One Foot in Hell (1960)

In this Western, Alan Ladd exacts revenge on a small town the best way he knows how -- by becoming sheriff.

Director:

James B. Clark

Writers:

Aaron Spelling (screenplay), Sydney Boehm

Stars:

Alan Ladd, Don Murray, Dan O'Herlihy

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Alan Ladd	...	Mitch Barrett
Don Murray	...	Dan Keats
Dan O'Herlihy	...	Sir Harry Ivers
Dolores Michaels	...	Julie Reynolds
Barry Coe	...	Stu Christian
Larry Gates	...	Doc Seltzer
Karl Swenson	...	Sheriff Ole Olson
John Alexander	...	Sam Giller - Storekeeper
Rachel Stephens	...	Ellie Barrett

Storyline

Mitch Barrett becomes embittered because his wife is allowed to die when he can't pay for the medicine she needs. The remorseful townspeople hire Mitch to be a deputy sheriff, thereby enabling him to plot an elaborate bank robbery with the help of an artist, a pickpocket, a gunslinger and a bar-girl. In conjunction with the robbery, Mitch plans to avenge himself upon every man who hindered his purchase of a single bottle of medicine costing one dollar and eighty seven cents so many years ago.

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Plot Keywords:

hell | confederate soldier | confederate | soldier | arizona territory | 

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Taglines:

One foot in hell one hand on a gun one day a town would never forget

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 July 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Last Man

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,090,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Dan: Do you have to come bargin' in here like that?
Julia Reynolds: What do you want, me to whistle six bars of "Dixie"?
Dan: I'm sorry. I guess that all waitin' and no whiskey makes Dan a dull boy.

User Reviews

The last man and one dollar and eighty seven cents.

One Foot in Hell is directed by James B. Clark and written by Aaron Spelling and Sydney Boehm. It stars Alan Ladd, Don Murray, Dan O'Herlihy, Dolores Michaels, Barry Coe and Larry Gates. A CinemaScope/De Luxe Color production with music by Dominic Frontiere and cinematography by William C. Mellor.

Incensed by the circumstances which led to the death of his wife and unborn child, Mitch Barrett (Ladd) plots revenge against the whole town of Blue Springs.

Alan Ladd's last Western doesn't find him in the best of shape or on the best of form, but it's a most interesting and entertaining picture regardless. In a veer from the norm, Ladd is playing a man gone bad, fuelled by hatred and thirsting for revenge, Mitch Barrett assembles a small group of strays and ruffians and sets his plans in motion. He wins the trust of the town and operates behind the facade of the law. Along the way he is extremely callous, the value of life means nothing to him now, while inner fighting and romance destabilises the group until the big denouement arrives.

The pace sometimes sags and there's a distinct rushed feel about the final quarter (one main character annoyingly dies off screen?!), yet there's still a lot to like here. The CinemaScope production is nice to look at, there's some very good scenes such as those involving cattle and liquid fire, while the all round nasty edge to the plotting and characterisations (Julie Reynolds' back story is a shocker) keeps it from being run of the mill. It's not the big Western send off that Ladd fans would have wanted, however it's still a recommended Western to like minded genre fans. 7/10