Post by petrolino on Sept 23, 2017 22:58:35 GMT
The cross-genre technicolor western 'The Black Dakotas' offers an unusual marriage between the conventional spy caper and the traditional western. In 1864, Confederate soldiers send secret agent Brock Marsh (Gary Merrill) into Dakota Territory in order to impersonate Union official Zachary Paige and foster a Sioux uprising. With Union soldiers fighting on additional fronts to protect settlers, the Confederate Army can exploit their weakened defenses and push them into retreat.
'The Black Dakotas' builds a seething atmosphere generated by lynch mob rule as frontier justice is delivered at the end of a rope. Director Ray Nazarro escalates tension by driving forward the narrative with minimal baggage, bringing rank and discipline to the storytelling. The action is expertly shot by long-serving b-movie cameraman Ellis W. Carter and there's some punchy dialogue to ponder.
Gary Merrill excels as slippery conman Brock Marsh in this compact political western which outlines the travails of life during wartime. He receives strong support from John Bromfield as rough trader Mike Daugherty, Wanda Hendrix as fearless fugitive Ruth Lawrence, Noah Beery Jr. as undercover plant "Gimpy" Joe Woods, John War Eagle as Sioux Nation leader War Cloud, Jay Silverheels as tribal terrorist Black Buffalo, Howard Wendell as foolhardy bigot Judge Horatio Baker, Robert Simon as fake lawman Marshal Whit Collins and Peter Whitney as sick-minded bully-boy Grimes. The interceptors (James Griffith, Clayton Moore & Richard Webb) are led by Fay Roope as loyal southerner John Lawrence.
'Gunfight At The O.K. Corral' is based on one of the most famous events in American history. On October 26th in 1881, a shootout occurred in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. The film is directed by John Sturges from a screenplay written by novelist Leon Uris. Sturges gained valuable experience managing talent-heavy ensembles, producing iconic, crowd-pleasing pictures like 'Bad Day At Black Rock' (1955), 'The Magnificent Seven' (1960), 'The Great Escape' (1963) and 'The Eagle Has Landed' (1976) which are known throughout the movie-watching world. His talent for crafting engrossing, large-scale epics is on show throughout this entertaining western which showcases real life friends Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas. Douglas and Lancaster etched genre pairings for the ages, like good friends Glenn Ford and William Holden in the 1940s, and new pals Paul Newman and Robert Redford in later years.
Burt Lancaster is solid and clear-headed as lawman Wyatt Earp while Kirk Douglas is bold and cold as sickly philosopher Doc Holliday. Both actors are bolstered by the talent surrounding them which includes Rhonda Fleming as confident huckster Laura Denbow, Jo Van Fleet as volatile strumpet Kate Fisher, John Ireland as lumbering vulture Johnny Ringo, Lyle Bettger as aggressive rustler Ike Clanton, Dennis Hopper as self-destructive gunfighter Billy Clanton, Frank Faylen as depressed addict Sheriff Cotton Wilson, Earl Holliman as amiable peacekeeper Deputy Charlie Bassett, Ted De Corsia as vengeful anarchist Shanghai Pierce, John Hudson as wiley planner Virgil Earp, DeForest Kelley as unforgiving rifleman Morgan Earp, Martin Milner as reliable shooter Jimmy Earp, Whit Bissell as gruff gambler John Clum, Lee Van Cleef as yellow-bellied scumdog Ed Bailey, Jack Elam as glowering moondog Tom McLowery and Mickey Simpson as lowdown dirty dog Frank McLowery.
The music in 'Gunfight At The O.K. Corral' is composed by Dimitri Tiomkin and the title theme is sung by Frankie Laine. It's not my favourite Wyatt Earp western - that would probably be either 'My Darling Clementine' (1946) or 'Tombstone' (1993) - but it would round out my top 5 with 'Wichita' (1955) and 'Doc' (1971). Sturges went on to make another Wyatt Earp tale I've not seen, 'Hour Of The Gun' (1967). I'd like to see Allan Dwan's picture 'Frontier Marshal' (1939) with Randolph Scott as Wyatt Earp.
"Traitors? Rebels? Whatever you yankees choose to call us, we serve the government of the Confederacy."
Wanda Hendrix
'Manana' - Peggy Lee of the Dakotas
'The Black Dakotas' builds a seething atmosphere generated by lynch mob rule as frontier justice is delivered at the end of a rope. Director Ray Nazarro escalates tension by driving forward the narrative with minimal baggage, bringing rank and discipline to the storytelling. The action is expertly shot by long-serving b-movie cameraman Ellis W. Carter and there's some punchy dialogue to ponder.
Gary Merrill excels as slippery conman Brock Marsh in this compact political western which outlines the travails of life during wartime. He receives strong support from John Bromfield as rough trader Mike Daugherty, Wanda Hendrix as fearless fugitive Ruth Lawrence, Noah Beery Jr. as undercover plant "Gimpy" Joe Woods, John War Eagle as Sioux Nation leader War Cloud, Jay Silverheels as tribal terrorist Black Buffalo, Howard Wendell as foolhardy bigot Judge Horatio Baker, Robert Simon as fake lawman Marshal Whit Collins and Peter Whitney as sick-minded bully-boy Grimes. The interceptors (James Griffith, Clayton Moore & Richard Webb) are led by Fay Roope as loyal southerner John Lawrence.
'The Bridge' - Dolly Parton
'Gunfight At The O.K. Corral' is based on one of the most famous events in American history. On October 26th in 1881, a shootout occurred in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. The film is directed by John Sturges from a screenplay written by novelist Leon Uris. Sturges gained valuable experience managing talent-heavy ensembles, producing iconic, crowd-pleasing pictures like 'Bad Day At Black Rock' (1955), 'The Magnificent Seven' (1960), 'The Great Escape' (1963) and 'The Eagle Has Landed' (1976) which are known throughout the movie-watching world. His talent for crafting engrossing, large-scale epics is on show throughout this entertaining western which showcases real life friends Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas. Douglas and Lancaster etched genre pairings for the ages, like good friends Glenn Ford and William Holden in the 1940s, and new pals Paul Newman and Robert Redford in later years.
"You've lost your poker face. You look like a scared little girl."
Burt Lancaster & Kirk Douglas
Rhonda Fleming
Burt Lancaster is solid and clear-headed as lawman Wyatt Earp while Kirk Douglas is bold and cold as sickly philosopher Doc Holliday. Both actors are bolstered by the talent surrounding them which includes Rhonda Fleming as confident huckster Laura Denbow, Jo Van Fleet as volatile strumpet Kate Fisher, John Ireland as lumbering vulture Johnny Ringo, Lyle Bettger as aggressive rustler Ike Clanton, Dennis Hopper as self-destructive gunfighter Billy Clanton, Frank Faylen as depressed addict Sheriff Cotton Wilson, Earl Holliman as amiable peacekeeper Deputy Charlie Bassett, Ted De Corsia as vengeful anarchist Shanghai Pierce, John Hudson as wiley planner Virgil Earp, DeForest Kelley as unforgiving rifleman Morgan Earp, Martin Milner as reliable shooter Jimmy Earp, Whit Bissell as gruff gambler John Clum, Lee Van Cleef as yellow-bellied scumdog Ed Bailey, Jack Elam as glowering moondog Tom McLowery and Mickey Simpson as lowdown dirty dog Frank McLowery.
'(I Can't Help You) I'm Falling Too' - Skeeter Davis
The music in 'Gunfight At The O.K. Corral' is composed by Dimitri Tiomkin and the title theme is sung by Frankie Laine. It's not my favourite Wyatt Earp western - that would probably be either 'My Darling Clementine' (1946) or 'Tombstone' (1993) - but it would round out my top 5 with 'Wichita' (1955) and 'Doc' (1971). Sturges went on to make another Wyatt Earp tale I've not seen, 'Hour Of The Gun' (1967). I'd like to see Allan Dwan's picture 'Frontier Marshal' (1939) with Randolph Scott as Wyatt Earp.
