Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Steve Forrest | ... | James Devlin | |
Dean Jagger | ... | Josiah Lowe | |
Will Geer | ... | Nameless | |
Sharon Acker | ... | Carrie Gault | |
Brendon Boone | ... | Billy Irons | |
Rafael Campos | ... | Father Alvaro | |
BarBara Luna | ... | Soledad Villegas (as Barbara Luna) | |
Cameron Mitchell | ... | Lew Halleck | |
Ray Teal | ... | Judge Homer Bayne | |
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Bobby Eilbacher | ... | Benjamin Gault |
William Bryant | ... | Dr. Lawrence Nye (as Bill Bryant) | |
Steven Marlo | ... | Joe 'Patch' Janney | |
John Mitchum | ... | Eubie Turpin | |
Michael Masters | ... | Deputy Sheriff | |
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Bill Catching | ... | Executioner |
A gunfighter who survives his own hanging helps a young widow who is trying to keep a ruthless land baron from taking her ranch. Written by Anonymous
Released to TV in 1974 and directed by Michael Caffey, "The Hanged Man" is a Western starring Steve Forrest as a condemned man who miraculously survives a hanging and decides to help a widow (Sharon Acker) prevent a ruthless land baron (Cameron Mitchell) from chasing her off her remote desert ranch. Will Geer is on hand as an old-timer on the ranch while BarBara Luna plays the condemned man's babe. Brendon Boone appears as the lead henchman while Rafael Campos plays a priest.
"The Hanged Man" was a pilot for a series that never materialized. Producers would make these pilots long enough to be released as a self-contained movie to recoup their losses in the event it wasn't picked up and this was the case with "The Hanged Man." Despite being a TV movie, it has a generally realistic vibe. The premise is interesting, the cast is fine and the movie's short-and-sweet. But it lacks the pizazz to cull it from its TV Western mediocrity. There's a reason it wasn't picked up for a series. Still, it's worth checking out if you favor the actors and late 60s/early 70's Westerns.
Speaking of the actors, the movie features two alumni from the late 60's Star Trek TV series: BarBara Luna appeared in the acclaimed 2nd Season episode "Mirror, Mirror" while Sharon Acker appeared in the 3rd Season Golden Turkey "The Mark of Gideon." BarBara later appeared on two 2nd Season episodes of Buck Rogers and the 25th Century as Hawk's (totally hot) babe.
The film runs 73 minutes and was shot in Old Tucson & Mescal, Arizona, and Red Rock Canyon State Park, Cantil, California.
GRADE: C+