User Reviews

Having read previous reviews, I nearly didn't bother to watch TQG, but was glad that I did. By the standards of the 1960s and Audie Murphy Westerns, it wasn't at all bad. Murphy wasn't the greatest actor (though he did well in The Red Badge of Courage and The Unforgiven), but many of his facial reactions in TQG were quite good.

Certainly Ted de Corsia over-acted, and the hotel seemed remarkably plush for such a small town. But I've seen far worse well-lit night scenes, and the townsfolk were elderly because all the young ranch-hands were away on trail. The old gang member seemed no older than grizzled old coots such as Gabby Hayes and Walter Brennan who featured in many Westerns.

Spoiler begins: Sheriff Grant's strategy was all wrong. He locks up the only other fighting man in town and lets go the two outlaws sent to reconnoitre the town. (Later, when they are captured, Dan Evans remarks that's two less; pity that they weren't arrested earlier.) And Grant was foolhardy to go out to parley with Spangler.

I did suspect that some of the revolvers might be seven- or eight-shot, but at least both sides went through the motions of reloading them.

Producer: Grant Whytock. An Admiral Pictures production, released through Columbia. Copyright 1 May 1964 by Admiral Pictures. No New York showcasing. U.S. release: April 1964. U.K. release: 10 May 1964. Australian release: 10 April 1964. 7,918 feet. 88 minutes. Censored to 86 minutes in Australia.

SYNOPSIS: Clint Cooper, who left his home town after being forced into a duel in which the sons of a powerful rancher were killed, decides to return and claim his right to his father's ranch and to Helen Reed, his schoolteacher sweetheart. On the way he learns that a large gang plans to rob the town bank. When he arrives he finds that most of the townsmen have left on a cattle drive but he agrees to help Scotty the sheriff, an old friend of his, and a few elderly men remaining in the town, defend the town against the gang.

NOTES: This movie was filmed in Techniscope which was an anamorphic projection system developed by the Technicolor company. Scenes were photographed in CinemaScope proportions by using a wide-angle lens that threw two images instead of one on a single frame of standard 35mm film stock, thus saving companies half the cost of raw film. In processing, each wide-angle image was anamorphically squeezed on to a single frame. The prints look identical to CinemaScope prints and are projected in the same way. Despite the 50% reduction in camera frame area, the prints were claimed to be nonetheless sharp and well defined.

COMMENT: Villain Ted de Corsia is not nearly as appealing in the first half of this low-budget western, as he is in the second half where he shares a delightful scene in a saloon with heroine Merry Anders. Indeed most of the action in the film also takes place in the second half and while this is attractively photographed (the townsfolk against the yellow flames of the barricade), the people generally, with the exception of Audie Murphy, are not photographed half as well. Miss Anders, particularly, suffers from this unattractive lensing.

Musician Richard La Salle has obviously been listening to Jerome Moross' score for "The Big Country", but I liked it anyway!

The film does have one really unusual feature in that the script kills off the second lead before the big action finale. Frank Ferguson does not altogether make the happiest of substitutes.

With all due respect to Audie Murphy the war hero, I'm going to wind up repeating myself here as in my other reviews of his films. He just doesn't have the looks or charisma to appear in a Western, either as an outlaw or a hero. And when the story itself isn't very exciting, the end result leaves you with just a ho-hum experience.

I don't really want to be that critical of "The Quick Gun", as the premise was a decent one. Murphy's character Clint Cooper returns to the town of Shelby, Montana a couple of quick years after killing a pair of brothers in self defense. Apparently the citizens of Shelby were never in on that secret, or else Tom Morrison (Walter Sande), father of the dead men, did a pretty good job of keeping the murder angle alive. I guess it didn't help Clint's cause when he winds up killing Morrison and his nephew Rick (Rex Holman) in another throw down while the good folks of Shelby were preparing to defend themselves against the Spangler gang, intent on robbing the bank, ravaging the women and then burning it down for a night cap.

You know, I was thinking about something after Clint knocked off two of Spangler's (Ted de Corsia) henchmen in the early going. If only a couple more villains gave chase and caught up to him, Clint would have been toast. It's not like he had a real easy time with the first two.

The other thing that bothered me in a way was how quick and easy sheriff Scotty Grant was taken out by Spangler himself. James Best might not be the best character actor, but I always enjoy seeing him show up in a picture. In this one, he had the unenviable assignment of being engaged to Clint Cooper's former gal Helen Reed (Merry Anders), so they had to find a way for Clint to get back together with her without destroying the friendship between the two men. But having him gunned down was just a bit too convenient.

Oh well, if you're a Western movie junkie like me you'll give this one a go and move on I guess. If I had to come up with a recommendation for an Audie Murphy flick, try 1959's "No Name on the Bullet" for a better than average one. Of course there's always his real life story, one in which he plays himself in 1955's "To Hell and Back".

Audie Murphy stars as a reformed gunslinger/outlaw who returns to his home town, Shelby, not receiving a hospitable welcome due to his involvement in the murder of two sons of a cattleman who wanted to steal his land. Clint Cooper's reputation precedes him, but he wants to start a new life, calling upon a former flame, Helen (Mary Anders), who is now engaged to Shelby's sheriff, Scotty Wade (James Best, playing a straight character for a change, with valor, courage, and conviction). Wade is aware that a raid could happen upon Shelby in a matter of days as a sadistic outlaw (Jud Spangler, played by Ted de Corsia, quite a vicious heel who enjoys his criminal activities, not bothered with any guilt or conscience regarding the damage his crimes cause to the victims) and his band of thieves/killers, known to pillage and burn to ground towns, stealing bank money and having their way with the women that live in them. Needing Cooper's smarts and quick draw capabilities, Wade asks for his assistance but the father of the two Morrison boys he killed (Walter Sande, seething/bubbling with hate and anxious to get even with the man who sent his boys to an early grave, not acknowledging his responsibility for this incident) will look for an opening to get even, with help from nephew Rick (Rex Homan). When Cooper defends himself against the Morrisons in a barn brawl (not long after upending them in an exciting, violent bar fight) leading to their deaths, he will be imprisoned to stand trial—this happens right as Spangler and his men are about to arrive to the barricade set up in front of Shelby. What makes this a suspenseful western is that most of Shelby's men are off running cattle while the few that remained are mostly old store and business owners, not prone to firing guns. There's a pious priest, Reverend Staley (Charles Meredith), who tries to comfort the families holed up in his church, inspiring Wade to confront Spangler—not a wise move. Because Cooper once rode with Spangler, he knows the bastard's devious nature and will try to outsmart him.

Ted de Corsia is essentially portraying the Black Bart character, pure evil, no moral sense of right or wrong, just concerned with booze, money, and women. Audie's character is the flawed hero who lost himself along the way and returns home to make amends and help those he cares for defeat Corsia's slimy leader and malicious posse. This film has the acquired elements we are accustomed to like the aforementioned bar brawl that has Murphy battling both Sande and Holman (who illustrate here that they aren't beneath attack one man together), with tables flying, punches thrown, and bodies bloodied and beaten. The intensity of this feud is again realized when the Morrisons plan to lynch Cooper in the barn, and he responds in self-defense, successful but quite bruised for his efforts. Murphy, as often was the case, looks like a million bucks thanks to the beauty of cinema; a war hero deserves such honors, I believe. Best, known to play weak or simpleton rednecks, has a really nice part here, emphasizing that he could portray a stalwart, sincere man of the law who unwisely attempts to talk sense into a man that thrives on committing senseless acts of violence towards innocents. The showdown at the end—you can't expect there not to be a face-off between hero and villain, now can you?—has a fascinating twist which involves Helen and Spangler's lead gun, Cagle (Mort Mills), when it appears that Cooper is up &$#* creek without a paddle. If you are looking for all the customary trappings of a B-western, "The Quick Gun" will please you. I was and it did me.

Well filmed routine story which remains entertaining till the end,because of the double antagonism :the hero VS the gangsters and the hero VS the small town :when he comes back ,the women step aside because they think that the only law he knows is the point of a gun :the only man in town who still puts his trust in him is his long-time friend, the local sheriff: it's too bad this character (James Best) should disappear so soon ,because their relationship was not too clichéed ;the same can be said of the father and the son who want to become lawmen :it's all the more disappointing since the love affair is rather bland , and the actress seems self-conscious ,particularly in the scene with the villains (Ted De Corsia ,on the other hand, is perfect). Audie Murphy is well cast as the victim of fate, the black sheep of the community ,seeking redemption.

"The Last Man On Earth" director Sidney Salkow's "The Quick Gun" ranks as one of Audie Murphy's lesser efforts. Nevertheless, western movie fans may find it tolerably entertaining as a B-movie horse opera with enough noisy gun play, clattering hoof beats, and dead bodies to compensate for all its dusty clichés.

Audie plays Clint Cooper, a swift-shooting son of a six-gun who returns to the quiet frontier town of Shelby, two years after he shot it out with an influential rancher's two sons, to work the ranch that his deceased dad left him. Along the trail to Shelby, Clint runs into outlaw leader Jud Spangler and his gang of trigger-happy hard-cases. Spangler plans to raid Shelby, rob the bank brimming with cattle money, drink the town dry and carry off the women folk. When Clint and Jud (veteran tough guy Ted de Corsica of "Nevada Smith") tangle early on, we know half of everything that will transpire in this predictable but bloodthirsty oater.

It seems that Jud and Clint were old pals that are now on opposite ends of the gun barrel. Clint escapes from Jud's army of pistoleros and rides to Shelby to warn Sheriff Wade (James Best before "The Dukes of Hazzard"). Meanwhile, one of Clint's vengeful enemies Tom Morrison (pot-bellied Walter Sande of "Bad Day at Black Rock") wants to settle an old score between them. Clint gunned down two of Tom's sons before he rode out two years ago, and Tom refuses to let anything stand in his way when it comes to payback. At the same time, Sheriff Wade has herded all the women and children into the local church and the remaining townspeople have erected a barricade across Main Street and doused it with kerosene to discourage Spangler's gun-hands. Were that not enough drama, the town's schoolmarm—Helen Reed (Merry Andrews of "Women of the Prehistoric Planet")—plans to wed Wade until she lays eyes on Clint and second thoughts plague her.

The surprises are few and far between in "Utah Blaine" scenarist Robert E. Kent's saddle sore screenplay, but he serves up a passel of quotable dialogue. Surprises aren't what count here, it's the complications that give "The Quick Gun" its fleeting edge. As the townspeople are erecting the barricade, Tom and his nephew jump Clint in the barn and try to string him up. As a result, our hero is compelled to kill them. Wade arrives in time to disarm Clint and haul him off to jail, even when they need everything gun that they can lay their hands on. Unshaven Ted de Corsica is more obnoxious than intimidating, but he chews the scenery with such gusto that you actually look forward to seeing him. Murphy plays his usual,tight-lipped protagonist. Murphy's stuntman gets a good workout, especially in one scene when he leaps from a second-story balcony and hits the ground running.

Clocking in at a brisk 87 minutes, "The Quick Gun" doesn't wear out its welcome and a higher-than-average body count gives it more menace than most American oaters made 1964 typically had before the advent of the spaghetti western. Seasoned western director Sidney Salkow doesn't waste a lot of time getting around to the gun play. The ending has a "High Noon" quality to it.

This film opens with gunslinger Clint Cooper heading back to his home town of Shelby, Montana. Before he can get there he runs into Jud Spangler and his band of outlaws; Spangler is planning to head into Shelby and rob the bank. Spangler invites Clint to join him stating that he has reasons for going into town alone; after a brief confrontation Clint gets away and heads into Shelby. He is clearly not welcome there any more; we learn that he left after a shoot out that left two brothers dead; their father Tom Morrison and his nephew Rick are still determined to see Clint die. Clint warns his old friend Sheriff Scotty Grant that Spangler is going to attack soon. As the town prepares for Spangler's arrival Clint must deal with both the Morrisons and the fact that the woman he loved is now engaged to Scotty.

This is a fairly standard Audie Murphy western; his character very similar to those he usually plays; the likable but misunderstood man who is quick with his gun. The plot is fairly simple with no unexpected twists but that doesn't really matter as it was fun to watch. There was plenty of decent action including shoot outs and a thrilling scene where Clint and Rick fight with baling hooks! As Spangler attacks the town a surprising number of townsfolk are gunned down and it is clear that his intentions towards the women are less than honourable. Murphy does a good job as Clint but Ted de Corsia steals the show as Spangler; a bit of a pantomime villain but a lot of fun to watch. Merry Anders put in a feisty performance as love interest Helen Reed; although her scenes with Spangler were more interesting that the potential love triangle involving Clint and Scotty. While this was obviously a fairly cheap B western it was still an enjoyable way to pass a quiet afternoon.

Sidney Salkow directs Audie Murphy, who plays Clint Cooper, a gunslinger returning to a town that he left after an incident that killed two brothers. There is also his relationship with a schoolmarm Helen Reed (Merry Anders), he needs to walk away from. The small town holds grudges a bit too long and when it is to be the target of a throng of hoodlums, Clint returns to warn the townsfolk. His former best friend Sheriff Scotty Grant (James Best) doesn't want to put stock in the warning. The town finally puts up a barricade, while Clint is put behind bars. The action seems to come and go. This can't be considered one of Murphy's best westerns. To be exact, this one is ho-hum.

Also in the cast: Ted de Corsia, Frank Ferguson, Rex Holman and Walter Sande.

This is basically the same story as the 1960 film, Noose for a Gunman. Same writers, Steve Fisher & Robert E. Kent. Same production co., Robert E. Kent Productions. Ted de Corsia even plays the leader of the gang of 'bad guys' in both films. I prefer Noose for a Gunman over The Quick Gun, it seems to play out better. Along with that, Noose for a Gunman has quite a few of the best character actors: Jim Davis, Barton MacLane, Leo Gordon, Harry Carey Jr.,Lane Chandler, John Hart & Kermit Maynard. Lyn Thomas plays the female interest in 'Noose'. Noose for a Gunman is filmed in beautiful black & white, while The Quick Gun was in color. There is only four years between the two films, which seems like a short period of time for a remake/re-telling of the same story. This is not a bad film, but you should see them both to get the 'Big Picture'.