The Fastest Gun Alive (1956)

Whenever it becomes known how good he is with guns, ex-gunman George and his wife Dora have to flee the town, in fear of all the gunmen who might want to challenge him. Unfortunately he ... See full summary »

Director:

Russell Rouse

Writers:

Frank D. Gilroy (screenplay), Russell Rouse (screenplay),

Stars:

Glenn Ford, Jeanne Crain, Broderick Crawford

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Glenn Ford	...	George Temple / George Kelby, Jr.
Jeanne Crain	...	Dora Temple
Broderick Crawford	...	Vinnie Harold
Russ Tamblyn	...	Eric Doolittle
Allyn Joslyn	...	Harvey Maxwell
Leif Erickson	...	Lou Glover
John Dehner	...	Taylor Swope
Noah Beery Jr.	...	Dink Wells (as Noah Beery)
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Kevin McGovern
Rhys Williams	...	Brian Tibbs
Virginia Gregg	...	Rose Tibbs
Chubby Johnson	...	Frank Stringer
John Doucette	...	Ben Buddy
William 'Bill' Phillips	...	Lars Toomey
Christopher Olsen	...	Bobby Tibbs (as Chris Olsen)

Storyline

Whenever it becomes known how good he is with guns, ex-gunman George and his wife Dora have to flee the town, in fear of all the gunmen who might want to challenge him. Unfortunately he again spills his secret when he's drunk. All citizens swear to keep his secret and support him to give up his guns forever -- but a boy tells the story to a gang of wanted criminals. Their leader threatens to burn down the whole town, if he doesn't duel him.

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Plot Keywords:

gun | bank robbery | cowboy and outlaw | murder | shootout | 

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Taglines:

WHAT HAPPENS in the next few minutes makes one of the most dramatic climaxes of any story you've ever seen!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 July 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die erste Kugel trifft

Filming Locations:

Red Rock Canyon State Park - Highway 14, Cantil, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Perspecta Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

George Temple explains to the men in the bar how a real gunslinger wears his gun low so his hand rests on the butt. Then when he goes and gets his own gun and straps it on, it's riding high enough on his waist so that his fingertips can almost touch the bottom tip of the holster and his hand is below the butt of the gun.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Vinnie Harold: I'm lookin' for Fallon.

User Reviews

Amusingly cast, first-rate western...

In the small western town of Cross Creek, shy, antisocial shopkeeper Glenn Ford is hiding a secret past. Selling dresses and candy all day proves to be a bore, which leads Ford to some showing off in front of the saloon with gun feats that amaze the locals; unfortunately for Ford, lightning-fast gunslinger and bank robber Broderick Crawford (!) is just outside of town and soon learns of Ford's prowess. Quick, compact western is marvelously well-done, with beautiful cinematography by George Folsey and a tight script (by Frank D. Gilroy, based on his short story, and director Russell Rouse) underlined with a touch of sardonic humor. Crawford, looking like Fred Flintstone in a cowboy hat, is raffish and wily as the brutish villain, though fast-on-the-draw seems a bit of a stretch. Still, the movie is written in such a way that we don't want to quibble, and Ford's unhappy nervousness is something we can relate to (he has some charming moments as well, such as when he compliments wife Jeanne Crain on her earrings). Russ Tamblyn has a lively dancing sequence where he struts his stuff on shovels, and the finale--while probably not realistic--is certainly a crowd-pleaser. *** from ****