Death of a Gunfighter (1969)

Directors:

Don Siegel
Robert Totten

Writers:

Lewis B. Patten (novel)
Joseph Calvelli (screenplay)

Release Date:

April 1969 (Austria)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

Marshall Patch... he lived by the law of the gun...

Plot:

In the turn-of-the century Texas town of Cottownwood Springs, marshal Frank Patch is an old-style lawman in a town determined to become modern...

Plot Keywords:

Marshal | Small Town | Changing Times | Suicide | Marriage

Cast

Richard Widmark	...	Marshal Frank Patch
Lena Horne	...	Claire Quintana
Carroll O'Connor	...	Lester Locke
David Opatoshu	...	Edward Rosenblum
Kent Smith	...	Andrew Oxley
Jacqueline Scott	...	Laurie Mills
Morgan Woodward	...	Ivan Stanek
Larry Gates	...	Mayor Chester Sayre
Dub Taylor	...	Doc Adams
John Saxon	...	Lou Trinidad
Darleen Carr	...	Hilda Jorgenson
Michael McGreevey	...	Dan Joslin
Royal Dano	...	Arch Brandt
Jimmy Lydon	...	Luke Mills (as James Lydon)
Kathleen Freeman	...	Mary Elizabeth

Runtime:

Brazil:94 min | USA:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Norway:16 | West Germany:18 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:M (original rating) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Golden Oak Ranch - 19802 Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Star Richard Widmark and original director Robert Totten had "artistic differences," and Totten was replaced by Don Siegel. When the film was completed, Siegel, saying that Totten directed more of the film than he did, refused to take screen credit for it, but Widmark didn't want Totten's name on it. A compromise was reached whereby the film was credited to the fictitious "Alan Smithee" (originally to be called Al Smith, but the DGA said there had already been a director by that name), thereby setting a precedent for directors who, for one reason or another, did not want their name on a film they made.

Quotes:

Angela: I can't charge you for crying on my sheets.
Luke Mills: I had too much to drink.
Angela: Of course you did, lover.
Luke Mills: Take the money.
Angela: For what? If a pipefitter can't lay pipe, he ought to try another business.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in El tiempo de la felicidad (1997)

Soundtrack:

SWEET APPLE WINE

Alan Smithee's directorial debut

Started by Robert Totten, then taken over by Don Siegel at the insistence of Richard Widmark (Totten and the star "clashed," as they say), "Death of a Gunfighter" wound up credited to the fictitious and now somewhat famous Alan Smithee. This intriguing Western remains the elusive director's best work, thanks, no doubt, to the proven skills of Siegel and another terrific Widmark performance (the director and star had previously collaborated on "Madigan" a year earlier). As sheriff Widmark's love interest, Lena Horne hasn't much to do, but she looks good doing it.