Ambush at Tomahawk Gap (1953)

Hodiak, Brian, Derek and Teal have just been released from prison. They return to Tomahawk Gap, now a ghost town, to retrieve the money that they stole and was buried by a partner somewhere... See full summary »

Director:

Fred F. Sears

Writers:

David Lang (story), David Lang (screenplay)

Stars:

John Hodiak, John Derek, David Brian

Cast

Cast overview:
John Hodiak	...	McCord
John Derek	...	Kid
David Brian	...	Egan
María Elena Marqués	...	Navaho Girl (as Maria Elena Marques)
Ray Teal	...	Doc
John Qualen	...	Jonas P. Travis
Otto Hulett	...	Stranton
Percy Helton	...	Marlowe
Trevor Bardette	...	Twin Forks Sheriff

Storyline

Hodiak, Brian, Derek and Teal have just been released from prison. They return to Tomahawk Gap, now a ghost town, to retrieve the money that they stole and was buried by a partner somewhere in the town. While hunting, the Indians attack, and a life and death battle ensues.

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Plot Keywords:

ghost town | money | prison | removing a bullet | self sacrifice | 

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Taglines:

One man against the West!

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Genres:

Action | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 May 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stunde der Abrechnung

Filming Locations:

Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In one version, there is jump from a scene where the party of 5 is stopped for a rest with their horses tied up to a rope to a scene where the party is seen to approach the town of Tomahawk Gap with the wounded Kid riding the only one horse. Three horses have disappeared.

User Reviews

Good small cast Western with no good guys

An enjoyable Western with a small cast of white characters and rather more Indians, who follow the routine of seemingly being willing to take many casualties for relatively small gain. Another cliché is the improbable Indian girl played by a non-Native American, in this case a Mexican,María Elena Marqués. It appears from the plot that Navajo girls get taught to use the bow and arrow, but this apart the character might as well have been a Mexican anyway.

Hodiak, in one of his last films before his premature death, is suitably rugged, and Ray Teal gets a fuller role than usual; in fact he's the nearest to a good guy among all the men in the film, and even then he's served time in Yuma Prison and is still greedy for the loot.