Today would be the 100th birthday of Van Heflin, one of the finest actors to ever be projected on a screen. Dying at 60, his life — and his list of credits — were far too short.
Of his Westerns, he’s known for Shane (1953) and 3:10 To Yuma (1957), both true landmarks in 50s Westerns. But his performance in the criminally obscure Gunman’s Walk (1958) is among his very best.
I’ve extolled the virtues of this Phil Karlson picture quite a bit since cranking up this blog, and it breaks my heart that it’s so hard to track down and watch. Maybe that Columbia DVD-R thing will fix this one day. “Dear Santa…”
As I always recommend…keep a very close eye on TCM. That channel is where I finally was able to see this exceptionally fine film and since I first saw it there about two years ago they have rebroadcast it and it has been in widescreen. THANK YOU, TCM!!!! When I first found it there the film was not available that I know of, in VHS or DVD, in the USA but now I believe it is has been released. Note date on this post.