Gunslinger (1956)

User Rating:

2.4/10   

Director:

Roger Corman

Writers:

Charles B. Griffith (screenplay) and
Mark Hanna (screenplay)

Release Date:

June 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Romance | Western

Tagline:

Hired to kill the woman he loved!

Plot:

After her husband is gunned down, Rose Hood takes his place as sheriff of a small Western town.

Plot Keywords:

Marshal | Killer | Mayor | Murder | Texas

Cast

John Ireland	...	Cane Miro
Beverly Garland	...	Marshal Rose Hood
Allison Hayes	...	Erica Page
Martin Kingsley	...	Mayor Gideon Polk
Jonathan Haze	...	Jake Hayes
Chris Alcaide	...	Deputy Joshua Tate
Dick Miller	...	Jimmy Tonto (as Richard Miller)
Bruno VeSota	...	Zebelon Tabb (as Bruno Ve Sota)
Margaret Campbell	...	Felicity Polk
William Schallert	...	Marshal Scott Hood
Aaron Saxon	...	Nate Signo
Chris Miller	...	Tessie - a Dancer

Runtime:

71 min | USA:83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Roger Corman Productions

Trivia:

Allison Hayes broke her arm when she fell off a horse during the filming. Beverly Garland claimed Hayes intentionally slid from her horse in order to get out of the film. Director Roger Corman also shot a couple of close-ups of Hayes for the film as they were waiting for the ambulance.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Jeep tracks are visible as Beverly Garland chases John Ireland out of town.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Rose Hood: Hi.
Marshal Scott Hood: Hi. Long night.
Rose Hood: A quiet one for a change.
Marshal Scott Hood: Aw, you shouldn't get up so early just to fetch my breakfast.
Rose Hood: What else is a Marshal's wife good for?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Film '72: (2008-09-23)" (2008)

Roger Corman's magnum opus!

I'll admit that I don't expect much from a Roger Corman film. Generally, I expect a lot of walking and bad scripts. Yet in this case, I am pleasantly surprised.

The Gunslinger is a story of a woman (played by the spunky Beverly Garland) who takes over as sheriff after her husband is brutally murdered. Ms. Garland is a pretty good shot herself, killing one of the murderers the next day at her husband's funeral. Her first task is to shut down the local bar that is violating the town curfew. The bar's owner is trying to buy land in anticipation of being bought out by the (hoped-for) railroad. However, Ms. Garland is a thorn in her plans, and the bar matron hires a man to kill Ms. Garland.

Because of Ms. Garland's plays her role honestly and realistically, there is absolutely no temptation to go to Suzanne Somers "She's the Sheriff" jokes. With the exception of a couple of faux pas (the apartment door that opens OUT from the inside, jeep tracks, and the two horsemen waiting on screen for their cue to ride around a corner), the movie becomes quite passable as movie fare. However, Corman could not resist padding his film with horse riding scenes, much like he does walking in other films.

Sterno says The Gunslinger is a horse opera worth your time.