Dale Robertson plays Billy Reynolds, a former lawman who’s trying his hand at farming.
One day, the Gorman brothers come to town, intent to settle a score. Reynolds, you see, sent their brother, Jess (Stephen McNally) to prison.
Reynolds kills the brothers, but does so in 1897 Arizona, when gunplay is frowned upon, no matter the reason. So he finds himself sentenced to Arizona Territorial Prison.
It’s the very same prison where Jess Gorman is serving his sentence. And Jess, of course, is determined to get revenge for the death of his brothers.
Into this mix steps Abby Nixon (Virginia Mayo). She’s Jess Gorman’s girl, and she gets herself thrown into jail to help him escape.
She organizes the breakout well enough. But instead of fleeing for Mexico, Jess has plans to kill a few guards, blow up the prison and set 500 convicts loose on the nearby town of Yuma.
Oh, and he has special plans for Billy Reynolds, too.
Dale Robertson as Billy Reynolds, trying to warn Abby Nixon about Jess Gorman in Devil’s Canyon (1953)
Stephen McNally as Jess Gorman, itching for vengeance against Billy Reynolds in Devil’s Canyon (1953)
Review:
So-so prison Western. Robertson is more bearable than usual. Mayo makes for a shapely, if confused heroine.
How confused? She’s supposedly in love with Gorman and is helping him plan a breakout. She invites his arch enemy along because she thinks he might come in handy. Huh?
The breakout is actually pretty cleverly planned, and its execution, and the way McNally’s character reveals his true vicious nature, is one of the film’s highlights, though it all winds up rather ludicrously.
Earl Holliman plays one of McNally’s cellmates in his first credited film role. Arthur Hunnicutt provides the comic relief as one of Reynold’s cellmates.
He’s been sentenced to 50 years in jail for killing a best friend. At the time, he was really trying to kill his mother-in-law because he caught her cheating at cards. His story of how that happened is another of the film’s better moments.
Virginia Mayo as Abby Nixon, getting an up-close look at Jess Gorman’s violent turn in Devil’s Canyon (1953)
Cell mates Virgil Gates (Whit Bissell), Frank Taggert (Arthur Hunnicutt) and Gomez (George J. Lewis) getting a look at the pretty new prisoner in Devil’s Canyon (1953)
Directed by:
Alfred Werker
Cast:
Dale Robertson … Billy Reynolds
Stephen McNally … Jess Gorman
Virginia Mayo … Abby Nixon
Arthur Hunnicutt … Frank Taggert
Robert Keith … Warden Morgan
Jay Flippen … Capt. Jack Wells
Whit Bissell … Virgil Gates
James Bell … Dr. Betts
Morris Ankrum … Sheriff
William “Bill” Phillips … Red
Earl Holliman … Joe
George J. Lewis … Col. Jorge Gomez
Irving Bacon … Old guard
Runtime: 92 min.
Robert Keith as Warden Gordon, trying to convince Billy Reynolds not to give up on leading a lawful life in Devil’s Canyon (1953)
Jay Flippen as Capt. Jack Wells, leader of the prison guards and a man with a grudge against Billy Reynolds in Devil’s Canyon (1953)
Memorable lines:
Bartender, as Billy Reynolds straps on a gun: “Times are changing. These new church people want things civilized.”
Billy: “Sure. By the time they get the Gormans civilized, I’d be dead.”
Jess Gorman, being led back to his cell from the rock yard: “Only five men down today from sunstroke. What does the warden do with their fried brains when they croak? Feed ’em to you guards?”
Warden Morgan, upon Abby’s arrival in prison: “We don’t have facilities here for taking care of a woman. There are 500 men.”
Abby: “That should prove interesting.”
Warden: “They’re desperate, dangerous men.”
Abby: “I’ll try not to make them any more desperate.”
Arthur Hunnicutt as Frank Taggert, sharing the story of how he tried to kill his wife and wound up shooting a friend in Devil’s Canyon (1953)
Stephen McNally as Jess Gorman discussing prison break plans with cell mates Red (William ‘Bill’ Phillips) and Joe (Earl Holliman) in Devil’s Canyon (1953)
Doctor to Abby: “The way you women pick men to love and to hate just never made sense to me.”
Abby, looking inquisitively at her prison food: “Baked snake?”
A guard: “Nah, you only get that on Sunday.”
Abby: “I don’t know anything about a break. I don’t know anyone who’s planning a break.”
Warden: “But if you did, would you talk him out of it to keep him from being killed?”
Abby: “No. You kill a man anyway. Every day you take a week, month, year away from him. He’d be better off dying all at once.”
Virginia Mayo as Abby Nixon, looking for information on Billy Reynolds’ whereabouts in Devil’s Canyon (1853)
Dale Robertson as Billy Reynolds, arriving at the prison after killing two men in self defense and being convicted anyway in Devil’s Canyon (1953)
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