Buckskin (1968)

Barry Sullivan is Chaddock, a buckskin-clad Montana territorial marshal who shows up to bring peace to the town of Glory Hole.

He expected to find a wild and wide open town. Instead, he finds a town of aging shopkeepers cowering under the orders of saloon owner Rep Marlowe, who’s working on a scheme that would give him control of a vast portion of that territory.

Marlowe has chased out many of the homesteaders by building a dam to cut off water to their land.

More, including the Cody family, are preparing to leave for Oregon, convinced any battle with Marlowe is a losing battle.

So Chaddock’s first order of business is dealing with that dam.

But trouble awaits in town as well, where Marlowe has the miners, a paid-for sheriff named Tangley and a scarred gunman named Patch ready to do his bidding.

Only a few brave souls side with Chaddock; he’s hoping that’s at least enough to keep his young half-breed son safe,

Barry Sullivan as Chaddock, arriving in Glory Hole to clean up the town in Buckskin (1968)

Wendell Corey as Rep Marlowe, chasing homesteaders off their land by cutting off their water in Buckskin (1968)

Review:

John Russell turns in an interesting performance as Patch, out to settle an old score with Chaddock. Barbara Hale — best known as Dellla Street on Perry Mason — turns in a fine performance as a homesteader’s wife trying to deal with the harshness of the West.

But that’s about as far as the positives go on this one. You might be baffled as to why a marshal would drag a young son along to a town where nearly everyone wants to kill him. Then again, this Chaddock is one tough hombre. He continues a gunfight and blows up a dam after being bitten by a rattler mid-shootout.

Then, after nearly dying from said snake bite, he’s back on his horse the next day riding back to Glory Hole for a final showdown. My, oh, my.

Joan Caulfield plays the soiled school teacher turned saloon girl who Chaddock recruits to be a teacher for his son.

Lon Chaney Jr. as Sheriff Tangley, a lawman loyal to Rep Marlowe in Buckskin (1968)

John Russell as Patch, Rep Marlow’s hired gun in Buckskin (1968)

Directed by:
Michael Moore

Cast:
Barry Sullivan … Chaddock
Joan Caulfield … Nora Johnson
Wendell Corey … Rep Marlowe
Lon Chaney Jr. … Sheriff Tangley
John Russell … Patch
Barbara Hale … Sarah Cody
Barton MacLane … Doc Raymond
Bill Williams … Frank Cody
Leo Gordon … Travis
Jena -Michel Michenaud … Akii
George Chandler … Perkins
Aki Aleong … Sung Li
Michael Larrain … Jim Cody
Emile Meyer … Corbin

Runtime: 94 min.

Barry Sullivan as Chaddock looking up teacher turned saloon girl Nora Johnson (Joan Caulfield) in Buckskin (1968)

Jean-Michel Michenaud as Akii, Chaddock’s half-breed son in Buckskin (1968)

Memorable lines:

Corbin: “If we don’t get that marshal out of town, we’ll all be killed. You know Marlowe.”
Doc Raymond: “We’ve all been dead for years. This whole town has been.”
Corbin: “Yeah, thing is, now we all get buried.”

Chaddock: “Mrs. Johnson, I understand you’re a school teacher.”
Nora Johnson: “That was somebody else from the country of once upon a time.”

Sheriff Tangley, of Patch: “Heh, what’s wrong with him?”
Marlowe: “He’s got another one of his headaches. I’m gettin’ sick of ’em.”
Sheriff: “You want I should cure his headaches for good.”
Marlowe: “What part of his back would you aim at?”

Marlowe: “People are like cards. If you know how to shuffle them, you always come out the winner.”

Leo Gordon as Travis, the drunk who decides to help Chaddock stand up against Marlowe in Buckskin (1968)

Barbara Hale and Bill Williams as Sarah and Frank Cody, homesteaders about to give up the fight in Buckskin (1968)

Michael Larrain as Jim Colby, a homesteader’s son who wants to help Chaddock destroy a dam in Buckskin (1968)

Barton MacLane as Doc Raymond, warning Chaddock a stay in Glory Hole might be lethal in Buckskin (1968)

Emile Meyer as Corbin, trying to force Chaddock out of Glory Hole at the point of a shotgun in Buckskin (1968)

Barry Sullivan as Chaddock with Sung Li (Aki Aleong), a helper at the general store who befriends Chaddock’s son in Buckskin (1968)