Gun for a Coward (1957)

A young cowboy, whose dedication to the principles of peace and reason has earned him a reputation for cowardice, overcomes his psychological aversion to violence after his elder brother ... See full summary »

Director:

Abner Biberman

Writer:

R. Wright Campbell

Stars:

Fred MacMurray, Jeffrey Hunter, Janice Rule

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Fred MacMurray	...	Will Keough
Jeffrey Hunter	...	Bless Keough
Janice Rule	...	Aud Niven
Chill Wills	...	Loving
Dean Stockwell	...	Hade Keough
Josephine Hutchinson	...	Mrs. Keough
Betty Lynn	...	Claire
Iron Eyes Cody	...	Chief
Robert F. Hoy	...	Danny (as Robert Hoy)
Jane Howard	...	Marie
Marjorie Stapp	...	Rose
John Larch	...	Stringer
Paul Birch	...	Andy Niven
Bob Steele	...	Durkee
Frances Morris	...	Mrs. Anderson

Storyline

A young cowboy, whose dedication to the principles of peace and reason has earned him a reputation for cowardice, overcomes his psychological aversion to violence after his elder brother unjustly censures him for not joining in a foolhardy gunfight in which their youngest brother is killed.

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Plot Keywords:

cowboy | ranch | coward | saloon | western town | 

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Taglines:

SAGA OF WESTERN GUN-JUSTICE! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 February 1957 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Arma para um Covarde

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

The Preacher: The Good Book speaks a lot of words at a time like this. But I don't think Harry Keough knew too many of them. He wasn't old enough...or calmed enough.

User Reviews

At last a family-drama-psychological-western

The "western" movies are usually about solitary cowboys trying to find (or sometimes loose?) themselves. Brave, fearless men of little words who shed their failure to adjust and an ethics of their own on the screen. In two words, solitary heroes. But this film is maybe, just maybe, about a little more than that. It's about many things, possibly. About the beginning of one of those heroes (the older brother's destiny, at the end?) and about another kind of failure to adjust, the middle brother's one. And it gives us a hint of how everything starts: inside the family. Good acting, not so brilliant direction (but who needs one, when the contents and the dialogs are superb?). A final word to compliment the work of the actors in the 3 main roles (Will, Bless and Aud). And hey, how can John Ford's The Searchers be any better than this movie? Not in a million years.