Gunslinger (1956)

Director:

Roger Corman

Writers:

Charles B. Griffith (written by) &
Mark Hanna (written by)

Release Date:

June 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

Hired to kill the woman he loves!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Pitchfork | Beautiful Woman | Widow | Ex Confederate

Cast

John Ireland	...	Cane Miro
Beverly Garland	...	Marshal Rose Hood
Allison Hayes	...	Erica Page
Martin Kingsley	...	Mayor Gideon Polk
Jonathan Haze	...	Jake Hayes
Margaret Campbell	...	Felicity Polk
Bruno VeSota	...	Zebelon Tabb (as Bruno Ve Sota)
Chris Alcaide	...	Deputy Joshua Tate
Dick Miller	...	Pony Express Rider (as Richard Miller)
George Offerman Jr.		(as George Offerman)
William Schallert	...	Marshal Scott Hood
Paul McGuire
Aaron Saxon	...	Nate Signo
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Louanna Gardner	...	Sadie (uncredited)
Chris Miller	...	Tessie - a dancer (uncredited)
Steve Mitchell	...	Gunfighter (uncredited)

Directed by
Roger Corman

Writing credits
Charles B. Griffith		(written by) &
Mark Hanna		(written by)

Produced by
Roger Corman	....	producer
David Kramarsky	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Ronald Stein

Cinematography by
Frederick E. West		(photography) (as Fred West)

Film Editing by
Charles Gross		(as Charles Gross Jr.)

Makeup Department
Jack Byron	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bartlett A. Carre	....	assistant director (as Bart Carre)

Camera and Electrical Department
Charles Hannawalt	....	key grip (as Charles Hanawalt)

Music Department
Ronald Stein	....	musical director

Other crew
Roger Corman	....	presenter
Chris Miller	....	choreographer

Production Companies

• Roger Corman Productions

Distributors

• American Releasing Corporation (ARC) (II) (1956) (USA) (theatrical)
• Duravision (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Direct Source (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Globo Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Punto Zero (2008) (Italy) (DVD)

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Roger Corman Productions

Trivia:

It rained throughout most of the shoot. Many exterior shots had to be rewritten at the last minute to be shot indoors. Several exterior shots had to be done with a tarp over the actors' heads, and the score was used to drown out the sound of the rain hitting it.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the brothel owner is speaking with the mayor, Wormy is supposed to enter through the door in the background. He blows his cue by entering too early, realizes this, and quickly slips back behind the door.

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 "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Gunslinger (#6.11)" (1993)

Whoops, there's Jeep marks everywhere!

I guess that "Gunslinger" wasn't quite as god-awful as most of the movies that "Mystery Science Theater 3000" shows, but westerns just aren't Roger Corman's forte. Portraying Rose Hood (Beverly Garland) becoming sheriff in an Old West town after her sheriff husband gets murdered and having to fight off baddies, the movie is pretty predictable. John Ireland is Rose's new hubby, secretly working for unctuous Allison Hayes (yes, the 50-foot woman). Also appearing briefly is frequent Corman co-star Dick Miller as a mailman (Miller nowadays stars in Joe Dante's movies).

I do wish to assert that you'll probably want to watch the "MST3K" version to really enjoy this movie. They had a great time with it.