Gun Fever (1958)

Mark Stevens plays Lucas and John Lupton is Simon — partners and miners who plan to use the $5,000 they’ve earned to make their way West to Arizona and start a ranch.

Then Lucas’ family is massacred by renegade Indians working with a white man named Trench (Aaron Saxon).

Lucas demands a detour; he plans to get vengeance on Trench before heading West.

Simon is more than willing to go along; Lucas doesn’t know it, but Simon is Trench’s son.

Years earlier, Trench demanded that Simon accompany he and friends as they went to visit other homesteaders. They always came back with furs or something valuable.

It wasn’t until later that Simon learned the truth. His father was a killer. At that point, he left the gang.

Now he’s more than willing to help Lucas get his vengeance.

Along the way, they pick up an Indian girl (Jana Davi) who proves helpful in guiding them through Indian territory and sparks a romantic interest with Simon.

But what will Lucas do when he learns about the relationship between his partner and the man who killed his family? And can Simon really lead a man bent on revenge to his dad’s hideout?

Mark Stevens as Lucas Rand, planning a trip to Arizona until an Indian raid in Gun Fever (1958)

John Lupton as SImon, a friend with a heart-breaking secret in Gun Fever (1958)

Review:

Co-written and directed by Mark Stevens, this isn’t nearly as good a film as it should have been, given the plot. Instead of building tension as the climax approaches, we have a film that just sort of meanders along and a script that lacks any sort of punch. Plus, Lupton and Stevens bring very little intensity to their roles.

The same can’t be said for Aaron Saxon, who didn’t get many roles this large and seemed to relish his part as a demented killer. Of course, nearly everyone who rides with Trench is portrayed as half-mad.

Trench also engages in one heck of a fight with Stevens near the end of the film, which is more violent than most Westerns of its time.

Jana Davi’s Tanana was the wife of a one-time partner of Trench. He was killed by one of Trench’s men, providing Tanana with the inspiration she needs to join up with Simon and Lucas.

Jana Davi as Tanana, the woman who agrees to lead Lucas and Simon through Sioux country in Gun Fever (1958)

Dean Fredericks as Charlie Whitman, Trench’s guide in Gun Fever (1958)

Directed by:
Mark Stevens

Cast:
Mark Stevens … Lucas
John Lupton … Simon
Larry Storch … Amigo
Jana Davi …. Tanana
Aaron Saxon … Trench
Dean Fredericks … Whitman
Jered Barclay … Singer
Clegg Hoyt … Kane
Jean Inness … Martha Rand
Russell Thorson … Thomas Rand
Robert Stevenson … Norris
Cyril Delevanti … Jerry
Bill Erwin … Bartender
Michael Hinn … Stableman
John Goddard … Lee

Runtime: 83 min.

Aaron Saxon as Trench, welcoming back Simon without knowing his intent in Gun Fever (1958)

Larry Storch as Amigo, one of Trench’s gang members in Gun Fever (1958)

Memorable lines:

Tanana, explaining why she married the outlaw Whitman, how he was good to her: “Sometimes men wear two faces.”
Simon: “I don’t.”
Tanana: “I know.”

Simon to Lucas: “The only luck I ever had was when I met up with you. Til I was old enough to sit a horse, the only human being I saw beside my mother was Trench. One day he came home. Brought Charlie Whitman with him. My mother was sick. She needed someone to take care of her. Trench made we go with him. We rode north for a week. We came to a little homestead. He told me to wait with the horses. Keep watch. Later they came back with some furs. The same thing happened a couple more times. I thought they were buying the furs. I stood it as long as I could.”

Luke to Simon, upon learning Trench is his father: “I should cut your heart out.”

Russell Thorson as Thomas Rand, talking about Indian trouble on the upswing in Gun Fever (1958)

Jean Inness as Martha Rand, thrilled to have her son Luke home in Gun Fever (1958)

Jered Barclay as Singer, the gun-happy youngster who joins Trench’s gang in Gun Fever (1958)

Aaron Saxon as Trench, upset over a falling out with a gang member in Gun Fever (1958)

Jana Davi as Tanana, fearful about what will happen now that she and her friends have found Trench in Gun Fever (1958)

Mark Stevens as Lucas, mourning the loss of his parents with Simon (John Lupton), his best friend in Gun Fever (1958)