The Plunderers (1960)

Jeff Chandler plays Sam Christy, a former Civil War hero who lost the use of an arm during the fighting and has retreated to a small ranch near Trail City, a town definitely in a state of decline.

When four young cowpokes ride into town, order a bottle of whiskey and refuse to pay for it, Sam can sense trouble coming.

But he refuses to intervene. Before long, those four youngsters — a slick-talking leader named Jeb, a big brute nicknamed Mule, a sly Mexican named Rondo and a timid youth named Davy — have literally taken over the town.

They scare the town marshal into inaction, beat up the bartender when he tries to stand up to them and pretty much take whatever they want.

Finally, a young girl named Ellie (Dolores Hart) convinces Sam to rally the town around him in an attempt to run the youngsters out of town.

Sam decides the only way to do that is to take them on, one by one.

Jeff Chandler as Sam Christy, a maimed Civil War veteran inclined to mind his own business in The Plunderers (1960)

Dolores Hunt as Ellie Walters, happy to see her favorite customer, Sam Christy, in The Plunderers (1960)

Review:

Nice change of pace Western, very well done, with the young cowpokes who got pushed around in Dodge — blowing six months pay in less than a week — becoming more and more brazen as they realize they can make the elders of Trail City cower before them.

Unfortunately, this marked the final Western for Chandler. He would die just two years later at age 42 from blood poisoning following surgery. This film, paired with 1959’s “The Jayhawkers,” marked two of his better Western outings.

As for Dolores Hart, she was 22 to Chandler’s 40 when they were paired romantically for this outing. She left Hollywood in 1963 to become a nun and eventually became the only nun to be a voting member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

Ray Stricklyn as Jeb Tyler, eyeing the firearms in the sheriff’s office in The Plunderers (1960)

Dee Pollock as Davy, unsure pushing around the residents of Trail City is a good idea in The Plunderers (1960)

Directed by:
Joseph Pevney

Cast:
Jeff Chandler … Sam Christy
John Saxon … Rondo
Dee Pollack … Davy
Roger Torrey … Mule Thompson
Ray Stricklyn … Jeb Tyler
Dolores Hart … Ellie Walters
Marsha Hunt … Kate Miller
Jay Flippen … Sheriff McCauley
James Westerfield … Mike Barron
Vaughn Taylor … Jess Walters
Harvey Stephens … Doc Fuller
Joseph Hamilton … Barfly
Ray Ferrell … Billy Miller

Runtime: 94 min.

Roger Torrey as Mule Thompson, wondering if it’s time for he and his buddies to leave Trail City in The Plunderers (1960)

John Saxon as Rondo, inspecting the scratches Ellie Walters left on his face in The Plunderers (1960)

Memorable lines:

Ellie Walters: “Do you always hide in the dark?”
Rondo: “Only when there’s an angry father nearby.”

Mule Thompson: “What are we worried about? The cripple acts up, I’ll squash him down.”

Jeff Chandler as Sam Christy, fearful of the trouble four young bullies can cause in The Plunderers (1960)

Dolores Hart as Ellie Walters, watching the men of Trail City debate how to deal with the man who attacked her in The Plunderers (1960)

Marsha Hunt as Kate Miller, trying to salvage a relationship with Sam Christy in The Plunderers (1960)

Ray Ferrell as Billy Miller, Kate’s son, helping the four young men settle into her hotel in The Plunderers (1960)

James Westerfield as Mike Barron, trying to get the four young men to pay for their drinks in The Plunderers (1960)

Jay Flippen as Sheriff McCauley, an aging lawman forced to confront four young bullies in The Plunderers (1960)

Vaughn Taylor (center) as Jess Walters, Ellie’s dad, concerned about an unpaid bill at his general store in The Plunderers (1960)

Joseph Hamilton as Abilene, the town drunk who hangs out in the saloon with the four young bullies in The Plunderers (1960)

John Saxon as Rondo, holding Sam Christy’s shattered rifle while Davy (Dee Pollack), Mule (Roger Torrey) and Jeb (Ray Stricklyn) look on in The Plunderers (1960)

Jeff Chandler as Sam Christy, protecting Ellie (Dolores Hart) from a rampaging Rondo in The Plunderers (1960)