James Brown plays Billy Wade, a badman who’s put away his gun to go straight for the sake of his lady love (Della Sharman as Arlene).
He’s also raising Ted Wade (John Wilder), the son of his brother Matt, who’s in jail for robbery.
Complications arise thanks to George Landon, a Tombstone businessman who’s being blackmailed by one of Billy’s former gang members, Ike Garvey.
Landon has a plan for getting rid of Garvey. He’s going to tip Garvey off to a $500,000 Wells Fargo shipment ripe for holdup.
Then, after Garvey has robbed the shipment, Landon wants a second gang of badmen to rob the first gang, and Garvey’s to be killed in the process.
He springs Matt Wade from jail to be part of the second gang, but the man he really wants is Billy Wade.
When Billy refuses to go along with the deal, Matt frames him for robbing the local bank. The two tussle; Matt winds up dead, but that only leads to more trouble for Billy.
Now young Ted Wade has turned against him and is determined to become an outlaw like his dad.
Billy figures the only way out is to pretend to join the outlaws, then arrange for them to be captured by a sheriff’s posse. Not everything goes as planned.
Review:
Pretty much a word-for-word remake of the 1953 film “Gun Belt,” except that film had a slightly better cast, led by George Montgomery and Tab Hunter. No one provides much of a spark in this film, and the speeded-up action sequences seem woefully out of date.
John Wilder, who plays the disgruntled nephew of our hero, became better known as a producer than an actor; he served as executive producer on the 1978 Western mini-series “Centennial.”
This marked the only major film role for pretty Della Sharman, who found most of her acting work in TV roles.
Directed by:
Edward L. Cahn
Cast:
James Brown … Billy Wade
John Wilder … Ted Wade
Robert Karnes … Matt Wade
Della Sharman … Arlene
Walter Coy … Ike Garvey
Willis Bouchey … George Landon
Gregg Palmer … Dixon
Joe Haworth … Hoke
Quintin Sondergaard … Hanke
Boyd “Red” Morgan … Hoagie
John Eldredge … Endicott
Jeff DeBenning … Marshal Jennings
Willis Robards … Banker
Runtime: 71 min.
Memorable lines:
Ike Garvey to George Landon, about his derringer: “You’d better practice with this. The older you get, the slower you get. You get too slow, you’re not going to get much older.”
Matt Wade, on the chance of brother Billy joining in a holdup: “What makes you think he’s going to listen to me?”
Landon: “I figure that blood is bigger than good resolution, especially when there’s a half million in the pot.”
Marshal Jennings, about Billy Wade: “He knows every gopher hole in this country like a fox.”
Sheriff: “Howdy, Ike, kinda looks like you’ll live to hang.”
Ike: “Just as well. It’s got so you can’t trust anybody nowadays.”
Ike, when the rival gangs meet: “We’re two to your one, Billy. We can settle it now.”
Billy Wade: “No argument. But you wouldn’t have enough men left to stick up a Sunday school.”
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