Rancher Bick Justin (James Craig) and his henchmen have an iron grip on the town of Canogee in Oklahoma Territory.
If you buck Justin, you might find yourself lynched, like Dr. Landis.
Or shot and killed in the middle of the night, like Mark Bonham, who had tried to rally the residents of Canogee to stand up to Justin.
Then Mark’s twin brother Matt, a preacher, arrives in town. His message is simple: To fix Canogee, the first step is a spiritual revival.
So he sets about building a church, though Justin is suspected of having the town’s former church burned to the ground.
But Matt’s message doesn’t ring true to Toby Bonham (Darryl Hickman), Mark’s young son. He wants to avenge his father. And he thinks a gun, not the Bible, is the best tool for that job.
So he joins Justin’s outfit, hoping to get evidence that the powerful landowner was behind his father’s death.
To everyone else — his girlfriend Cora and mother Kathryn included — it appears as though young Toby Bonham has become part of Justin’s gang of ruffians.
William Tallman as Mark Bonham, trying to convince residents to rally against Bick Justin in The Persuader (1957)
William Tallman as Matt Bonham, seeking a spiritual awakening in Canogee in The Persuader (1957)
Review:
A decent little low-budget Western that drives home a spiritual message, though it’s unclear why Bick Justin backs down nearly so quickly at the film’s climax.
The twin brother bit allows William Tallman to play two roles: Mark Bonham, husband of Kathryn and father to Toby until he’s killed by Justin’s henchmen; then the preaching brother Matt, uncle to Toby, when he arrives in town.
But the best role falls to former child star Hickman as Toby, the conflicted youth. Alvy Moore also has an interesting role as Willy Williams, a bartender who likes to mix in magic tricks with his service. He works in Justin’s saloon, but his sympathies lie with the more peaceful residents of town.
Darryl Hickman as Toby Bonham, the vengeance seeking son of Mark Bonham in The Persuader (1957)
James Craig as Bick Justin, the man with the town of Canogee under his thumb in The Persuader (1957)
Directed by:
Dick Ross
Cast:
William Tallman … Matt Bonham / Mark Bonham
James Craig … Bick Justin
Kristine Miller … Kathryn Bonham
Darryl Hickman … Toby Bonham
Georgia Lee … Cora Nicklin
Alvy Moore … Willy Williams
Gregory Walcott … Jim Cleery
Rhoda Williams … Nell Landis
Paul Engle … Paul Bonham
Jason Johnson … Morse Fowler
Nolan Leary … Dan
John Milford … Clint
Frank Richards … Steve
Runtime: 72 min.
Theme song: “The Persuader” sung by Jimmy Joyce
Kristine Miller as Kathryn Bonham, reading a letter left by her son as he rides off seeking revenge in The Persuader (1957)
John Milford as Clint and Frank Richards as Steve, two of Bick Justin’s henchmen in The Persuader (1957)
Memorable lines:
Mr. Nicklin, store owner, about the lynching of Doc Landis: “In this town, we think one way and live another. That’s what Doc Landis forgot.”
Toby Bonham: “It takes more than a prayer to stop a man like Bick Justin.”
Matt Bonham: “A town that wants law and order has to start by making itself strong inside. You don’t do that by forming a posse or appointing a sheriff. In order to change a town, you have to change the people in it … This is a problem that can’t be solved with a gun.”
T0by Bonham: “Nobody around here is willing to stand up for any law.”
Cora Nicklin: “It may take time, but they will. People like your Uncle Matt will see to it.”
Toby: “And while he’s building a church, how many more men will die?”
Bick Justin to Matt Bonham: “Nothing like a good right cross to the jaw to back up a sermon, hey, preacher?”
Alvy Moore as Willy Williams, giving Toby information on Justin’s whereabouts in The Persuader (1957)
Kristine Miller as Kathryn Bonham, Georgia Lee as Cora Nicklin and William Tallman as Matt Bonham, worrying about young Toby in The Persuader (1957)
){kind=link}