The Brass Legend (1956)

Hugh O’Brian is Sheriff Wade Adams and he wants to serve out his term in that office despite the nagging of his fiancee Linda (Nancy Gates), who thinks the job is too dangerous; and the tempting offer from his future father-in-law, who wants him to become a partner in the family ranch. Meanwhile, Linda’s younger brother, Clay (Donald MacDonald) absolutely adores Wade, taking riding and shooting lessons from his idol.

Complications arrive in the form of Tris Hatten (Raymond Burr), a cold-blooded killer everyone thought was dead. He isn’t. He returns to meet his sweetheart, who happens to live in Apache Bend, where Adams is sheriff.

Clay witnesses their reunion and reports back to Wade. He catches Hatten unarmed, puts him under arrest and bashes him over the head with his six-shooter when Hatten tries to break free. He takes some ridicule for the less than heroic arrest, and even more when a local newspaperman finds out it was really young Clay who spotted Hatten and writes a story blaming the sheriff for taking credit he didn’t deserve.

Wade pleads with the newspaperman not to run the story, for fear Hatten’s friends will harm the youngster. After all, strangers are starting to show up in Apache Bend, and Wade figures that might be related to Hatten’s arrest.

Hugh O’Brian as Wade Adams, sheriff of Apache Bend in The Brass Legend (1956)

Raymond Burr as Tris Hatten, the killer who shows up in Apache Bend in The Brass Legend (1956)

Review:

Better than average, no nonsense Western that was released the year after Hugh O’Brian began his starring stint as Wyatt Earp on TV, a fact the promotion of this film clearly tried to take advantage of.

Raymond Burr played a variety of roles in Western. Here he’s about as cold-blooded as they come, pistol-whipping a deputy to death at one point. And he and his friends use a pretty unique plot to stage his jailbreak.

The film also features a sassy performance from Reba Tassell as Millie Street, the saloon girl Tris Hatten returned to Apache Bend to meet up with.

Nancy Gates as Linda Gipson, the girl who plans to marry Wade, with her father Tom (Robert Burton) in The Brass Legend (1956)

Donald MacDonald as Clay Gipson, the youngster who tips Wade off to an outlaw’s return in The Brass Legend (1956)

Directed by:
Gerd Oswald

Cast:
Hugh O’Brian … Sheriff Wade Adams
Raymond Burr … Tris Hatten
Nancy Gates … Linda Gipson
Donald MacDonald … Clay Gipson
Robert Burton … Tom Gipson
Reba Tassell … Millie Street
Eddie Firestone … Shorty
Willard Sage … Jonathan Tatum
Robert Griffin … Doc Ward
Stacy Harris … George Barlow
Dennis Cross … Carl Barlow
Russell Simpson … Deputy Pop Jackson
Norman Leavitt … Deputy Cooper
Vincente Padula … Sanchez
Clegg Hoyt … Bartender

Runtime: 79 min.

Reba Tassell as saloon girl Millie Street, girlfriend of gnman Tris Hatten in The Brass Legend (1956)

Hugh O’Brian as Wade Adams with newspaperman Jonathan Tatum (Willard Sage) in The Brass Legend (1956)

Memorable lines:

Tris Hatten, about his own wanted poster: “Five thousand dollars, dead or alive, for the slaying of Sheriff Bates and his deputies. Sheriff as slow a draw as old Bates deserves to die. And those deputies of his — I did the county a favor getting rid of them yellow bellies.”

Tris Hatten: “You don’t think I’m the type that would go around shooting little kids, do you?”
Sheriff Wade Adams: “You’re the type that would shoot butterflies if you thought you could hit them.”

Sheriff Wade Adams: “Millie, you be out of town by the time I get back.”
Millie Street: “You ain’t coming back.”

Eddie Firestone as simple-minded barly Shorty with Reba Tassell as Millie Street in The Brass Legend (1956)

Dennis Cross as Carl Barlow, who helps Tris Hatten break jail in The Brass Legend (1956)