Director Edward L. Cahn's black & white oater "The Gambler Wore A Gun" is basically a lackluster remake of director Ray Nazarro's superior Technicolor sagebrusher "The Lone Gun." These two horse operas were adapted from L. L. Foreman's novel. If you've seen one, you will instantly recognize their similarities. Veteran western actor Jim Davis, who eventually found fame as the patriarch on the hit CBS television prime-time soaper "Dallas," plays a tinhorn cardsharp who wants to cash in his chips and settle down. This solemn, unpretentious western differs somewhat from the original because the gambler rather than a gunslinger is the hero. Clean-cut, square-jawed George Montgomery played the hero in "The Lone Gun." Dorothy Malone played opposite him as his leading lady. Merry Andrews took over the leading lady's role in the remake.
When this United Artists release unfolds, the titular character watches from afar as four fast-riding owl hoots gallop past him. He descends to the trail below and rides up to a tree trimmed with a man strung up and dangling from a branch. All you see is his booted feet hanging. Talk about a dramatic way to start a western! Anyway, Case Silverthorne (Jim Davis) dismounts from his palomino stallion with a silver-mounted, Mexican saddle, and checks a body strewn face down in the dirt. Case discovers a lawman's badge not far from the body. Unlike the hanged man, the lawman is still breathing. Dex Harwood (Mark Allen) manages to recover after Cass has boiled a pot of coffee over a campfire. Harwood is the town marshal of Marlpine where our hero has decided to settle down. Case tells Dex he has spent four years riding riverboats to afford to buy a place of his own. Case has paid $32-hundred as a down payment on the property. As it turns out, Case has bought the ranch from Will Donovan, but he never laid eyes on Donovan. Harwood informs Case that the hanged man was none other than Will Donovan! Harwood is a little incredulous about this turn of events. Dex knew that Will had built the house for his two children. When they reach town, Doc Devlin (Addison Richards 0f "Nick Carter, Master Detective"), who also serves as the local records keeper, tells Case that he has seen no such deed. Devlin mentions that another man, Kelly Barnum (Charles Cane), has plunked down $32-hundred to buy a local saloon. Dex finds this story suspicious because Kelly has never had more than $35 at any time in his life. At this point, Sharon and Jud Donovan arrive in town to identify their father's body. Dex agrees to keep Case's story about his purchase of Will Donovan's Diamond D Ranch a secret.
Case proves he can defend himself when two men try to steal his saddle. Case wounds one of his assailants during a scuffle on Main Street with his derringer. Dex comes to his rescue but warns him not to cheat other poker players. Case and Barnum reach an agreement. For ten percent of the take, Barnum allows Case to run his poker game without any interference on his part. Meantime, the three Larkin brothers appear to be in cahoots with Barnum. Barnum acquires information about livestock for them to rustle. When the Larkins ride out to rustle some livestock, they tell Jud that they have some important business to attend to elsewhere. Jud reminds them they are ranch hands on his late father's payroll. They hint to Jud that they aren't typical ranch hands. "Well, you might call us stray collectors," Tray Larkin explains. Jud suddenly understands they are rustlers. He threatens to tell the marshal about their lucrative sideline. When orders them off the ranch, the Larkins advise Jud that his sister and he will be the only ones to leave the Diamond D. Tray elaborates that Jud's father Will sanctioned their nefarious activities because he was financially strapped. Jud realizes to his horror that they have been using as box canyon in Lost Meadow to corral their illegal livestock. Tray reveals that he gave Will $3-thousand to allow them to operate. Furthermore, Tray and his brothers deny that they had anything to do with Will's death.
Eventually, young, impulsive Jud approaches Doc Devlin for a loan of $3-thousand, but all Doc can shell out is $300. Not long afterward, Case learns Barnum and the villainous Larkin brothers had been blackmailing Will Donovan to use his ranch as a place to conceal stolen animals. Barnum decides to frame Case for killing Jud. Barnum snatches Case's derringer and shoots Jud from behind a curtain, and tosses the two-shot weapon onto the table. Now, Barnum knows that Case sent the money that the Larkins and he stole from Will. Barnum tries desperately to incite the crowd in the saloon to lynch Case. Case grabs another man's gun when nobody is paying attention and scrambles out of the saloon. During the final ten minutes, we learn that Barnum and the Larkins murdered Will Donovan because they knew about Will's mail order sale of the ranch to Silverthorne. Sharon, Case, and the Marshal track down the Larkins and shoot it out with them. At fade out, Case and Sharon are hugging and kissing on the front porch of Donovan's ranch.
"The Gambler Wore A Gun" has no shortage of plot, but it lacks the charisma of the original. Jim Davis takes over the Frank Faylan role with style and aplomb, but Mark Allan makes little impression as the lawman. Indeed, the rest of the cast blends in with the background. The sudden romance at fade out between Case and Sharon seems improbable considering their difference in age. Floyd Crosby's black & white cinematography is exceptional as is Kenneth G. Crane's sharp editing.
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