Gunsmoke (1953)

Director:

Nathan Juran

Writers:

Norman A. Fox (novel)
D.D. Beauchamp (screenplay)

Release Date:

March 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

Hired Gunslinger In A Lawless Land!

Plot:

Kittridge is hired by the villans but turns to defend the rancher Saxon after learning the true situation...

Plot Keywords:

Cattle Drive | Land Grab | Based On Novel

Cast

Audie Murphy	...	Reb Kittridge
Susan Cabot	...	Rita Saxon
Paul Kelly	...	Dan Saxon
Charles Drake	...	Johnny Lake
Mary Castle	...	Cora Dufrayne
Jack Kelly	...	Curly Mather
Jesse White	...	Professor
Donald Randolph	...	Matt Telford
William Reynolds	...	Brazos
Chubby Johnson	...	Doc Farrell
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Philo McCullough	...	Abner Sneed (scenes deleted)

Also Known As:

A Man's Country (USA)
Roughshod (USA)

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #16145) | Sweden:15 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

During the cattle drive, Audie Murphy (Reb) has rode up ahead, over a ridge, to scout the trail and sees a range fire burning towards the herd. As he races back down the hill to the other riders, his horse slips and almost falls down. Audie and the horse are able to recover and without missing a beat, Audie says his lines to the others and the scene goes on.

Quotes:

Dan Saxon: I built that ranch with my own two hands. You were born there. Your mother died there. I fought Indians and snowstorms and dry years and floods to make it what it is. And I'm not going to give it up just because some two-bit gunslinger happens to come to town.

formulas western with creative twist

Like most westerns between 1945 and 1985, the hero begins as an outlaw. I always called this Saul/Paul syndrome. Americans love a bad guy gone good better than anything. That said, this formula western had a creative twist a lot of people who enjoyed the movie never noticed. It may be the only Western ever where the lead character chickened out of fistfights and still held his dignity. In this movie, Audie Murphy plays a man who has virtually one skill-gunmanship. He is not a champion boxer, fighter, cowhand; he can do one thing good, and he is thinking about his future. In fact, his character is much like what the later anti hero of the seventies strived to be. That said, this is a very action packed interesting movie, with bad guys, wise guys, and good direction.