Jim Davis is a gunman who eludes the law by fleeing into Apache country, only to come across a badly wounded federal marshal. He tends to Matt Brennan until he dies, then rides off with his badge.
Next stop: Bannock, where the town doctor (Harry Lauter as Steve Hale) is about to run into big trouble with the local cattle baron, Col. Donaphin. One townsperson has died, others are sick. Hale suspects the disease is coming from Donaphin’s cattle.
Donaphin suspects the same, but doesn’t want anyone to know his entire herd might be tainted with Black Spotted Fever until he can unload them at market. And he has a trigger happy son named Shad (Lee Van Cleef) to help handle his dirty work.
The local sheriff (Carl Smith) is more than willing to try to stand up against Donaphin and his men. But he asks Brennan for help. Reluctantly, though his first inclination is to keep running, Brennan lends his assistance, posing as federal marshal Brennan. After all, he figures he has a debt to pay.
Review:
With a spark, even a tiny one, this could have been an above average low-budget Western because it features a fairly unique plot.
Alas, there’s no spark. That’s not surprising with Davis in the lead role. But the action scenes aren’t very well done either. Even the score tends to deaden, rather than enliven, the on-screen action.
Arleen Whelan plays Murdock, a pretty store keeper who is loved by the Doc, but who falls for Brennan and stands by him, even when his real identity is revealed.
The movie also features a strange film debut for Marty Robbins, better known for his singing. Robbins plays a blonde Felipe, complete with Mexican accent. A rider for the Donaphin outfit, he comes down with the fever and is brutally gunned won by Lee Van Cleef’s character (Shad Donaphin), so none of the other Donaphin riders will think they’re in danger.
Directed by:
Albert Gannaway
Cast:
Jim Davis … Stranger (“Brennan”)
Arleen Whelan … Murdock
Carl Smith … Sheriff Smith
Harry Lauter … Dr. Steve Hale
Marty Robbins … Felipe
Douglas Fowley … Marshal Matt Brennan
Lee Van Cleef … Shad Donaphin
Louis Jean Heydt …. Col. Donaphin
Lawrence Dobkin … Chickamon
Eddie Crandell … Pepe Joe
Darryl Guy … George
Rick Vallin … Deputy Jody
Edward Colmans … Gov. Ainley
Runtime: 74 min.
Memorable lines:
Marshal Brennan: “On the run?”
Jeff Harlan: “Oh, let’s say I just like to travel.”
Marshal Brennan: “This badge is a magic piece of metal son. Evil men fear it. Decent men respect. And the man who wears it can die with a clear conscious.”
Jeff Harlan, realizing the marshal has died while he’s telling his life e story: “That’s the way it’s always been, marshal. Nobody ever stayed around long enough to hear my side of the story.”
Murdock: “You know, I can’t figure you out.”
Harlan, posing as Brennan: “Why not?”
Murdock: “One minute, you act like a man with deep feeling. And the next minute, you act like a savage.”
Harlan: “It takes a savage to stay alive in this wild country.”
Doc Hale: “Those cattle can’t leave this valley. They have to be stopped.
Harlan, posing as Brennan: “How, doc? How do you stop thousands of cattle and an army of hired guns? With pills and prescriptions?”
Sheriff Smith: “Take a miracle to stop those cattle.”
Harlan: “Time’s come for me to travel, Smith. Miracles are a little bit out of my line.”
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