The Gunfight at Dodge City (1959)

After his brother the sheriff is murdered, Bat Masterson is elected to the job and is determined to find the killer and make Dodge City safe.

Director:

Joseph M. Newman

Writers:

Martin Goldsmith (screenplay), Daniel B. Ullman (idea and screenplay)

Stars:

Joel McCrea, Julie Adams, John McIntire

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Joel McCrea	...	Bat Masterson
Julie Adams	...	Pauline Howard
John McIntire	...	Doc Sam Tremaine
Nancy Gates	...	Lily, Lady Gay Saloon Owner
Richard Anderson	...	Dave Rudabaugh
James Westerfield	...	Rev. Howard
Walter Coy	...	Ben Townsend
Don Haggerty	...	Sheriff Jim Regan, Dodge City
Wright King	...	Billy Townsend
Harry Lauter	...	City Marshal Ed Masterson

Storyline

Bat Masterson doesn't look for trouble, but he doesn't walk away from it. When an army sergeant in Hays City tries to kill Bat and dies for his trouble, Bat heads for Dodge City where Ed, his brother, is city marshal and a candidate for county sheriff running against the corrupt Regan. Bat buys a share in a local saloon, partnering with the widow Lily. Then, after an ambush, Bat finds himself a candidate for sheriff and the heir to Ed's intentions toward Pauline, a minister's daughter. Can the upright but not always law-abiding gunslinger and saloon owner become a lawman and settle down? Or will trouble keep finding him?

---

Plot Keywords:

bat masterson | saloon | ambush | daughter | minister | 

---

Taglines:

THE GUN-DOWN THAT CRACKED THE WEST WIDE OPEN! (original ad - all caps)

---

Genres:

Western

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Bat Masterson Story

Filming Locations:

Melody Ranch - 24715 Oak Creek Avenue, Newhall, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mirisch Corporation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite the title, the climactic gunfight takes place in a different (and real) Kansas cattle town, Hays City.

---

Goofs

The man who bought Bat's saloon is Ben Townsend. After changing the marquee, it says Ben Thompson.

---

Quotes

Doc Sam Tremaine: They say you deal blackjack with three fingers... thumb, index, and trigger.

User Reviews

Nice and moody

I enjoyed this. It provides everything one expects from a Western: good plot, revenge, love, conflict between law and personal conscience, plenty of gun-play, and mood. And a few excellent quotes. Try: "The distance between here and that street is the distance between a rabbit and a man." The beginning is refreshing too. Before the title and opening credits, a world-weary McCrea is telling a simple teenage boy who admires his prowess with a gun what it really is like. How scared one is, how little it has to do with heroics, and how awfully wretched one feels afterwards. In this film, the gunfights are fast, and mostly in the dark. That's probably more accurate than so many more overblown sequences in other films. The performances on everyone's part, even the baddies', are in many ways unexpectedly subtle. Take Regan, the bad Sheriff. Look at his strange, tormented eyes. None of it's overplayed. If it's raining outside, get out the popcorn and curl up with this.