The Fastest Gun Alive (1956)

Glenn Ford is George Temple, who has spent four years running a general store in the town of Cross Creek with his now-pregnant wife, Dora.

But the tedium of running the store is getting to him. So is his belief that the other men in town look down on him because of his profession, because he doesn’t wear a gun and because he doesn’t drink.

What they don’t know is that he’s the son of a famous sheriff and that sheriff trained him to be the fastest gun around.

But when his dad was killed, George couldn’t bring himself to avenge his death, and he’s haunted by that fact.

One day, he snaps, starts drinking and starts showing off his shooting prowess to his friends in Cross Creek. Having seen the effects before, his wife (Jeanne Crain) threatens to leave him.

But before she can, outlaw Vinnie Howard (Broderick Crawford) and his gang members, Taylor and Swope, ride into town to get fresh mounts. And as soon as Vinnie finds out there’s a fast gun around, he decides he has to test his skills.

You see, Vinnie Harold takes great pride in being the fastest gun alive. And because of his past, he’s a man always eager to prove himself.

Review:

Taunt little Western that turned into a hit for MGM in 1956. The opening scene, in which a blind man prophetically warns Vinnie Harold that there’s always someone faster, is a nice touch. So too is the unexpected ending.

In between, we get a slightly psychotic performance from the erratic Crawford and excellent acting from several members of the supporting cast, including John Dehner as a gang member, Leif Erikson as a town leader and Allyn Joslyn as a town braggart.

For a light touch, there’s a fabulous dance routine by young Russ Tamblyn, two years removed from his role in “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.”

Jeanne Crain as Dora Temple and Glenn Ford as George Temple in The Fastest Gun Alive (1956)

Cast:
Glenn Ford … George Temple
Jeanne Crain … Dora Temple
Broderick Crawford … Vinnie Harold
Russ Tamblyn … Eric Doolittle
Allyn Joslyn … Harvey Maxwell
Leif Erikson … Lou Glover
John Dehner … Taylor Swope
Noah Beery Jr. … Dink Wells
Paul Birch … Sheriff Toledo
J.M. Kerrigan … Kevin McGovern
Rhys Williams … Brian Tibbs
Virginia Gregg … Rose Tibbs
Christopher Olson … Bobby Tibbs
Chubby Johnson … Frank Stringer
John Doucette … Ben Buddy
William “Bill” Phillips … Lars Toomey
Florenz Ames … Joe Fenwick
Joseph Sweeney … The Reverend

Runtime: 92 min.

Memorable lines:

Blind man: “There’s a faster gun than yours.”
Vinnie Harold: “Who carries it?”
Blind man: “You’ll find out.
Vinnie, louder: “Who carries it?”
Blind man: “You’ll find out when you least expect it. In a place where you’d never expect it.”

Harvey: “Some people just don’t like gun talk. It kind of upsets them.”
George Temple: “You know, Harvey, I just kind of figured you’ve have something like that to say. You see, Harvey thinks a lot less of a man if he doesn’t wear a gun.”

George Temple: “They think I just sell dresses and candy.”
Dora Temple: “What difference what they think?”
George: “They’ve got to know who I am, Dora.”

Eric, after George’s shooting demonstration: “Look what he did to this silver dollar.”
Dora Temple: “I’ve seen them before.”

Man during bank holdup: “Vinnie Harold. I thought it was you.”
Vinnie shoots the man dead. “Now you can be sure.”
Gang member Dink Wells: “What did you do that for?”
Vinnie: “I wanted them to remember me. I like to be remembered.”

Vinnie Harold: “Go to the church and give them a message. If their fast gun isn’t out in five minutes, exactly five minutes, I’ll burn their town down.”
Swope: “Don’t you think one posses chasin’ us is enough.”