| Photos (see all 11 | slideshow) |
| John Wayne | ... | Taw Jackson | |
| Kirk Douglas | ... | Lomax | |
| Howard Keel | ... | Levi Walking Bear | |
| Robert Walker Jr. | ... | Billy Hyatt (as Robert Walker) | |
| Keenan Wynn | ... | Wes Fletcher | |
| Bruce Cabot | ... | Frank Pierce | |
| Joanna Barnes | ... | Lola | |
| Valora Noland | ... | Kate Fletcher | |
| Bruce Dern | ... | Hammond | |
| Gene Evans | ... | Deputy Hoag | |
| Terry Wilson | ... | Sheriff Strike | |
| Don Collier | ... | Shack | |
| Sheb Wooley | ... | Snyder | |
| Ann McCrea | ... | Felicia | |
| Emilio Fernández | ... | Calita (as Emilio Fernandez) | |
| Frank McGrath | ... | Bartender | |
| Chuck Roberson | ... | Brown | |
| Boyd 'Red' Morgan | ... | Early (as Red Morgan) | |
| Hal Needham | ... | Hite | |
| Marco Antonio | ... | Chief Wild Horse | |
| Perla Walters | ... | Rosita | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Chuck Hayward | ... | Blacksmith (uncredited) | |
| Margarite Luna | ... | Asian girl (uncredited) | |
| Cliff Lyons | ... | Outrider (uncredited) | |
| Miko Mayama | ... | Asian girl (uncredited) | |
| Midori | ... | Asian girl (uncredited) | |
| José Trinidad Villa | ... | Townsman at bar (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Burt Kennedy | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Clair Huffaker | (screenplay) | |
| Clair Huffaker | (novel "Badman") | |
Produced by | |||
| Marvin Schwartz | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Dimitri Tiomkin | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| William H. Clothier | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Harry W. Gerstad | (as Harry Gerstad) | ||
Art Direction by | |||
| Alfred Sweeney | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Ray Moyer | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Oscar Rodriguez | (costumes) | ||
Makeup Department | |||
| Dave Grayson | .... | makeup artist | |
| Donald W. Roberson | .... | makeup artist | |
| Bud Westmore | .... | makeup supervisor (uncredited) | |
Production Management | |||
| Joseph C. Behm | .... | unit production manager (as Joseph Behm) | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Al Jennings | .... | assistant director | |
| Cliff Lyons | .... | second unit director | |
Art Department | |||
| Julius Rosenkrantz | .... | property | |
Sound Department | |||
| Robert R. Bertrand | .... | sound | |
| Clem Portman | .... | sound re-recordist | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Albert Whitlock | .... | mattes | |
Stunts | |||
| Jim Burk | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Steven Burnett | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Everett Creach | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Eddy Donno | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Richard Farnsworth | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Jerry Gatlin | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Chuck Hayward | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Tom Hennesy | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Cliff Lyons | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Frank McGrath | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Gary McLarty | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Boyd 'Red' Morgan | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Hal Needham | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Chuck Roberson | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Alex Sharp | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Dean Smith | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Robert Warner | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Jack Williams | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Bernie Abramson | .... | still photographer (uncredited) | |
| Álex Phillips Jr. | .... | camera operator: second unit (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Dimitri Tiomkin | .... | conductor | |
| Gil Grau | .... | orchestrator (uncredited) | |
| Leonid Raab | .... | orchestrator (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Marshall J. Wolins | .... | script supervisor | |
| Orin Borsten | .... | publicist (uncredited) | |
| 'Chema' Hernandez | .... | head wrangler (uncredited) | |
| Arvo Ojala | .... | gun coach (uncredited) | |
| Arvo Ojala | .... | technical director (uncredited) | |
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| The Phantom Rider | Nevada City | The First Great Train Robbery | How the West Was Won | Born to the Saddle |
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This is a "caper" film, about what would be a heist in other circumstances. Since the ethics of the perpetrators are those which should have made the authorities make the robbery unnecessary, their act is justified in this situation. This noir western is a bit slick-appearing at some times; but it is physically attractive, has a good cast portraying colorful and somewhat desperate characters, and a strong theme song. Dimitri Tiomkin supplied the very capable score; and Burt Kennedy did a solid job of directing throughout. The very appealing storyline concerns Taw Jackson, played ably by John Wayne, who returns from prison to get back what he can from Bruce Cabot, who stole his ranch and framed him. All he can do is to recruit a group of "mission fighters", beginning with the man who had shot him 5 years earlier, Lomax, played by dynamic Kirk Douglas-and raid the "war wagon"--his enemy's vehicle for transporting gold, a Gatling-Gun-equipped armored stagecoach. Taw's team includes a drunken young dynamite expert he met in prison Robert Walker Jr., Keenan Wynn who is insanely jealous of his young wife, Valora Noland as the wife, Levi Walking Bear in the charismatic person of Howard Keel, his liaison to needed Indian allies, and more. Gene Evans, Joanna Barnes, Ann McRea, Terry Wilson and Frank Mcgrath are among those also doing good professional work in this interesting narrative. Only Noland is a bit weak in this cast. There are some humorous lines and interesting character moments as Wayne assembles his group and plots an attack worthy of "The Dirty Dozen" or "Where Eagles Dare", involving trees that fall at the right moment, Indians faking an attack as a diversion, dynamite used to block off access to a bridge, and a log that swings down and opens the rolling piggy bank violently. What happens after this successful robbery leads to a compromised denouement and ending; but the film is vividly put together, professionally mounted and decently scripted by Clair Huffaker from his own novel. The film stands as a reminder of what any well-made film about an ethical central character can provide relative to any un-ethical and not-fictional man's story competing for a cinema viewer's attention. Moments such as Wayne's visit to his ranch and his talk with the man who stole it, the recruiting of Lomax, the relations of the group, and the raid itself are all memorable. Underrated and always visually interesting.