|
AUDIE
MURPHY'S Westerns |
|
Audie
Murphy, with Randolph Scott & Joel McCrea seemed to dominate the color western genre in the
1950's thru to the early 1960s. But when Randy & Joel gave westerns away,
Audie stayed with them - longer than any other well known actors. Even
through to as late as 1967, Audie was still "cranking out" these
genre staples that were exciting adventure fare. Easily identified by his
"baby face" and usually with a distinctive bandana tied tightly
around his neck, real-life war hero, Murphy made some great westerns. Murphy's
westerns were engaging and action packed affairs, but while lacking the
tall-in-the-saddle presence of Randolph Scott, or the congeniality of Joel
McCrea, Murphy could ride and shoot with the best of them and get the job
done with a certain style (which was often termed "taciturn"). Murphy made his film debut in a small role as Cadet Thomas in Beyond Glory (1948), an Alan Ladd vehicle set at West Point which is available from this website (Alan Ladd & INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES sections). Universal-International placed Murphy under contract and quickly put him to
work in westerns.
Audie's
first western outing was The Kid from Texas (1950) in which he played Billy the Kid seeking revenge
for his benefactor's murder. Kansas Raiders (1950) was an all-star oater with Murphy as Jesse James. The
Cimarron Kid (1952) saw Audie
involved with the Dalton gang. Stephen McNally and Murphy were U.S. Marshalls
pursuing claim jumpers Faith Domerque and Gerald Mohr in Duel at Silver Creek
(1952). Murphy's
westerns proved profitable for Universal-International as double bill fare
and he turned them out at a steady rate: Gunsmoke (1953), Ride Clear of
Diablo (1954), Drums Across the River (1954), Walk the Proud Land (1956) and Seven Ways from Sundown (1960) are good examples of his westerns in this
ÒyouthfulÓ period His
westerns became more routine and low budget during the 1960s and those from
Murphy and producer A.C. Lyles
represent the last burst of Hollywood feature western film production. The
genre even switched locales from Hollywood to Spain for a Òspaghetti
"western (a la Clint Eastwood) titled The Texican (1966). Age
and a heavier build gave Murphy a more mature and rugged western look in his
later westerns: Posse from Hell (1961), Gunfight at Commanche Creek
(1963), Bullet for a Bad Man (1964)
and 40 Guns to Apache Pass (1967)
are fine examples of this later period of his western output. Unfortunately
40 Guns to Apache Pass (1967)
was Audie Murphy's last starring role - he was to appear on screen once more
- in a small role as Jesse James in Budd Boetticher's A Time for Dying
(1969). Audie
Murphy was killed in a plane crash in 1971. As
my tribute to this forever youthful cowboy and incredible real-life WWII
hero, find below a collection of his westerns. Its not a complete group but
each film is of excellent quality
and presents Murphy "at his taciturn best!" All
are in Technicolor except for Cast a Long Shadow (1959) which was filmed in
B&W Note
that all of these films can also be found in the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES
section. The
set up and pricing are the same as for the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section namely: á The
DVDs in this section of the website consist of one movie title per DVD, each movie commencing when
inserted into your DVD player (no delays or useless menus). á DVDs
are available in any combination of titles comprising 1, 2 or 4 DVD boxed
sets (Note: They are not
available in 3, 5 or 6 DVD sets) A typical Audie Murphy 4 DVD Western boxed set is
pictured below:
á
The prices (including Express Postage anywhere) for
these single movie DVDs are: 1 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$20 or US$20 or £10 2 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$25 or US$25 or £13 4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18 á Email me for a current price in CN$, Euros, NZ$ etc á
PURCHASING TIP: the most economical way to buy movies from this section is
in groups of 4 films, -they are neatly assembled in a quad case with full artwork
(see picture above) and sell for AU$35 or US$35 or £18. Since postage is
included then each film can be delivered to your door for less than AU$9 or
US$9 or £5 per movie! (Note that AU$ prices
are for AU postal destinations only, international customers to use US$ or UK£) |
|
Bullet for a Badman
(1964) - 80 mins Starring Audie Murphy, Darren McGavin, Ruta Lee, Skip
Homeier, George Tobias & Alan Hale Jr. Directed by R.G. Springsteen Logan Keliher (Audie Murphy) is an ex-lawman who must
strap on the guns again to catch a former nemesis, Sam Ward (Darren McGavin),
who happens to be the ex husband of Murphy's wife and father of the boy that
believes he's Murphy's son. A treat for Murphy fans! |
|
Cast a Long Shadow (1959)
- 82 mins Starring Audie Murphy, Terry Moore, John Dehner, James
Best, Rita Lynn & Denver Pyle Directed by Thomas Carr Troubled saddletramp, Matt Brown (Audie Murphy) has a
penchant for drinking away his pain - but then he inherits a ranch from the
man who may have been his father. So he sets out to reform himself. His
efforts are ultimately challenged when his old rivals come to town. An interesting B&W western from Audie É |
|
The Cimarron Kid
(1952) - 84 mins Starring Audie Murphy, Beverly Tyler, James Best, Yvette
Duguay, John Hudson & Hugh OÕBrian Directed by Budd Boetticher After being falsely accused of a payroll heist, Bil Doolin
aka The Cimarron Kid (Audie Murphy) heads for the high country, where he
joins the outlaw Dalton gang. When the Daltons are decimated during a daring
daylight bank robbery, the Kid takes over what is left of the gang and hides
out at a local ranch. Here he is reformed by the love of rancher's daughter
Carrie Roberts (Beverly Tyler), but not so reformed that he doesn't embark
upon one last robbery. Though director Budd Boetticher is best known to western fans for his
collaborative efforts with star Randolph Scott, Boetticher also turned out
several good actioners with other cowboy stars including this one in which
Audie, who by playing Bill Doolin actually fills the same role that was
played by Randolph Scott in The Doolins of Oklahoma (1949). Note that all of the Boetticher / Scott westerns as well as the
Gordon Douglas directed The Doolins of Oklahoma (1949) are available from within the Randolph
Scott section of this website. |
|
Destry (1954)
- 95 mins Starring Audie Murphy, Mari Blanchard, Lyle Bettger,
Thomas Mitchell, Lori Nelson & Edgar Buchanan Directed by George Marshall Tom Destry (Audie Murphy), the peace-loving son of a
notorious gunslinger, is summoned to a wide-open western town in the hopes
that he can stem the villainies of saloon owner Phil Decker (Lyle Bettger)
and crooked mayor The Honorable Hiram J. Sellers (Edgar Buchanan). Though he
prefers to talk rather than slap leather, Destry manages to keep the bad guys
at bay. But when his best friend, town-drunk-turned-sheriff Rags Barnaby
(Thomas Mitchell), is shot by Decker's minions, Destry straps on the shootin'
irons and goes to work! From the Max Brand's novel, Destry Rides Again, this film is a re-make of Jimmy Stewart's 1939
film Destry Rides Again
(available from within the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website). Mari Blanchard essays
the Marlene Dietrich role as vacillating saloon-hall chirp Brandy, while Lori
Nelson is the "good"girl Martha Phillips. Comedy craftsman George Marshall directed both pictures - 15 years apart! |
|
Drums Across the River (1954) - 78 mins Starring Audie Murphy, Walter Brennan, Lyle Bettger, Lisa
Gaye, Hugh O'Brian & Jay Silverheels Directed by Nathan Juran Gary Brannon (Audie Murphy) is a peaceful homesteader
living a quiet existence with his father Sam (Walter Brennan). No-account
Frank Walker (Lyle Bettger), hoping to open up the Ute Indian territory for
gold-mining purposes, tries to foment a war between the Utes and the local
whites. As an added filip, he steals a gold shipment and pins the blame on
Brannon. Now a fugitive from justice, Brannon joins Walker's gang, much to
his father's dismay. Actually, it's all part of a plan to expose Walker's
perfidy and prevent Ute hostilities, but no one is aware of it. Jay Silverheels, best known as Tonto on TV's Lone Ranger,
co-stars as Ute warrior Taos. Audie Murphy is at his taciturn best here. |
|
The Duel at Silver Creek (1952) - 77 mins Starring Audie Murphy, Faith Domergue, Stephen McNally,
Susan Cabot, Gerald Mohr & Lee Marvin Directed by Don Siegel A group of vicious claim-jumpers is killing the miners in
a Western settlement. Their latest victim is Cromwell (Harry Harvey), who is
shot to death at his mine just after his son Luke (Audie Murphy) leaves for
town. Luke has three passions in life: poker, guns, and the silver
ornamentation he carries on him - and is better known as the Silver Kid; he
kills one of the claim-jumpers but can't catch the rest. The marshal of
Silver Creek, "Lightning" Tyrone (Stephen McNally), is also trying
to cope with the claim-jumpers, and he has a problem of his own, courtesy of
a bullet in his shoulder - he can still draw faster than almost anyone, but
he can't pull the trigger like he used to, and he doesn't know how long he
can bluff some of the tougher citizens he's been riding herd on, especially a
fellow named Johnny Sombrero (Eugene Iglesias), who's been itching to draw on
him. These two cross paths and the Silver Kid ends up as Lightning's deputy,
just in time to become suspicious of newcomers Opal Lacy (Faith Domergue) and
her brother Rod (Gerald Mohr), who are in the mining business. Lighting's
attraction to Opal and the Kid's distrust of her could just cost him the
services of a deputy who is, literally, his good right arm. Nicely balanced western helmed by famed Dirty Harry
director Don Seigel |
|
40 Guns to Apache Pass (1967) - 95 mins Starring Audie Murphy, Michael Burns, Kenneth Tobey,
Laraine Stephens, Robert Brubaker & Michael Keep Directed by William Witney Bands of hostile Apaches are terrorizing settlers under
the orders of their leader Chochise (Michael Keep). Cavalry Capt. Bruce
Coburn (Audie Murphy) mission is to deliver a shipment of rifles, but it's
stolen by greedy white traders with the help of mutinous soldiers - the most
devious being the villainous Corporal Bodine (Kenneth Tobey), who runs a
thriving business selling guns to the Indians. The directorial reins of 40 Guns to Apache Pass are in the
expert hands of actionmeister William Witney - remember his memorable Republic serials and B westerns? -
fabulous! Unfortunately this was Audie Murphy's last starring
role |
|
Gunfight at Comanche Creek (1963) - 90 mins Starring Audie Murphy, Ben Cooper, Colleen Miller,
DeForest Kelley, Jan Merlin & Adam Williams Directed by Frank McDonald In 1875, an agent for the National Detective Agency, Bob
'Gif' Gifford (Audie Murphy) is assigned to find the murderous outlaw gang
that has been breaking convicts out of prison and helping them to commit more
crimes. The resulting crimes cause the bounties upon the fugitives' heads to
rise. The outlaws then kill the convicts and reap the generous rewards.
Gifford succeeds in infiltrating
the group and sets about bringing the gang leader to justice |
|
Gunsmoke (1953)
- 79 mins Starring Audie Murphy, Susan Cabot, Paul Kelly, Charles
Drake, Mary Castle & Donald Randolph Directed by Nathan Juran Gunslinger Reb Kittridge (Audie Murphy) rides into town
expecting to take a job helping badman Matt Telford (Donald Randolph) get rid
of Dan Saxon (Paul Kelly), now the only other farmer in the basin. Instead
the wily Saxon arranges that Kittridge become owner of his ranch, so the
gunman lands up with the job of getting a cattle herd to their buyer while he
fights off Telford and his men. He also himself falling for Saxon's pretty but
independent daughter, Rita (Susan Cabot). |
|
The Guns of Fort Petticoat (1957) - 82 mins Starring Audie Murphy, Kathryn Grant, Hope Emerson, Jeff
Donnell & Jeanette Nolan Directed by George Marshall Cavalryman Lt. Frank Hewitt (Audie Murphy) deserts the
Union Army to warn former Texas neighbors of impending Indian attacks
triggered by Army massacre. He overcomes initial distrust and convinces the
homesteaders (all women whose men are away fighting in the Confederate Army)
to take refuge in an abandoned mission. He trains them to fight and shoot in
anticipation of the attack. The only other man at the mission runs away o
save his scalp and ends up leading the Indians back to the mission.
Surrounded and outnumbered, the defenders prepare for the final assault |
|
Kansas Raiders (1950)
- 80 mins Starring Audie Murphy, Brian Donlevy, Marguerite Chapman,
Scott Brady, Tony Curtis, Richard Arlen, Richard Long, James Best, Dewey
Martin & Richard Egan Directed by Ray Enright A young Jesse James (Audie Murphy) falls under the
Svengali-like spell of the outlaw William Quantrill (Brian Donlevy). Jesse
and his youthful gang join the rebels to avenge the death of his parents only
to become disillusioned with the senseless violence and looting of innocent
civilians. Goaded by Quantrill's girl to leave, Jesse vacillates until the
Yankess close in. Check out that cast - fabulous! |
|
The Kid From Texas (1950)
- 78 mins Starring Audie Murphy, Gail Storm, Albert Dekker, Shepperd
Strudwick, Will Geer & William Talman Directed by Kurt Neumann Billy the Kid becomes embroiled in Lincoln County, NM,
land wars. When a rancher who gave him a break is killed by rival henchman,
Billy vows revenge. Billy's new employer takes advantage of his naivety to
kill rivals and lets The Kid take blame. Billy takes to the hills with
friends but when caught, he escapes hanging but remains in area to be near
employer's young wife with whom he's infatuated. Audie's first western! |
|
No Name on the Bullet (1959) - 77 mins Starring Audie Murphy, Charles Drake, Joan Evans, Virginia
Grey, Warren Stevens & R. G. Armstrong Directed by Jack Arnold John Gant (Audie Murphy) rides into the town of Lordsburg
and quietly checks into the hotel. He doesn't say much, nor does he need to -
his mere presence does the talking. Gant is a killer, a hired assassin, a
gunman with 23 dead men to his credit, but he is not a murderer or a
criminal; all of his killings have been legal, a result of self-defense when
the men he was after drew on him. When he comes to a town, someone dies as
surely as if he were the angel of death - he even tells the town doctor in
Lordsburg (Charles Drake) that he's in "a similar line of work,"
and ends up playing chess with him. Who has he come to "see" in
Lordsburg? No one is sure, but as Sheriff Buck Hastings tells his deputy, it
will be mighty interesting watching the leading citizens over the next few
days. Sure enough, the town banker locks himself in his office with a gun,
his business partner starts wearing a gun for the first time in his life, the
man they cheated in their dealings is also armed; and one guilty cuckold
(Warren Stevens) is positive his ex-rival has paid Gant. Less than 12 hours
after that, there's no law left in Lordsburg, every dirty little secret in
every man's past starts bubbling to the surface, and gunplay has broken out
in the streets between the men who think their respective rivals have brought
Gant to town. Yes! - thatÕs legendary sci-fi director Jack Arnold at the
helm in this always interesting western |
|
Posse From Hell (1961)
- 89 mins Starring Audie Murphy, John Saxon, Zohra Lampert, Vic
Morrow, Robert Keith & Royal Dano Directed by Herbert Coleman Banner Cole (Audie Murphy) goes after bad guys who shot
his friend the sheriff and abducted a local girl. In a plot reminiscent of
High Noon, the posse of town blowhards gradually abandons Cole with only
tenderfoot banker Seymour Kern (John Saxon) remaining to prove his manhood.
When they find the girl, obviously abused by her captors, Cole shows her
acceptance and sympathy whereas the others display only revulsion |
|
The Red Badge of Courage (1951) - 69 mins Starring Audie Murphy, Bill Mauldin, Douglas Dick, Royal
Dano, John Dierkes & Arthur Hunnicutt Directed by John Huston Based on the novel by Stephen Crane, the film stars
real-life war hero Audie Murphy as a Civil War soldier who must redeem
himself in his own eyes after an act of cowardice. When he finally gets his
opportunity, he realizes that he is no less frightened than before; it is
simply that he has learned to push on in spite of that fear. A comparative
newcomer to films, Murphy acquits himself magnificently in the difficult
title role; equally impressive are political cartoonist Bill Mauldin as
"The Loud Soldier," John Dierkes as "The Tall Soldier"
and Royal Dano as "The Tattered Man." When Red Badge of Courage
tested poorly in preview, the studio sliced it down to 69 minutes and added a
narrator (James Whitmore) to clarify the more obscure plot passages - but its
still a film of enormous power! Trev was forced to read the book in school - but Audie was
his hero and so tracking down the film after all the years was a necessity -
John Huston is an added bonus! |
|
Ride Clear of Diablo
(1954) - 80 mins Starring Audie Murphy, Susa Cabot, Dan Duryea, Abbe Lane
& Russell Johnson Directed by Jesse Hibbs Notorious gunslinger Whitey Kincaid (Dan Duryea) is hired
by sinister forces to kill Clay O'Mara (Audie Murphy), who is out to avenge
the murders of his father and brother. Instead, Kincaid befriends OÕMara, and
helps him track down his family's killers. What follows is a classic shootout
– who will survive? Great role for Duryea as the snide, smirking Kincaid. |
|
Seven Ways From Sundown (1960) - 96 mins Starring Audie Murphy, Barry Sullivan, Venetia Stevenson,
John McIntire, Kenneth Tobey & Mary Field Directed by Harry Keller Young "Seven Ways From Sundown" Jones is a
talented but novice Texas Ranger who is in the process of learning the tricks
of the trade from veteran Ranger Sergeant Hennessey (John McIntire). The two
are currently hunting down the flamboyant outlaw Jim Flood (Barry Sullivan),
crafty enough not only to elude them, but to take a surprise offensive
against them as well. In the end, it will take all of "Seven's"
abilities to capture the wanted criminal. A nicely turned Audie Murphy western to welcome-in the new
decade. |
|
The Texican (1966)
- 91 mins Starring Audie Murphy, Broderick Crawford, Diana Lorys,
Luz M‡rquez, Antonio Casas & Antonio Molino Rojo Directed by Lesley Selander Wanted north of the border, Jess Carlin (Audie Murphy)
resides safely in Mexico. But when he hears that his brother was killed in a
gunfight with another man. But he well realizes that his brother never
carried a gun so he heads north to find his brother's killer. After battling
bounty hunters he arrives in Rimrock, a town controlled by Luke Starr
(Broderick Crawford). Starr is the man he wants but he needs to find the
evidence Also known as Texas Kid (1966) This is AudieÕs ÒSpaghetti WesternÓ which he filmed in
Spain with only director Selander & co-star Crawford for US-style company
amongst a cast full of non-English speaking players. These cast-members spoke
Spanish in the film and their lines are dubbed into English. Please note that
said dubbing is not the great est. However the visuals are stunning thanks to
excellent work by Spanish cinematographer Francisco Mar’n. |
|
Walk the Proud Land (1956)
- 89 mins Starring Audie Murphy, Ann Bancroft, Pat Crowley, Charles
Drake, Tommy Rall, Robert Warwick & Jay Silverheels Directed by Jesse Hibbs In 1874 John Philip Clum (Audie Murphy), an Eastern
government representative, arrives in San Carlos, Arizona with the intention
to uphold the peace between the settlers and the Apaches, and to encourage a
form of self-government among the Indians. Realizing that he can never hope
for cooperation from the Apaches so long as renegade warrior Geronimo (Jay
Silverheels) is at large, Clum determines to negotiate the surrender of
Geronimo - and he intends to do it alone. Walk the Proud Land, which is the true story of Indian
agent John Philip Clum, as set down
on paper by Clum's son, scores with strong characterizations and well-crafted
scriptwork from Gil Doud who also
wrote Murphy's To Hell and Back (1955) and Alan Ladd's Saskatchewan (1954) - both of which are available from the INDIVIDUAL
MOVIE TITLES section of this website. |