Last Train from Gun Hill (1959)

Director:

John Sturges

Writers:

Les Crutchfield (story)
James Poe (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 November 1959 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | Western

Plot:

A marshal tries to bring the son of an old friend, an autocratic cattle baron, to justice for the rape and murder of his wife.

Plot Keywords:

Marshal | Old Friends | Train | Murder | Rape

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Kirk Douglas	...	Marshal Matt Morgan
Anthony Quinn	...	Craig Belden
Carolyn Jones	...	Linda, Craig's Girl
Earl Holliman	...	Rick Belden, Craig's Son
Brad Dexter	...	Beero, Belden Foreman
Brian G. Hutton	...	Lee Smithers, Rick's Sidekick (as Brian Hutton)
Ziva Rodann	...	Mrs. Catherine Morgan
Bing Russell	...	Skag, Belden Hand
Val Avery	...	Steve, Horseshoe Bartender'
Walter Sande	...	Gun Hill Sheriff Bartlett

Also Known As:

One Angry Day (USA) (alternative title)
Showdown at Gun Hill (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:16 | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Taiwan:PG-12 | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Old Tucson - 201 S. Kinney Road, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Company:

Bryna Productions

Quotes:

Harper House Desk Clerk: [indignantly] You're breakin' the law!
Marshal Matt Morgan: [angrily] I AM the law!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Guns for Hire: The Making of 'The Magnificent Seven' (2000) (TV)

You Mean the Bronx?

Kudos to AMC for introducing me to a movie I've never seen before. A classic movie with fine performances by Kirk Douglas & Anthony Quinn.

A little bit of six degree trivia- the omnipresent Val Avery appears as the bartender screentesting for the same role in Nevada Smith.

What great acting- to see rich characters finding their tough, most brutal instinct, but tempered by thoughts of an orphaned son (Douglas) or a dead wife(Quinn). Even Earl Holliman's character is both killer/rapist and little boy , afraid and needing Dad. Quinn is torn between a friend, comrade in arms, now an enemy. Duty to family is paramount over friendship. Even for the man who saved your own life.

The marshal's difficulty in getting anybody in town to help him- particularly is reminiscent of High Noon. Seems to be a bit of 3:10 to Yuma as well.

I was only four when this flick was released- it seems the mid-50's thru early sixties were the Golden Era for westerns.

Last thought, how did Carolyn Jones go from her role to the Adams Family? Douglas's Indian wife first struck me as Kathy Jurado, but I guess I missed the train on that one. :-)