the first 5 minutes of the movie by Sullivan: a gun-happy murderer who shoots a gambler to death because he cheated him out of a horse months earlier. Definitely underrated and worth a closer look.