Bobby Darin stars as Cal Wayne, a Confederate officer who has the misfortune of shooting one of his own men, a good friend no less, during the war. He returns to Abilene scarred by the experience. Known for his fast gun, he no longer wears one.
A couple more shocks are in store for Cal, who everyone thought had been killed in the war. Grant Evers (Leslie Nielson), the brother of the man he shot, has given up farming and gone into the cattle brokering business, making a fortune for himself.
And Evers is engaged to Amy Martin (Emily Banks), Cal’s former lover, who decided she needed to move on with her life after hearing of Cal’s “death.” Grant and Cal are friends too. In fact, Grant’s right arm was maimed in a boyhood accident when he and Cal were playing.
So when Grant asks Cal to take over the job as sheriff of Abilene, Cal feels obligated to do so, despite his hesitancy to use a gun. Grant’s a sly one, though. He’s on the ranchers’ ide in a range war that’s brewing between the farmers and ranches. And he knows the farmers will trust Wayne, taking the heat off him, at least for the moment.
Then a young Union soldier who also just returned home from the war is whipped to near death by Grant’s gunhand, Joe Slade, presumably for stealing a calf. That threatens to blow the lid off that brewing range war.
Review:
A liberal use of fake blood and the Spaghetti-like closeups — at odd angles no less — during the final showdown can’t disguise the fact that this film seems old-fashioned. That’s thanks in part to the fact that all the scenes of grazing cattle herds clearly come from stock footage. And a couple of action scenes where the film speed is obviously set on high.
As for the plot, if it all sounds a little familiar, there’s a reason. This is a remake of the 1956 Western “Showdown at Abilene,” with Jock Mahoney, Martha Hyer and Lyle Bettger playing the roles more convincingly than Darrin, Nielson and Banks.
At his small size, it’s tough to envision Darrin as the toughest man in Abilene when he’s not wearing his gun. Best known for his music, he did rack up a couple dozen small and big-screen acting credits. This marked his only Western. Darrin died following heart surgery in 1973 at age 37.
Directed by:
William Hale
Cast:
Bobby Darin … Cal Wayne
Emily Banks … Amy Martin
Leslie Nielson … Grant Evers
Donnelly Rhodes … Joe Slade
Don Galloway … Ward Kent
Frank McGrath … Ned Martin
Michael Sarrazin … Cord Decker
Barbara Werle … Leann
Johnny Seven … Loop
William Phipps … Frank Norton’
William Mims … Ed Scovie
Robert Sorrells … Nelson
Don Dubbins … Sprague
James McCalllion … Smoky Staub
Bryan O’Byrne … Frobisher
Runtime: 86 min.
Title song: “Amy”
by Bobby Darin
Memorable lines:
Frank Norton: “Cal, I don’t know what you figure on doin’, but if you stay (in Abilene), you can’t just sit on the front porch and fan yourself. You’re going to have to pick a side.”
Deputy Ward Kent: “Problem with this business is it makes a man old before his time. I never did hear of no sheriff living to be an old man. Did you?”
Cal Wayne: “Sure. They didn’t shoot ol’ Irv Smith til he was almost 31.”
Kent: “Probably lied about his age.”
Cal: “Probably.”
Cord Decker: “Funny that a man has to fight to live in peace.”
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