The Quick Gun ** (1964, Audie Murphy, Merry Anders, James Best) – Classic Movie Review 10,785

Director Sidney Salkow’s 1964 Techniscope Technicolor Western film The Quick Gun stars Audie Murphy as quick gunslinger Clint Cooper, who returns to his home town of Shelby, Montana, after two years with a bad reputation and a smouldering flame for Helen Reed (Merry Anders). But he eventually helps out the sheriff, his old buddy Scotty Grant (James Best), in shooting down the local crooks plotting to rob the bank, becomes a hero and the sheriff, and then rightfully takes over his daddy’s homestead.

The Quick Gun is a routine Audie Murphy Western that goes quickly, though without firing on all cylinders. The niftily staged action highlights, a good Western cast and Murphy’s charisma are the main attractions here.

Robert E Kent’s screenplay is based on Steve Fisher’s short story The Fastest Gun that had provided the basis for two other Westerns: Top Gun (1955) starring Sterling Hayden, and Noose for a Gunman (1960) starring Jim Davis and Ted de Corsia as the villain.

It is the second of four films produced by Grant Whytock and Edward Small’s Admiral Pictures in the Sixties. It is released by Columbia Pictures.

Also in the cast are Ted de Corsia, Walter Sande, Frank Ferguson, Raymond Hatton, Rex Holman, Charles Meredith, Mort Mills, Gregg Palmer, Frank Gerstle, Stephen Roberts, Rick Vallin, Paul Bryar and William Fawcett.

It was obviously made on a tight budget. Murphy was paid only $37,500.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 10,785

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