Gunslinger (1956)

Director:

Roger Corman

Writers:

Charles B. Griffith (screenplay) and
Mark Hanna (screenplay)

Release Date:

June 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Romance | Western

Tagline:

Hired to kill the woman he loved!

Plot:

After her husband is gunned down, Rose Hood takes his place as sheriff of a small Western town.

Plot Keywords:

Marshal | Killer | Mayor | Murder | Texas

Cast

  (Credited cast)

John Ireland	...	Cane Miro
Beverly Garland	...	Marshal Rose Hood
Allison Hayes	...	Erica Page
Martin Kingsley	...	Mayor Gideon Polk
Jonathan Haze	...	Jake Hayes
Chris Alcaide	...	Deputy Joshua Tate
Dick Miller	...	Jimmy Tonto (as Richard Miller)
Bruno VeSota	...	Zebelon Tabb (as Bruno Ve Sota)
Margaret Campbell	...	Felicity Polk
William Schallert	...	Marshal Scott Hood
Aaron Saxon	...	Nate Signo
Chris Miller	...	Tessie - a Dancer

Runtime:

71 min | USA:83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Roger Corman Productions

Trivia:

It rained throughout most of the shoot. Many exterior shots had to be rewritten at the last minute to be shot indoors. Several exterior shots had to be done with a tarp over the actors' heads, and the score was used to drown out the sound of the rain hitting it.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Jeep tracks are visible as Beverly Garland chases John Ireland out of town.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Rose Hood: Hi.
Marshal Scott Hood: Hi. Long night.
Rose Hood: A quiet one for a change.
Marshal Scott Hood: Aw, you shouldn't get up so early just to fetch my breakfast.
Rose Hood: What else is a Marshal's wife good for?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Gunslinger (#6.11)" (1993)

Whoops, there's Jeep marks everywhere!

I guess that "Gunslinger" wasn't quite as god-awful as most of the movies that "Mystery Science Theater 3000" shows, but westerns just aren't Roger Corman's forte. Portraying Rose Hood (Beverly Garland) becoming sheriff in an Old West town after her sheriff husband gets murdered and having to fight off baddies, the movie is pretty predictable. John Ireland is Rose's new hubby, secretly working for unctuous Allison Hayes (yes, the 50-foot woman). Also appearing briefly is frequent Corman co-star Dick Miller as a mailman (Miller nowadays stars in Joe Dante's movies).

I do wish to assert that you'll probably want to watch the "MST3K" version to really enjoy this movie. They had a great time with it.