Arizona Bushwhackers ** (1968, Howard Keel, Yvonne De Carlo, John Ireland, Brian Donlevy, Marilyn Maxwell, Scott Brady, Barton MacLane) – Classic Movie Review 9,888

The 1968 Technicolor Western film Arizona Bushwhackers stars Howard Keel, Yvonne De Carlo, John Ireland, Marilyn Maxwell, Scott Brady and Brian Donlevy. It is the twelfth of the 13 A C Lyles Westerns and final film directed by Lesley Selander.

Director Lesley Selander’s 1968 American Technicolor Western film Arizona Bushwhackers stars Howard Keel, Yvonne De Carlo, John Ireland, Brian Donlevy, Marilyn Maxwell, Scott Brady and Barton MacLane. It is the twelfth of the 13 Westerns A C Lyles produced for Paramount Pictures, following Fort Utah that also stars John Ireland. It is the 151st and final feature film directed by Lesley Selander.

The 1968 Arizona Bushwhackers is a typical A C Lyles production employing a ripe and ready bunch of old faithfuls in a routine but watchable 1950s-style B-movie Western.

The complicated story by Steve Fisher (also screenplay) and Andrew Craddock [A C Lyles] is about captive US Civil War rebel Lee Travis (Howard Keel), who is allowed a second opportunity with an Arizona lawman’s badge. But Travis is really a Confederate agent on a mission to transport weapons and ammunition from a hidden cache to Confederate troops near by. He sees off chief bad guy Tom Rile (Scott Brady), who as usual of course has been selling guns to the Indians.

It is good to see Western icons Brian Donlevy (as Mayor Joe Smith), John Ireland (as Deputy Dan Shelby), Scott Brady and Barton MacLane (as corrupt Sheriff Grover) saddling up one more time, even in these humble circumstances, as well as Yvonne De Carlo as Travis’s fellow Confederate agent Jill Wyler, Marilyn Maxwell as saloon girl Molly, James Craig, Roy Rogers Jr, Regis Parton [Reg Parton], Montie Montana and Eric L Cody.

James Cagney narrates.

Arizona Bushwhackers is shot back-to-back with Buckskin (1968), the last two Westerns produced by A C Lyles between 1963 and 1967 for release by Paramount Pictures. Arizona Bushwhackers was released in March 1968 (US) and Buckskin was released in May 1968 (US).

Arizona Bushwhackers is directed by Lesley Selander, runs 87 minutes, is made by A C Lyles Productions, is released by Paramount Pictures, is written by Steve Fisher, is shot in Technicolor by Lester Shorr, is produced by A C Lyles, and is scored by Jimmie Haskell.

The cast

The cast are Howard Keel as Lee Travis, Yvonne De Carlo as Jill Wyler, John Ireland as Deputy Dan Shelby, Marilyn Maxwell as Molly, Scott Brady as Tom Rile, Brian Donlevy as Mayor Joe Smith, Barton MacLane as Sheriff Grover, James Craig as Ike Clanton, Roy Rogers Jr as Roy, Regis Parton as Curly, Montie Montana as Stage Driver, Eric Cody as Bushwhacker Ed Jones, and James Cagney as Narrator.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9888

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