Gunsmoke (1953)

Audie Murphy plays Reb Kittridge, a young gun traveling to the town of Billings to meet a man who wants to hire him.

That man is Matt Telford (Donald Randolph), a land-hungry saloon owner who’s buying up lots of small ranches.

He wants Kittridge to kill Dan Saxon (Paul Kelly), a stubborn older rancher who could lose that ranch anyway because he’s deep in debt.

But Saxon takes a liking to Kittridge as soon as they meet; he sees a younger version of himself in the head-strong gunslinger.

So Saxon gambles with Kittridge — one cut of the cards. If Saxon wins, Kittridge works for him as a ranch hand. If Kittridge wins, he becomes owner of the ranch.

Saxon, a card sharp, deliberately loses. From that point on, it’s Kittridge’s job to make sure the cows get to market in time to keep the ranch from going under.

Naturally, Telford wants to keep that from happening and hires another gun, Johnny Lake (Charles Drake), a former friend of Kittridge’s, to stop him.

Meanwhile, Kittridge begins to fall for Saxon’s pretty dark-haired daughter Rita (Susan Cabot), who’s already engaged to a ranch hand named Curly Mather.

Kittridge could also wind up in the arms of saloon girl Cora Dufrayne (Mary Castle), who also turns the head of Telford and Johnny Lake.

Audie Murphy as Reb Kittridge, trying to figure out who tried to ambush him in Gunsmoke (1953)

Charles Drake as Johnny Lake, Kittridge’s old friend, hired as a gun for the other side in Gunsmoke (1953)

Review:

Better than average B Western thanks to a decent script that has Johnny Lake taking money to stop Kittridge, then trying everything short of a gunfight to stop him because of their past friendship.

Plus we get another solid performance from the underrated Murphy, whose low-budget Westerns are generally more enjoyable than those starring contemporaries Sterling Hayden and Stephen McNally and who usually got a better story line than the dreck George Montgomery was often asked to salvage.

This marked just the second film directed by Nathan Juran. He would team up with Audie twice more — “Tumbleweed” (1953) and “Drums Across the River” (1954) — and go on to direct a couple of well-known sci-fi films, “20 Million Miles to Earth” and “Attack of the 50 Foot Woman” (as Nathan Hertz).

Susan Cabot left acting after starring in a number of Roger Corman films in the late 1950s; her final film role was as the title character in “Wasp Woman.” She’s perhaps better known for her post-film career, which included a fling with King Hussein of Jordan and the birth of her only child, Timothy, in 1964.

He suffered from dwarfism and bludgeoned his mother to death in December 1986. He wound up with a three-year suspended sentence after testifying that he killed his mother following years of mental abuse that occurred after she became a Hollywood recluse.

Susan Cabot as Rita Saxon, knowing her rancher father is facing financial ruin in Gunsmoke (1953)

Paul Kelly as Dan Saxon, willing to gamble on Reb Kittridge in Gunsmoke (1953)

Directed by:
Nathan Juran

Cast:
Audie Murphy … Reb Kittridge
Susan Cabot … Rita Saxon
Paul Kelly … Dan Saxon
Charles Drake … Johnny Lake
Mary Castle … Cora Dufrayne
Jack Kelly … Curly Mather
Jesse White … Professor
Donald Randolph … Matt Telford
William Reynolds … Brazos
Chubby Johnson … Doc Farrell

Runtime: 82 min.

Mary Castle as Cora Dufrayne, sharing a drink with old friend Reb Kittridge in Gunsmoke (1953)

Donald Randolph as Matt Telford, the man determined to get his hands on the Saxon spread in Gunsmoke (1953)

Memorable lines:

Reb Kittridge: “You ever think about settling down in one place, Johnny?”
Johnny Lake: “Yeah, I did settle down once.”
Reb: “What happened?”
Johnny: “They forgot to lock the cell one night.”

Stage driver, as Red tries to hitch a ride, carrying his saddle: “Lose your horse?”
Reb: “Nah, he just got a little tired. I’m gonna let him rest. I’ll come back later and carry him in.”

Hotel clerk to Reb Kittridge: “There’s a real nice motel down the street. You’d probably like that one a lot better.”
Kittridge: “Why/”
Hotel clerk: “We’ve got mice.”
Kittridge: “I won’t bother them.”

Rita Saxon: “You can put the gun away. I’m not dangerous.”
Reb Kittridge: “You could be. You’ve got the right equipment for it.”

Reb Kittridge: “Keep your hire hands off my ranch or I’ll nail your hide up to dry.”
Matt Telford: “I don’t like threats, Mr. Kittridge.”
Reb: “I’m not threatening you. I’m trying to save your life.”

Curly Mather: “I’m been watching you two. I don’t like what I see.”
Rita Saxon: “Maybe you better stop looking.”

Jack Kelly as Curly Mather, working for Dan Saxon and planning to marry his daughter in Gunsmoke (1953)

Susan Cabot as Rita Saxon, trying to figure out why Reb Kittridge (Audie Muprhy) is in town in Gunsmoke (1953)

Mary Castle as Cora Dufrayne, offering to find a new gun for Matt Telford (Donald Randolph) in Gunsmoke (1953)

Audie Muprhy as Reb Kittiridge, faced with a tight spot thanks to Telford’s henchmen in Gunsmoke (1953)