Forty Guns (1957)

Director:

Samuel Fuller

Writer:

Samuel Fuller (written by)

Release Date:

September 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Western

Plot:

An authoritarian rancher, Barbara Stanwyck, who rules an Arizona county with her private posse of hired guns...

Plot Keywords:

Arizona | Rancher | Tornado | Corrupt Sheriff | Small Town

Cast

Barbara Stanwyck	...	Jessica Drummond
Barry Sullivan	...	Griff Bonnell
Dean Jagger	...	Sheriff Ned Logan
John Ericson	...	Brockie Drummond
Gene Barry	...	Wes Bonnell
Robert Dix	...	Chico Bonnell
Jidge Carroll	...	Barney Cashman
Paul Dubov	...	Judge Macy
Gerald Milton	...	Shotgun Spanger
Ziva Rodann	...	Rio
Hank Worden	...	Marshal John Chisum
Neyle Morrow	...	Wiley
Chuck Roberson	...	Howard Swain
Chuck Hayward	...	Charlie Savage
Eve Brent	...	Louvenia Spanger
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eddie Parks	...	Sexton (uncredited)

Directed by
Samuel Fuller

Writing credits
Samuel Fuller		(written by)

Produced by
Samuel Fuller	....	producer

Original Music by
Harry Sukman

Cinematography by
Joseph F. Biroc		(director of photography) (as Joseph Biroc)

Film Editing by
Gene Fowler Jr.

Art Direction by
John B. Mansbridge		(as John Mansbridge)

Set Decoration by
Chester L. Bayhi		(as Chester Bayhi)
Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by
Charles Le Maire		(as Charles LeMaire)
Leah Rhodes

Makeup Department
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist
Joan St. Oegger	....	hair stylist

Production Management
William Magginetti	....	production manager (as William J. Magginetti)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Harold E. Knox	....	assistant director

Art Department
Leigh Carson	....	property master

Sound Department
Harry M. Leonard	....	sound
Bert Schoenfeld	....	supervising sound editor
Jean L. Speak	....	sound (as Jean Speak)

Special Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects
Norman Breedlove	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Linwood G. Dunn	....	optical effects (as Linwood Dunn)

Stunts
Chuck Hayward	....	stunts (uncredited)
Leroy Johnson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack N. Young	....	utility stunts (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ollie Hughes	....	wardrobe
Robert Olivas	....	wardrobe
Joan Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
Audrey Granville	....	music editor (as Audray Granville)
Harry Sukman	....	conductor

Production Companies

• Globe Enterprises

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1957) (USA) (theatrical)
• EuroVideo (2012) (Germany) (DVD)
• Kinokuniya (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• Koch Media (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Pacific Title  titles
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation  CinemaScope is the registered trademark of

Also Known As:

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Germany:16 | USA:Approved (certificate #18646) | Australia:PG | France:U (2002 re-release)

Company:

Globe Enterprises

Trivia:

Condemned in the US because of its brutal handling of the narrative, but praised in Europe for its stylistic vigor.

Quotes:

Wes Bonnell:I never kissed a gunsmith before.
Louvenia Spanger:Any recoil?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Classics from the Vault: Changing Sex Roles (#2.10)" (2011)

Soundtrack:

God Has His Arms Around Me

Highly underrated

Sam Fuller's reworking of the Tombstone story, with the Earp family replaced by the Bonnells (Barry Sullivan, Gene Barry and Robert Dix) and the Clanton family replaced by cattle baroness Barbara Stanwyck, her wild younger brother, John Ericson, and forty loyal servants who together run the Arizona town. The Bonnells come to Tombstone to be federal marshals, to the chagrin of Stanwyck, who made the town and runs it under her own charm. Eventually Sullivan captivates her, but she still has to protect her law breaking brother and her other underlings. The film runs a brisk 79 minutes, but there's enough plot to fill an epic. Amazingly, Fuller never messes things up: not a moment is wasted, but the film never feels too fast or overstuffed. The director is at the top of his game here, and this is easily one of his best movies.