At Gunpoint (1955)

The peace-loving owner of a general store, who became a town hero when he luckily killed the leader of a gang of bank robbers, is deserted by the townspeople who fear the threatened return of the vengeful bandits.

Director:

Alfred L. Werker

Writer:

Daniel B. Ullman (story)

Stars:

Fred MacMurray, Dorothy Malone, Walter Brennan

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Fred MacMurray	...	Jack Wright
Dorothy Malone	...	Martha Wright
Walter Brennan	...	Doc Lacy
Tommy Rettig	...	Billy Wright
Skip Homeier	...	Bob Dennis
John Qualen	...	Livingstone
Whit Bissell	...	Clem Clark
Irving Bacon	...	Al Ferguson
Jack Lambert	...	Kirk
John Pickard	...	Alvin Dennis
James Griffith	...	The Stranger (Bob Alexander)
Harry Shannon	...	Marshal MacKay
Frank Ferguson	...	Marshal George Henderson
James O'Hara	...	Wally (as James Lilburn)
Harry Lauter	...	Federal Marshal

Storyline

The peace-loving owner of a general store, who became a town hero when he luckily killed the leader of a gang of bank robbers, is deserted by the townspeople who fear the threatened return of the vengeful bandits.

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Plot Keywords:

showdown

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Taglines:

Every Desperate Moment Brought Them Closer To Gunpoint!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Mancha de Sangue

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allied Artists Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
[Bob Dennis is practicing aiming and firing his gun]
Alvin Dennis: You're sure itchin' to use that thing again, ain't ya?
Bob Dennis: Never hurts to be ready.
Alvin Dennis: You're always ready. Put it away.
Bob Dennis: You're nervous, huh?
Alvin Dennis: Yeah, well, I wouldn't be if it wasn't for you.

User Reviews

Start to finish, a really enjoyable movie

I'm not a huge Fred MacMurray fan when it comes to Westerns, I guess, but he could do a credible enough job as he did in At Gunpoint. The basic storyline involves a store clerk who shoots one of an escaping band of robbers. Only by a lucky shot does the clerk actually hit and kill one of the robbers; the dead guy's brother who is also in the gang makes it his personal business to get revenge, especially when the newspapers glorify the action of the clerk in shooting down the bad guy.

This movie has one of my all-time favorite Western character actors, Skip Homeier, who is the bad guy seeking revenge. (Homeier and MacMurray are also a protagonist / antagonist pair in another Western, "Day of the Bad Man", where MacMurray plays a judge.) In this movie, MacMurray's son is played by Tommy Rettig of the 'Jeff's Collie' (i.e. 'Lassie') TV show and he is rather annoying in the role. Maybe the director wasn't paying as much attention to him, as Rettig was really very good in 'River of No Return' with Robert Mitchum. (The lucky kid had Marilyn Monroe's hands all over him during that movie!) Walter Brennan, another great, is in this movie and as a testy old doctor, he has some pretty funny acidic observations to make. When his best friend and checkers-partner gets shot and killed, Brennan underplays the scene where he sees that his friend is dead - and he does so masterfully. He gives only the slightest view of his anguish but you can tell he's devastated. Brennan was a giant of the Westerns and he's great in this movie as always.

I think the premise of a story is all important and this movie has a great one - take an ordinary guy, give him beginner's luck at accidentally beating the bad guy, then have the rest of the bad guys come back seeking revenge. Don't compare this movie to High Noon as one other person did, because it's really not the same theme. Frankly if I had a choice of which one to watch right now it would be this movie, At Gunpoint. (And I do like High Noon very much, but this is also a darned good film.) You won't waste your time by watching this one. If you like Westerns, this is one you will enjoy.