A Day of Fury (1956)

Life if pretty peaceful in the little town of West End. Oh, there an occasional problem, but nothing Marshal Allan Burnett (Jock Mahoney) can’t handle. In fact, the town is gathered for his wedding to Sharman Fulton (Mara Corday).

Then a gunslinger named Jagade (Dale Robertson) rides into town. Burnett’s reluctant to chase him out because Jagade saved his life, alerting him to a outlaw waiting in ambush. But to the rest of the folks in West End, Jagade is a symbol of their town’s lawless past, and his presence means the town might slip back into that lawlessness.

When Judge McLean tries to take matters into his own hand, the marshal shoots him, to prevent the judge from going up against Jagade and being killed. As she watches trouble unfold, Sharman — an old lover of Jagade — goes to the gunman and offers to leave town with him.

That earns her a scarlet letter. The town fathers are ready to run her right out of town and take matters into their own hands. Meanwhile, Jagade is trying to find a way to get rid of the marshal, the one man in town he can’t figure out. Getting rid of him might not be too difficult; Burnett has been thrown in jail for shooting the judge.

Dale Robertson as Jagade, trying to convince Sharman the right side of town is the wrong side for her in A Day of Fury (1956)

Jock Mahoney as Marshal Allan Burnett, trying to show patience with the gunman who saved his life in A Day of Fury (1956)

Review:

Very odd little film that’s worth a look because it’s so different. But the hysteria that sweeps over West End when Jagade rides into town seems awfully premature.

So does Sharman’s offer to leave with him, the preacher’s plan to burn down the saloon and the judge’s intention to gun down Jagade if the marshal won’t … all because of things Jagade might do if he hangs around West End too long.

What happens is that the folks of West End, who have won civilization for their town so recently, show how easy if would be for them to fall back into a wild, violent life. Or so that seems to be the morale of this story, in which Robertson walks around delivering another of his one-note, puffed-out-chest performances.

Mara Corday as Sharman Fulton, ready to leave town with Jagade to protect the man she loves in A Day of Fury (1956)

Jan Merlin as Billy Brand, a young hothead pulling a gun on West End’s preacher in A Day of Fury (1956)

Directed by:
Harmon Jones

Cast:
Jock Mahoney … Marshal Allan Burnett
Dale Robertson … Jagade
Mara Corday .. Sharman Fulton
Carl Benton Reid … Judge McLean
Jan Merlin … Billy Brand
John Dehner … Preacher Jason
Dayton Lummis … Mayor Alston
Sheila Bromley … Marie
Dee Carroll … Miss Timmons
James Bell … Doc Logan
Dani Crayne … Claire
Howard Wendell … Vanryzin
Charles Cane … Duggen
Phil Chambers … Burson
Sydney Mason … Beemans
Helen Kleeb … Mrs. McLean

Runtime: 78 min.

aka:
Jagade
Justice Comes to Tomahawk

John Dehner as Preacher Jason, standing up against the push for violence in A Day of Fury (1956)

Carl Benton Reid as Judge McLean (left) and a fellow townsman want Jagade run out of West End in A Day of Fury (1956)

Memorable lines:

Preacher Jason, referring to Jagade: “That man is a creature of hell. If he stays here, he’ll turn this town into a hell.”
Marshal Burnett: “But he can’t do it alone. Our problem is to keep him from stampeding us into helping him.”

Jagade, after being asked to turn over his gun: “I don’t trust your ways, judge. You sniff a gun and decide it’s been fired, then string a man up … then pat yourself on the back for getting rid of another gunslinger.”

Jagade to Sharman, on West End’s reaction to his arrival in town: “I turned over a rotten log. I didn’t create what came crawling out from under it.”

Mara Corday as Sharman Fulton, trying to make Allan Burnett (Jock Mahoney) understand the threat Jagade poses to their relationship in A Day of Fury (1956)

Sheila Bromley as Marie, yearning for a return of the wild days, until Jagade’s influence starts to take hold in A Day of Fury (1956)

Dee Carroll as Miss Timmons, the prim and proper school teacher fascinated by Jagade in A Day of Fury (1956)

Dale Robertson as Jagade and Jan Merlin as Billy Brand spot trouble coming their way in A Day of Fury (1956)