Pay the Devil
(I)
(1957)
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Pay the Devil
(I)
(1957)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Jeff Chandler | ... | ||
| Orson Welles | ... |
Virgil Renchler
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Colleen Miller | ... |
Skippy Renchler
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| Ben Alexander | ... |
Ab Begley
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Barbara Lawrence | ... |
Helen Sadler
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John Larch | ... |
Ed Yates
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| James Gleason | ... |
Hank James
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| Royal Dano | ... |
Aiken Clay
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| Paul Fix | ... |
Herb Parker
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Leo Gordon | ... |
Chet Huneker
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Martin Garralaga | ... |
Jesus Cisneros
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Mario Siletti | ... |
Tony Santoro, the barber
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Charles Horvath | ... |
Len Bookman
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| William Schallert | ... |
Jim Shaney
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Joseph J. Greene | ... |
Harry Youngquist
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In effect, modern cow town Spurline is run by Virgil Renchler, owner of the Golden Empire Ranch. One night, two of Virgil's henchmen go a little too far and beat a "bracero" ranch hand to death. Faced with an obvious cover-up and opposition on every hand, sheriff Ben Sadler is goaded into investigating. His unlikely ally: Renchler's lovely, self-willed and overprotected daughter. Will Ben survive Renchler's wrath? Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
This is a good "pre-civil rights movement" western, continuing in the tradition of "High Noon" and "Bad Day at Black Rock". Colleen Miller plays Orson Welles daughter, (not his wife as someone posted previously.) Jeff Chandler (who died way too young at 42) is the sheriff and conscience in the film and he does a good job in this role. The fact that the cowboys have beaten a defenseless Chincano to death is something that most citizens in the town would rather forget.Chandler's character and his family are harassed by the murderous and prejudiced cowboys who work for Welles.The climax of this film is hard to watch even today. The director was Jack Arnold,who was great at expressing his opinions in low-budget films,such as "It Came from Outer Space" and "The Tattered Dress."