No Name on the Bullet *** (1959, Audie Murphy, Charles Drake, Joan Evans) – Classic Movie Review 7,479

Jack Arnold’s tense, involving 1959 Western film No Name on the Bullet stars Audie Murphy as mystery killer John Gant, who rides into town to shoot an unknown human target.

Director Jack Arnold’s 1959 American CinemaScope Eastmancolor double-bill Western film No Name on the Bullet stars World War Two’s most decorated soldier Audie Murphy as John Gant, the strong silent type of mystery killer.

Gant rides into town to shoot an unknown human target, and bugs all the residents into examining their consciences, if they have them to examine, as paranoia sets in since everyone in Lordsburg has enemies who could hire a killer for revenge.

Arnold’s tense, involving Western is a carefully made low-budget movie, with quite a bit of thought and intelligence packed into Gene L Coon’s screenplay (based on a story by Howard Amacker) and a particularly sturdy performance from the underrated Audie Murphy, unusually cast as a cold-blooded villain.

It is an above-par film for star Murphy and for director Arnold, in one of this sci-fi specialist’s series of Westerns.

Also in the cast are Charles Drake, Joan Evans, Virginia Grey, Warren Stevens, Edgar Stehli, R G Armstrong, Willis Bouchey, Karl Swenson, Charles Watts, Whit Bissell, Jerry Paris, Simon Scott, Charles Cane, Hugh Corcorran, Hank Patterson, Bob Steele, Guy Wilkerson, John Alderson, John Alexander, Russ Bender and James Hyland.

Filming started September 1958 and it was released by Universal-International in February 1959. 

No Name on the Bullet is directed by Jack Arnold, runs 77 minutes, is made by Universal Pictures, is released by Universal-International, is written by Gene L Coon, based on a story by Howard Amacker, is shot in CinemaScope and Eastmancolor by Harold Lipstein, is produced by Howard Christie and Jack Arnold, is scored by Herman Stein, and is designed by Alexander Golitzen.

The cast

The cast are Audie Murphy as John Gant, Charles Drake as Luke Canfield, Joan Evans as Anne Benson, Virginia Grey as Roseanne Fraden, Warren Stevens as Lou Fraden, R G Armstrong as Asa Canfield, Willis Bouchey as Buck Hastings, Edgar Stehli as Judge Benson, Simon Scott as Reeger, Karl Swenson as Stricker, Whit Bissell as Pierce, Charles Watts as Sid, John Alderson as Ben Chaffee, Jerry Paris as Harold Miller, Charles Watts, Charles Cane, Hugh Corcorran, Hank Patterson, Bob Steele, Guy Wilkerson, John Alderson, John Alexander, Russ Bender and James Hyland.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7479

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