Day of the Outlaw (1959)

Blaise Starrett is a rancher at odds with homesteaders when outlaws hold up the small town. The outlaws are held in check only by their notorious leader, but he is diagnosed with a fatal wound and the town is a powder keg waiting to blow.

Director:

André De Toth (as Andre De Toth)

Writers:

Lee E. Wells (novel), Philip Yordan (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert Ryan, Burl Ives, Tina Louise

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Ryan	...	Blaise Starrett
Burl Ives	...	Captain Jack Bruhn
Tina Louise	...	Helen Crane
Alan Marshal	...	Hal Crane
Venetia Stevenson	...	Ernine - Vic's Daughter
David Nelson	...	Gene - Bruhn's Gang
Nehemiah Persoff	...	Dan - Starret's Foreman
Jack Lambert	...	Tex - Bruhn's Gang
Frank DeKova	...	Denver - Bruhn's Gang (as Frank deKova)
Lance Fuller	...	Pace - Bruhn's Gang
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Larry Teter - Town Barber (as Elisha Cook)
Dabbs Greer	...	Doc Langer - Veterinarian
Betsy Jones-Moreland	...	Mrs. Preston (as Betsey Jones-Moreland)
Helen Westcott	...	Vivian
Donald Elson	...	Vic - General Store Owner

Storyline

Cowboys and ranchers have to put their differences aside when a gang of outlaws, led by army captain Jack Bruhn, decide to spend the night in a little Western town.

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Plot Keywords:

rancher | frontier town | wyoming | 19th century | based on novel | 

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Taglines:

Out of the blizzard they came... the most feared killers who ever took over a town - and its women!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 July 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tag der Gesetzlosen

Filming Locations:

Flagstaff, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Security Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Sound)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Andre De Toth had the town built in Oregon several months before filming so that the structures would be naturally weathered by rain and snow, not artificially dressed by crewmen. When De Toth learned that the workers had neglected to follow his compass headings for the layouts of the streets, he had them rebuild it.

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Goofs

At numerous times when they are going through the mountains, it is obvious that the horses are walking in plowed trenches.

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Quotes

Vic, General Store Owner: I don't hold for killin'.
Blaise Starrett: You don't have to... as long as you got somebody to do it for you.

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Connections

Referenced in The Great Silence (1968)

User Reviews

Good potboiler!

Watched this Andre De Toth western last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. Robert Ryan did a nice job and I liked Burl Ives as the heavy. Lots of interesting tension for what seemed to be a pretty low-budget feature. The combination of this tension and some melodramatic elements made the film very entertaining(and kind oddly of funny at times). It does seem to have a more noirish, fatalistic feeling to it than most westerns-which was great. Too bad it's not on vhs or anything(all De Toth's films should be!!), but I'm sure TCM will air it again.