Gene Nelson is Gil Shepard, a down-on-his-luck cowboy chasing outlaw A.J. Beaumont for the $8,000 bounty on his head.
He finds his prey and kills Beaumont in a shoot-out, but is forced to leave the evidence behind because his horse goes lame.
By the time Gil reached Twin Forks, Johnny Barnes — Beaumont’s former partner — is in town trying to collect the same bounty.
Then a stage arrives carrying A.J.’s younger brother Martin, who’s come to claim the body, and his caretaker Amy Carter, who’s come to watch over Martin.
And her oversight includes trying to prevent Martin from seeking vengeance against the man who killed Beaumont, once his identity becomes clear.
Complicating matters: Beaumont was a friend of the Apache, and whoever killed him will be considered their enemy as well.
Gene Nelson as Gil Shepard with Joanne Barnes as Amy Carter in The Purple Hills (1961)
Review:
This low-budget quickie succeeds as well as it does because the script doesn’t try to do more than possible with an obviously limited budget.
The tension comes from the interaction between Shepard, Barnes, Amy Carter and young Martin Beaumont as a deputy guides them back to the place the outlaw’s body was buried.
His intent is to determine who gets the reward. Barnes is constantly scheming to become the lucky, if undeserving, recipient. Amy is constantly struggling to keep hot-headed young Martin under control.
Director Maury Dexter would later be at the helm of 21 episodes of “Little House on the Prairie.” Joanna Barnes, the female lead here, did most of her acting on TV with two noteworthy exceptions: a credited role in Ben Hur (1960) and as the top-billed female in John Wayne’s “The War Wagon” (1967).
Gene Nelson as Gil Shephard with Jerry Summers as Martin Beaumont in The Purple Hills (1961)
Directed by:
Maury Dexter
Cast:
Gene Nelson … Gil Shepard
Kent Taylor … Johnny Barnes
Joanna Barnes … Amy Carter
Jerry Summers … Martin Beaumont
Russ Bender … Deputy
Danny Zapien … Chito
Medford Salway … Apache brave
Jack Car … A.J. Beaumont
Jack Riggs … Indian chief
Runtime: 60 min.
Johnny Barnes (Kent Taylor) and Gil Shepard (Gene Nelson) inch toward a showdown as Amy Carter (Joanna Barnes) and Martin Beaumont (Jerry Summers) check on a downed deputy in The Purple Hills (1961)
Memorable lines:
Johnny Barnes: “C’mon, Chito, dig.”
Chito: “But it’s bad luck to dig up a grave. Once in Sandy Creek …
Johnny, interrupting him: “It may be bad luck, but if Beaumont’s in here, there’s $8,000 reward on him.”
Chito: “Ahh. I dig.”
Gil Shepard, when Johnny Barnes suggests splitting the reward money: “Pretty easy way to make $4,000. Pretty easy way to make $8,000 if I let you get behind me.”
Johnny Barnes: “If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t have to get behind you.”
Johnny Barnes to Amy Carter’s shoulders after she takes a tumble from her horse: “Don’t worry. From now on, I’ll ride close behind you. You’ll be in good hands.”
Amy Carter, as he massages her neck and shoulders: “So I noticed.”
Gil Shephard: “Money is money, Miss Carter. Doesn’t matter much sometimes how you get it. It’s how you use it.”
Johnny Barnes to Gil Shepard: “For a man with such a short future, you sure worry an awful lot about money.”
Shopkeeper Simpson, as Josie tries out a six-shooter: “Well, I’d hardly say you were the fastest gun alive.”
Josie Minick: “It won’t matter. I’m counting on surprise.”
Simpson: “Oh, they’ll be expecting it. You put a woman in pants, the rest is bound to follow.”
Kent Taylor as Johnny Barnes and Gene Nelson as Gil Shepard fight over a gun in The Purple Hills (1961)
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