Warner Archive has announced another promotion, this one called the War & Peace Sale. One of the featured titles, offered at 35% off, is Quantrill’s Raiders (1958). This 68-minute Allied Artists picture, in CinemaScope, stars Steve Cochran as the head of the band of Confederate raiders. It’s directed by Edward Bernds.
Bernds started out as a soundman, then became a director of Columbia short subjects. He directed the later Curly-starring Three Stooges shorts (his first day as a director was trying to get the ailing Curly — he’d had a series of strokes — to hang wallpaper), then made the transition to the Shemps. Leaving Columbia for Allied Artists, he handled a number of Bowery Boys pictures — and stuff like Quantrill’s Raiders and Elvis in Tickle Me (1965).
Back to Warner Archive. There’s still a couple days left for their Wild Western Sale.
Quantrill’s Raiders was unknown to me before i rediscovered Steve Cochran. It’s a fairly good western dealing with the civil war period. A change of pace for Cochran who specialized in bad guy, gangster and noir films, but as one of the best actors of his time, he made any film he was in interesting, and worth buying, and this one is no exception. For long time Cochran fans, yes he does remove (partially) his shirt in this one too.
Chris