Gunfighters (1947)

Gunfighter Brazos Kane takes a job on a ranch but he is unjustly accused of killing fellow cowhand Bob Tyrell and must clear himself by finding the real killer.

Director:

George Waggner

Writers:

Alan Le May (screenplay), Zane Grey (adapted from Zane Grey's novel "Twin Sombreros")

Stars:

Randolph Scott, Barbara Britton, Dorothy Hart

Cast

Cast overview:
Randolph Scott	...	Brazos Kane
Barbara Britton	...	Bess Banner
Dorothy Hart	...	Jane Banner
Bruce Cabot	...	Bard Macky
Charley Grapewin	...	Inskip - Rancher
Steven Geray	...	Jose - aka Uncle Joe
Forrest Tucker	...	Ben Orcutt
Charles Kemper	...	Sheriff Kiscaden
Grant Withers	...	Deputy Bill Yount
John Miles	...	Johnny O'Neil
Griff Barnett	...	Mr. Banner

Storyline

Gunfighter "Brazos" Kane lays aside his guns "forever" when he is forced to shoot his best friend, and decides to join another friend, Bob Tyrell, as a cowhand on the Inskip ranch. Upon arriving there he finds the bullet-riddled body of his friend. He carries the body to the Banner ranch, the largest in the territory, and is accused by Banner of murdering Tyrell; Banner orders Deputy Sheriff Bill Yount, who is in Banner's pay, to arrest Kane. But Kane has the sympathy of Banner's daughter, Jane, who notifies Inskip of Kane's plight, and Inskip arrives in time to prevent a lynching. Sheriff Kiscade dismisses the murder charge for lack of evidence. Brazos then sets out to find the killer of his friend. Bess Bannister, Jane's sister, is in love with the Banner ranch foreman, Bard Macky, and knowing that Bard killed Tyrell and that Kane will track him down, then hampers Kane's mission somewhat by pretending to be in love with him.

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Plot Keywords:

double gun holster | gun holster | gun | holster | two gun holster | 

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Taglines:

Zane Grey's great romance of the west.

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 July 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Twin Sombreros

Filming Locations:

Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Producers-Actors Corporation,Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Cinecolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

As Inskip is shot and falls into the back of his buggy, his hat disappears and reappears on his head.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[Tom calls out Brazos for a gunslinging showdown]
Tom: Brazos. Brazos!

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Connections

Referenced in The James Dean Story (1957)

User Reviews

Randolph Scott and superlative script? What could be better?

Very little.

Randolph Scott alone is enough to make a good movie, but here he has a superlative script performed by some of the best actors Hollywood has ever had, including the excellent Bruce Cabot, a wonderful Charles Kemper, and two lovely ladies who look surprisingly like each other (at least here), which is good because they are supposed to be sisters: Barbara Britton and Dorothy Hart, two great actresses.

Mr. Scott, a genuine gentleman, used to pooh-pooh the notion he was an actor, but in "Gunfighters" he gives not only one of his best performances, but a great performance by anyone's standards.

He is alternately subtle and obvious, showing just the right emotion and attitude called for by the script, by Alan LeMay, who knew a thing or two about westerns.

Mr. Scott has a lot of help in this powerful story, with the above and Forrest Tucker, rather quietly effective as the hired gunman, and Steven Geray as Jose in an intelligently funny role (so many westerns had very unfunny funny roles), as well as so many great atmosphere and minor players, such as the ubiquitous Hank Bell, as usual uncredited.

"Gunfighters" is not only one of Randolph Scott's best movies, it is a great movie, one of the best I've seen lately, and I've been watching a lot of them recently. I highly recommend "Gunfighters," and can even highly recommend the print at YouTube. Enjoy.