Turns out Rol and Sam are the younger brothers of Arch King (Morgan Woodward), a cattle driver and an important man in the territory. Naturally, Arch won’t be too happy to hear his brother Sam is dead, and folks figure Harmon will go the way of the other marshals, who haven’t stayed in Yuma for more than a week.
It’s certainly not an original storyline: a lawman crosses a powerful individual, setting up a showdown between the two. But then things in Yuma take an unexpected turn when Saunders (Robert Phillips) and Army officer Captain White (John Kerr) break into the jail house and free Rol, only to shoot him in the back - with the Marshal’s gun - when he runs out the front door. Saunders, who works for local businessman Decker (Barry Sullivan), hopes to pin Rol’s death on Harmon as well, but doesn’t realize that Andres (Miguel Alejandro), a young Mexican runaway who Harmon has been helping, was asleep on the jailhouse floor and heard the whole thing (because he only saw Captain White’s boots, Andres can’t identify either man).
When Arch King rides into town, we expect there will be fireworks. But he and Harmon sit down and talk, and King gives Harmon one day to find his brother Rol’s killers, or he’ll hold him responsible. So, Harmon visits a nearby military base (the boots Andres saw could only be army issue), then the local native reservation, and each time learns a little something about Decker’s business dealings.
With the help of Julie Williams (Kathryn Hays), who runs the hotel, and Mules McNeil (Edgar Buchanan), whose freight company has lost business since Decker’s arrival, Harmon carries out his investigation, and it’s here that Yuma distinguishes itself. Walker delivers his usual fine performance as the straight-as-an-arrow Harmon, and I found myself genuinely interested in the mystery he was unraveling. While the “who” is never in question for the audience (we know Saunders and Decker are behind the whole thing), we don’t know the “why”, and there’s even a twist at the end that caught me by surprise.
Production-wise, Yuma is every bit a TV movie, with bloodless violence and limited locales, and while there are certainly tense moments (especially the opening with the drunk brothers), this isn’t an action-packed western. Still, thanks to Walker and the film’s intriguing (though admittedly over-plotted) story, I ended up liking Yuma more than I anticipated.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
After serving 18 years for murder, infamous gunslinger “Killer” Cain (Clint Walker) is released from prison. A changed man, Cain vows to never pick up a gun again, but when he has a hard time finding honest work, he breaks that promise and teams up with Dan Ruffalo (Price), the proprietor of a traveling wild west show. As expected, Cain’s reputation draws audiences wherever they go, a fact that doesn’t sit well with Billy (Paul Hampton), a young sharpshooter who had been the star of Ruffalo’s show.
While Cain is hoping to make enough money to settle down with pretty artist Monica Alton (Anne Francis), Billy is out to prove to the world he’s better than Cain, even if it means challenging the aging gunman to a showdown.
Walker is perfectly cast as Cain, whose memories of his past deeds haunt him daily, while Price is equally strong as the smart businessman who knows how to make a fast buck. The big surprise - for me anyway - was Paul Hampton as Billy, the young upstart who goes from admiring Cain to despising him.
Believing at the outset that Cain is a legend of the old west, Billy grows disillusioned when Cain nonchalantly explains that most of his exploits, and indeed those of many of the west’s most notorious gunmen, were exaggerated at best, with little or no fact to back them up. What’s more, Billy is a much better shot than Cain. At one point, Cain, picking up a gun for the first time in years, struggles to hit the tree branch he’s using for target practice, whereas Billy draws and doesn’t miss with a single shot.
Cain may be the favorite among the crowds, but Billy believes he’s the real star of Ruffalo’s show, and his resentment grows stronger with each passing day. Hampton brilliantly conveys both the wide-eyed hero worship and the increasing frustration that make this character so engaging.
Those looking for an action-packed western will ultimately be disappointed; aside from the opening scene, which features an attempted prison break, More Dead Than Alive is mostly a character study, and like Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch and Big Jake, a 1971 western starring John Wayne, this 1969 film tells the story of a changing west, when law books and commerce replaced lawlessness and open ranges.
Yet unlike Wayne’s Jake or Holden’s Pike, Cain welcomes these changes with open arms. Having shot and killed a dozen men, he harbors no fond memories of his past, which sometimes has a way of catching up with him. Whereas most men long for their glory days, Cain is happy they have passed him by, and wants nothing more than spend his last years with the woman he loves.
Because we only know the “new” Cain, after his wild days, we the audience are on his side, and it’s thanks to Walker’s heartfelt portrayal, with an assist by screenwriter George Schenck, that we care as much as we do for a gunslinger who personally sent twelve people to their graves.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
After declining an offer to act as a guide for Cavalry Officer Major Towns (Rhodes Reason), Yellowstone Kelly (Clint Walker) and his new sidekick Anse Harper (Edd Byrnes) are abducted by a band of Sioux warriors.
It seems that a young Arapaho maiden named Wahleeah (Andra Martin) has been shot in the back, and the Sioux chief, Gall (John Russell), believes Kelly is the only man who can save her. Wahleeah is to become the wife of Gall’s hot-headed nephew Sayapi (Ray Danton), though it is clear Gall himself may have feelings for her as well. Kelly does as requested, and Wahleeah survives.
A few weeks later, as Kelly and Anse are settling in for the winter, a still-injured Wahleeah unexpectedly turns up. Having escaped the Sioux, she wishes to be returned to her own people, and begs Kelly and Anse to help her. Agreeing to shelter Wahleeah for the winter, it isn’t long before Kelly and Anse also develop feelings for the pretty maiden, bit will Kelly risk angering the Sioux by honoring Wahleeah’s wishes, or will he turn her over to Gall once Spring arrives?
Fresh off the success of his TV series Cheyenne, Clint Walker is quite strong as Yellowstone Kelly, a man who seldom speaks more than a few words and remains true to his principles. Edd Byrnes is equally good as Anse, Kelly’s inexperienced traveling companion, and both Claude Akins and Warren Oates turn up briefly as soldiers who give Kelly a hard time (and pay the price for it).
Written by Burt Kennedy and based on a novel penned by Clay Fisher, Yellowstone Kelly does a better job presenting the plight of Native Americans than other films from this era; reminding Major Towns of the treaty that exists between the U.S. government and the chiefs of the native tribes, Kelly refuses to help the military drive the Sioux from the territory. Unfortunately, this more sympathetic approach didn’t extend to the casting; Gall, Sayapi, and Wahleeah are portrayed by white actors in brownface, and while the performances aren’t bad, it’s a distraction nonetheless.
Still, with its picturesque western landscapes (the film was shot on-location in Arizona), a few decent action scenes (especially the climactic battle), and Clint Walker’s solid portrayal of the title character, Yellowstone Kelly is always entertaining.
Rating: 7 out of 10