Alan Ladd plays Mitch, a Southerner forced to flee his home with his pregnant wife in tow after losing everything in the Civil War. They get as far as a small Western town when the pregnancy goes bad.
Ladd’s short on cash, and without payment — specifically $1.87 for a bottle of medicine — the townsfolks are reluctant to help his wife. She dies.
Feeling guilty, the townsfolk offer Ladd a job as deputy sheriff. He accepts, and spends the rest of the film plotting his revenge.
He assembles a four-man, one-woman gang. It include Don Murray as Dan, another ex-Confederate with a love for whiskey and a knack for explosives; Dolores Michaels as Julie Reynolds, a dance hall girl looking for a new start; Barry Coe as Stu Christian, a young gun who’s especially fast and Dan O’Herlihy as Sir Harry Ives, a slick-talking shyster.
Their goal: rob the town of $100,000 and kill the men who refused to treat Ladd’s first wife.
Alan Ladd as Mitch, enjoying a beer and spotting his first recruit in One Foot in Hell (1960)
Don Murray as Dan, letting his anger get the best of him when denied a drink in One Foot in Hell (1960)
Review:
Ladd, best known for his good-hearted, tough guy role in Shane, is just as tough here, and a whole lot more evil.
And his evil doesn’t end at getting revenge against the townsfolk he thinks wronged his wife.
Michaels’ character marries him as part of the bank robbery scheme. But she’s more interested in a future with Don Murray’s character, if only he can accept her past and put down the whiskey. You see, her father used to trade her for drinks.
A wonderfully different Ladd Western.
Dolores Michaels as Julie, letting Mitch know she knows some of his secrets in One Foot in Hell (1960)
Larry Gates as Doc Seltzer, the man who convinces Mitch to stay in town after the death of his wife in One Foot in Hell (1960)
Directed by:
James B. Clark
Cast:
Alan Ladd … Mitch
Don Murray … Dan
Dolores Michaels … Julie Reynolds
Dan O’Herlihy … Harry Ives
Barry Coe … Stu Christian
Karl Swenson … Sheriff Olson
Larry Gates … Doc Seltzer
John Alexander … Sam Giller
Rachel Stephens … Ellie
Runtime: 90 min.
Karl Swenson as Sheriff Olson, on the trail of rustlers and in for a surprise in One Foot in Hell (1960)
Don O’Herlihy as Sir Harry Ives, a fast-talking shyster, meeting Mitch (Alan Ladd) in One Foot in Hell (1960)
Memorable lines:
Mitch: “You know, I read something a long time ago. Follow the rainbow, but don’t wait for the gold at the end.”
Dan: “Like for the silver in between. Yeah, I know. I went to school once, too. What are you? Some kind of do-gooder or something?”
Mitch: “No, I want a few men with guts and anger enough to follow that rainbow and grab a pot full of gold. Not petty silver in between.”
Dan to Stu: “You don’t scare me no more than a cockroach.”
Dan: “You’ve been around drunks before. You’ve been nice to them, too.”
Julie: “Keep away from me. You’ve got whiskey in every pore.”
Stu: “Looks like you’re taking sides, Mitch.”
Mitch: “I don’t take sides with trash against trash. As far as I’m concerned, you can kill each other. But not until this job is finished.”
Sir Harry Ives (Don O’Herlihy), Mitch (Alan Ladd) and Dan (Don Murray) gather for to watch a fast gun contest in One Foot in Hell (1960)
Barry Coe as Stu Christian, the fast gun recruited by Mitch in One Foot in Hell (1960)
Rachel Stephens as Ellie, Mitch’s sick and pregnant wife in One Foot in Hell (1960)
Storekeeper Sam Giller (John Alexander), the hotel clerk and Sheriff Olsen (Karl Swenson) gather after the death of Mitch’s wife in One Foot in Hell (1960)
Alan Ladd as Mitch, returning to town with his new wife Julie (Dolores Michaels) in One Foot in Hell (1960)
Dolores Michaels as Julie and Don Murry as Dan, discuss their possible future together in One Foot in Hell (1960)
Barry Coe as Stu Christian, waiting for his partner Mitch to return in One Foot in Hell (1960)
Alan Ladd as Mitch, a man with special plans for those he thinks contributed to his wife’s death in One Foot in Hell (1960)
){kind=link}
When you consider the themes of this film it’s surprising it’s a western that was made in 1960. The main character seems at first forgiving of the inadvertent wrong doings that led to the demise of his pregnant wife, eventually coming to befriend those unintentionally responsible, even becoming a lawman in town.
Then you realize behind his friendly smile and demeanor is a true sociopath running an extreme long con on all involved. Not only does he murder his best friend and co-worker, he also plans to rob the town of 100k leaving it broke and desolate, then he will murder all involved with his wifes death, destroy their legacy’s, and in the end it’s also his intention to murder all the riff-raff he recruits to achieve this goal! This guy!
His first accomplice is a fellow southerner who is a raging alcoholic with a knowledge from the civil war of liquid fire a.k.a napalm! Add a pickpocket, a gunslinger and a whore who was pimped out by dear old dad! Very dark movie of this genre for 1960.
He and his team then follow through murdering all the townspeople he blames and blowing up their businesses, then he betrays and murders two of his four accomplices before his evil plan is foiled by the remaining two who have realized the error of their ways thru true love. At times its like a run of the mill western of its age, in other moments its reminiscent of Taxi-driver! Surprising and recommended but with a chessy hollywood ending.