The Shepherd of the Hills *** (1964, Richard Arlen, James Middleton, Sherry Lynn, Hal Meadows) – Classic Movie Review 10,231

Writer-director Ben Parker’s 1964 low-budget double-feature Western film The Shepherd of the Hills is a pleasant independent film remake of the 1941 semi-classic The Shepherd of the Hills, based on Harold Bell Wright’s 1907 novel, this time with Hal Meadows in the old John Wayne role as the hero Young Matt Matthews pledged to punish his father (James Middleton), the man who ill-treated his dead mom.

The Shepherd is attacked and wounded by the Baldknobber gang (Tom Pope, Roy Idom, Jim Teague, Roger Nash, Jim Greene), taken to recover to the Ozark Mountains cabin of the Matthews family, who do not know that the Shepherd is the father of Young Matt, who is in a love triangle with Sammy Lane (Sherry Lynn) and city boy Ollie Stewart (Joy N Houck Jr).

Young Matt’s gal (Sherry Lynn) won’t marry him because of the anger in his heart. Middleton returns, but isn’t at all an ogre, being now dubbed The Shepherd of the Hills for all his kindnesses.

It is acted with conviction and made lovingly and carefully, with a nice down-home Americana atmosphere, and is again attractively shot in colour (Eastmancolor), this time by Ted Saizis and Vincent Saizis, Branson, Missouri, and Silver Dollar City, Missouri.

The story was filmed in the silent era by author Wright in 1919 and again as The Shepherd of the Hills in 1928 starring Molly O’Day.

The main cast are Richard Arlen, James W Middleton, Sherry Lynn, Hal Meadows, Lloyd Durre, James Bradford, Joy N Houck Jr, Gilbert Elmore, James Collie, Reubin Egan, Jim Greene, Tom Pope, Roy Idom, George Jackson, Delores James, Roger Nash, Danny Spurlock Jim Teague and Jerry-Mac Johnston.

It is made by Macco Productions and distributed by Howco International Pictures.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,231

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com