Johnny Concho (1956)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Don McGuire

Writers:

David P. Harmon (screenplay)
David P. Harmon (story)

Release Date:

July 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot Keywords:

Cowardice | Gunfighter

Cast

Frank Sinatra	...	Johnny Concho aka Johnny Collins
Keenan Wynn	...	Barney Clark
William Conrad	...	Tallman
Phyllis Kirk	...	Mary Dark
Wallace Ford	...	Albert Dark
Dorothy Adams	...	Sarah Dark
Christopher Dark	...	Walker
Howard Petrie	...	Joe Helguson, Blacksmith
Harry Bartell	...	Sam Green
Dan Riss	...	Judge Earl Tyler
Willis Bouchey	...	Sheriff Henderson
Robert Osterloh	...	Duke Lang
Jean Byron	...	Pearl Lang
Leo Gordon	...	Mason
Claude Akins	...	Lem

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Kent Productions

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Magnavox Presents Frank Sinatra (1973) (TV)

Wow this is a bad movie

Someone here actually compared this movie in some ways to High Noon. Now that is a real stretch! I'm a big Sinatra fan including some of his acting roles but maybe the only person who could have played this part would have been Don Knotts. First off, as someone pointed out, Sinatra just doesn't have the build for a Western bad-guy wannabe. He's just too 'slight' at this point in his life. Maybe he was about the same height as say Audie Murphy, but Murphy had a pretty solid build. Sinatra comes across as the big talking little kid who nobody ought to take seriously.

The story is uninspired and really not credible. I don't want to spoil it but I think the ending and how the townspeople react in this story doesn't make any sense. Another thing, these people constantly allow themselves to be completely lorded over by some 'bad guy'. This is just a little town, so I don't get the attraction nor do I understand why the people would let themselves be dominated that way.

There is a 'love interest' in the story and if I followed it right, she was upset when the main character refused to admit who he was so some other bad guy wouldn't kill him. Now there's true love for you. 'Stand up for yourself! Tell him your name so he will kill you!' LOL. Stop, you're killing me.

Unfortunately the basic premise of the movie isn't good enough and no matter how they tried this story didn't have a logical path to follow other than into the wastebasket. Want to know why it's not on video and never shown on TV? The critics apparently panned it in 1956 and they were right - this movie is pretty bad. I would almost bet Sinatra paid someone to deep six the thing as much as possible.

You want to see a good Western where a town stands up against a bad guy? Try Tension at Table Rock, or At Gunpoint - two really, really good Westerns with that theme. Johnny Concho is Johnny Stinko. Frank, you were the greatest singer ever - but you didn't belong in a movie like this.