Duel at Sundown (1 Feb. 1959)

Bret Maverick is on his way to a high stakes poker game, when an injured friend with a hidden agenda, begs him to visit. After Bret arrives, the friend's beautiful daughter draws Bret into ... See full summary »

Director:

Arthur Lubin

Writers:

Richard Collins (teleplay), Howard Browne (story)

Stars:

James Garner, Jack Kelly, Edgar Buchanan

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
James Garner	...	Bret Maverick
Jack Kelly	...	Bart Maverick
Edgar Buchanan	...	Jed Christianson
Abby Dalton	...	Carrie Christianson
Clint Eastwood	...	Red Hardigan
Dan Sheridan	...	Doc George W. Baxter
James Griffith	...	John Wesley Hardin
Clarke Alexander	...	Sheriff
Linda Lawson	...	Lily
Myrna Fahey	...	Susie

Storyline

Bret Maverick is on his way to a high stakes poker game, when an injured friend with a hidden agenda, begs him to visit. After Bret arrives, the friend's beautiful daughter draws Bret into a plot of her own. Both plots revolve around cold-blooded Red Hartigan (a lanky, young Clint Eastwood). Red demands Bret leave Sundown immediately - or rest in Sundown forever.

---

Plot Keywords:

duel | pistol duel | showdown | gunfight | fist fight | 

---

Genres:

Action | Western | Adventure | Comedy

---

Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 February 1959 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 22, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Red Hardigan(Clint Eastwood) keeps calling Maverick, "Maverack," just to irritate him.

---

Quotes

Bret Maverick: Now that's not worthy of you, Bart. Your own brother's life is hanging in the balance, and all you're thinkin' about is $500.
Bart Maverick: No, Bret. That's not all I'm thinkin' about.
Bret Maverick: No, you're thinkin' about my five hundred too.

---

Connections

Featured in Fringe: Transilience Thought Unifier Model-11 (2012)

User Reviews

Frankly, I'd Rather Be in Leadville

So what do you do if you're gimpy old Edgar Buchanan and you've got a big spread, a high- spirited daughter, and a no-good gunslinger Clint Eastwood eager to grab your ranch by marrying your daughter. Why, you send for Bret Maverick, of course. Trouble is that Bret's not too good with a gun, while Eastwood is, well, Eastwood, fast as all get-out. Things look bad for Bret, but then, it's his wits that gets him by.

It's a gawky young Clint, before he went to Italy and came back with that hard-eyed squint that terrified bad guys for a whole fistful of years. Still, he does manage a pretty big load of mean. He's also got a pretty big part here, probably just before he slipped into the Rowdy Yates role in Rawhide. Garner, of course, is Garner, doing his usual reluctant rescues with the usual great throw-away lines-- Buchanan to Maverick, "Isn't there anything you like better than money?" Maverick, "There's breathing."

Note how the LA smog works well to mask the climactic gunfight (many series scenes were shot on Warners' backlot in Burbank). It's a great Maverick ending, perfectly in sync, with a couple of neat twists that should leave you with a knowing nod and a good chuckle.