Hulu’s offering up a 1957 Western starring John Derek, Fury At Showdown.
Director Gerd Oswald performs a minor miracle here, since this cool little picture was shot in a week. His credits also include A Kiss Before Dying (1956), Crime Of Passion (1957, an excellent film noir starring Barbara Stanwyck and Sterling Hayden) and tons of TV: Star Trek, Perry Mason, The Outer Limits, Bonanza, etc.
The Director of Photography, Joseph LaShelle, was nominated for a number of Oscars, and won for Laura (1944). LaShelle shot big films (How The West Was Won, 1962) and small films (I Was A Teenage Werewolf, 1957) — color and black and white, flat and ‘Scope and Cinerama — ending his career with a varied and impressive list of credits.
When you’ve got a spare 75 minutes, check it out.
UPDATE: Hulu has taken down Fury At Showdown, which is a big drag.
It is a shame that this terse little picture seems to have disappeared completely and that it is not available on DVD.
It is an example of how to make something complete in itself without spending too much time, a little gem.
I’d never seen it till it became available on Hulu.com. It really impressed me, especially knowing how cheap and fast it was done. I really like the camerawork.
These are the kinds of films that in a perfect world would litter the DVD bins at your local Walmart. I’d buy ‘em by the truckload!