Rebel in Town (1956)

Ex-Confederate Bedloe Mason and his four sons ride into a small Western town with robbery in mind. Hearing a suspicious "click," Wes Mason whirls and shoots dead a boy playing with a cap ... See full summary »

Director:

Alfred L. Werker

Writer:

Danny Arnold

Stars:

John Payne, Ruth Roman, J. Carrol Naish

Cast

Cast overview:
John Payne	...	John Willoughby
Ruth Roman	...	Nora Willoughby
J. Carrol Naish	...	Bedloe Mason
Ben Cooper	...	Gray Mason
John Smith	...	Wesley Mason
James Griffith	...	Marshal Adam Russell
Mary Adams	...	Grandma Ackstadt
Bobby Clark	...	Peter Willoughby
Mimi Gibson	...	Lisbeth Ackstadt
Cain Mason	...	Cain Mason
Joel Ashley	...	Doctor
Ben Johnson	...	Frank Mason

Storyline

Ex-Confederate Bedloe Mason and his four sons ride into a small Western town with robbery in mind. Hearing a suspicious "click," Wes Mason whirls and shoots dead a boy playing with a cap pistol. The Mason clan then flees but Gray Mason, feeling remorse, decides to return to the town. He winds up at the home of John and Nora Willoughby who, unknown to him, are parents of the dead boy. Nora recognizes him as one of the Confederates but keeps quiet, wishing to avoid more violence. However, when John learns of Gray's true identity, he determines to avenge his son's death.

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Plot Keywords:

husband wife relationship | whipping | shot to death | accidental shooting | wound | 

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Taglines:

A whole town gone mad with vengeance!

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Genres:

Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 July 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Rebell von Arizona

Filming Locations:

Jack Ingram Ranch - 22255 Mulholland Drive, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Schenck-Koch Productions, Bel-Air Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min 78 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Wesley Mason: [while being whipped] No more, Pa! Mercy, Pa!

User Reviews

The murder of a child spawns hate and a blind rage for vengeance....

When an Ex-Confederate patriarch and his four sons stop for supplies on the run after robbing a bank, one of them gets nervous hearing a cocked pistol behind him and turns quickly, blasting a 9 yr old boy playing with a toy pistol. The murder of the child spawns hate and a blind rage for vengeance in the small western town. J. Carroll Naish has one of his best roles as the Bible-spouting sire of a brood of scum, trying to keep them in order. John Payne as the traumatized father of the dead boy gives an unnerving performance as a decent man who's become emotionally unbalanced. His uncertainty and mental disruption are almost palpable as his alarmed wife (Ruth Roman) desperately tries to stifle his increasingly homicidal personality. It's very unsettling to see Payne in this unheroic light...the difference from his usual demeanor draws a very convincing portrait of a severely unbalanced man. Ben Cooper (who usually plays a disturbed role) is uncommonly sympathetic here as the only member of the gang responsible enough to acknowledge guilt for the tragedy, even though his own life is at risk instead of his older brother's, the unrepentant perpetrator. This is definitely several cuts above your average western and sustains viewers'interest throughout. Highly recommended....