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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Clarence Upson Young (story)
Berne Giler (writer)
Release Date:
October 1956 (USA) more
Tagline:
THE BLAZING STORY OF THE GREAT ABILENE RANGE WAR! (original print ad - all caps)
Plot:
Jim Trask, former sheriff of Abilene, returns to the town after fighting for the Confederacy to find everyone thought he was dead... more | add synopsis
User Comments:
A bit more depth than expected more (3 total)
Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Jock Mahoney | ... | Jim Trask | |
| Martha Hyer | ... | Peggy Bigelow | |
| Lyle Bettger | ... | Dave Mosely | |
| David Janssen | ... | Deputy Verne Ward | |
| Grant Williams | ... | Chip Tomlin | |
| Ted de Corsia | ... | Sheriff Dan Claudius | |
| Harry Harvey | ... | Ross Bigelow | |
| Dayton Lummis | ... | Jack Bedford | |
| Richard H. Cutting | ... | Nelson | |
| Robert G. Anderson | ... | Sprague | |
| John Maxwell | ... | Frank Scovie | |
| Lane Bradford | ... | Loop |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Gun Shy (USA) (alternative title)
more
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
80 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.00 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Filming Locations:
Fun Stuff
Movie Connections:
Remade as Gunfight in Abilene (1967) more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (3 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Showdown at Abilene (1956)Recommendations
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| The Violent Men | Rio Lobo | Fighting Man of the Plains | Gunfight in Abilene | The Left Handed Gun |
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Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | IMDb Western section |
| IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |

While this modestly-cast production from 1956 has a number of the elements found in the usual B-western, its plot and characters offer a bit more depth and complexity than one might expect. This is largely due to the "triangle" relationship between Jock Mahoney, his former girlfriend, Martha Hyer, and the man she's now engaged to marry, Lyle Bettger. It's an awkward situation and the fact that these three people, at least at the start of the story, like each other gives the situation refreshing ambiguities and nuances. At least it's not the usual "good guys and bad guys." As has been mentioned in other reviews, this movie is well-cast though I agree Ted de Corsia is too old and out-of-shape to be convincing as the "hired gun." Curiously, just 11 years later, Universal released a re-make of this movie called "Gunfight in Abilene" with, of all people, Bobby Darin in the Jock Mahoney role. Though they're quite similar, it's still of interest to compare the two productions.