Powder River (film)
| Powder River | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Louis King |
| Produced by | Andre Hakim |
| Written by | Daniel Mainwaring |
| Starring |
Rory Calhoun Corinne Calvet Cameron Mitchell |
| Music by | Lionel Newman |
| Cinematography | Edward Cronjager |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $985,000[1] |
| Box office | $1,000,000 (US)[2] |
Powder River is a 1953 Western film starring Rory Calhoun.[3]
The screenplay was written by Stuart N. Lake, who two years later was the story consultant on the ABC/Desilu western television series, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.
Plot
In 1875, ex-lawman Chino Bull puts away his guns and heads for the Powder River with old pal Johnny Slater to pan for gold. Ambushed by outlaws Loney Logan and Will Horn, he gets away safely thanks to Johnny and rides to town for supplies.
At a saloon run by beautiful Frenchie Dumont, he meets Loney's brother, Harvey, a card dealer. A drunken Sam Harris begins shooting up the place, killing the sheriff with a stray bullet. Chino knocks him cold. Frenchie's beau, gunslinger Mitch Hardin, intervenes, but after being stricken with a headache so painful it incapacitates him, Chino saves his life.
Chino rejects an offer to become the town's new sheriff, but back at the river finds Johnny dead and their gold stolen. In town, a stagecoach delivers the sophisticated Debbie Allen, who has come from Connecticut to find her former sweetheart, Mitch, who it turns out was once a doctor there. She realizes that Mitch is now involved with Frenchie and also that he is suffering from a brain tumor, causing the severe headaches. Debbie decides to go back East on the next stage.
Chino sets a trap. Accompanied by Mitch, who owes Chino for saving his life, and Debbie, leaving town, they let word leak of a $300,000 gold shipment being aboard. Loney's men come to rob it and are defeated, but Debbie is shot. In town, Mitch is the only one with the surgical skill to save Debbie's life, and he does so. But when all seems well, Chino discovers that it was Mitch who murdered Johnny and stole the gold. As they begin to shoot it out, Mitch collapses in agony and dies.
Cast
- Rory Calhoun as Chino
- Cameron Mitchell as Mitch
- Corinne Calvet as French
- Penny Edwards as Debbie
- Walter Sande as Sam Harris
- Robert J. Wilke as Will Horn
- John Dehner as Harvey
- Carl Betz as Loney
- Frank Ferguson as Slater
References
- ↑ Solomon, Aubrey. Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1. p248
- ↑ 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1953', Variety, January 13, 1954
- ↑ Powder River at TCMDB
External links
- 'Powder River at IMDB