Wichita (1955)

Joel McCrea plays Wyatt Earp, who shows up in Wichita after a stint hunting buffalo.

His intent is to open a business with his savings, but when the cattle herds and rowdy cowpokes arrive in town, he reluctantly pins on a badge and goes to work restoring law and order.

Before long, the town fathers who hired him — including San McCoy (Walter Coy) and Doc Black (Edgar Buchanan) — get the notion that Wyatt’s doing too good a job.

And when he prohibits firearms from the town … well, that’s the last straw. They demand his resignation, fearing his brand of law and order will scare away the cattle barons their town needs for its financial survival.

Complicating matters is the fact that Wyatt has fallen for McCoy’s pretty young daughter. Her father does his best to squash their budding romance.

McCoy comes around after his wife is killed by a stray bullet intended for Earp.

Doc, a sometimes sheriff and full-time saloon owner, doesn’t and decides hiring someone to do away with Wyatt might be the best solution.

Joel McCrea as Wyatt Earp, arriving in Wichita hoping to open a business in Wichita (1955)

Walter Coy as Sam McCoy, the man who brings the railroad to Wichita in Wichita (1955)

Review:

Too predictable to be wholly successful, but Joel McCrea turns in his typical solid performance and this is a film loaded with familiar faces.

The cowboys include Lloyd Bridges and Jack Elam; Peter Graves shows up as Morgan Earp. And Wyatt’s love interest is none other than a very young Vera Miles; she was 26 at the time; McCrea was 50.

Keith Larsen plays a very young Bat Masterson, a newspaperman until Wyatt comes along and inspires him to try his hand as a lawman as well.

Vera Miles as Laurie McCoy, daughter of a town leader who Wyatt Earp falls for in Wichita (1955)

Wallace Ford as Arthur Whiteside, the hard-drinking newspaper editor who backs Wyatt Earp in Wichita (1955)

Directed by:
Jacques Tourneur

Cast:
Joel McCrea … Wyatt Earp
Keith Larsen … Bat Masterson
Wallace Ford … Whiteside
Walter Sande … Clint Wallace
Edgar Buchanan … Doc Black
Robert Wilke … Ben Thompson
Vera Miles … Laurie McCoy
Walter Coy … Sam McCoy
Lloyd Bridges … Gyp Clements
Jack Elam … Al
Peter Graves … Morgan Earp
John Smith … Jim Earp

Runtime: 81 min.

Title ballad: “Wichita,” sung by Tex Ritter

Peter Graves as Morgan Earp, arriving in Wichita to serve as deputy for his brother in Wichita (1955)

John Smith as Jim Earp, backing up his brother Wyatt in Wichita (1955)

Memorable lines::

Cowpoke: “Nice gun. Wouldn’t do for us Texans though. We like ours regulation size.
Cowpoke #2: “Don’t ever get in an argument with a Texas man when you’re carrying that thing (six-gun). Must take you a half hour to clear leather with it.”
Wyatt: “The only arguments I’ve had lately have been with buffalo. They don’t draw very fast, you know.”

Doc Black: “What do you suppose is going to happen to Wichita when word gets around we got a crazy marshal here. I’ll tell you what: It’s going to turn into a ghost town. There’s no cattleman in his right mind going to come within miles of a town where he can’t wear his own gun.”

Gyp: “Don’t try to wing me. Either you’re going to die or I am.”
Wyatt: “I know, Gyp. I’m sorry.”

Keith Larsen as Bat Masterson and Joel McCrea as Wyatt Earp, who both wind up pinning on badges in Wichita (1955)

Lloyd Bridges as Gyp Clements, looking to get even with Wyatt Earp in Wichita (1955)

Carl Benton Reid as Wichita’s mayor, hoping to convince Wyatt Earp to serve as lawman in Wichita (1955)

Walter Sande as Clint Wallace, the cattle king whose men are chased out of town by Wyatt Earp in Wichita (1955)

Lloyd Bridges as Gyp Clements and Robert Wilke as Ben Thompson, members of Wallace’s cattle crew in Wichita (1955)

Joel McCrea as Wyatt Earp, ordering Doc Black (Edgar Buchanan) out of town while brother Morgan (Peter Graves) looks on in Wichita (1955)