Have to admit, I’ve never seen Return To Warbow (1958). But looking at this still, I can’t wait to track it down — which is a pretty simple task, since it’s on sale right now from Warner Archive (widescreen, I believe).
Left to right, you’ve got Andrew Duggan, James Griffith and Robert J. Wilke — a Dream Team of 50s Westerns character actors. Add to that Phil Carey, Jay Silverheels and Paul Picerni. It’s directed by Ray Nazarro, who excelled at this sorta medium-budget thing. And it only runs 67 minutes!
The more of this type of picture I see, especially the ones from Columbia and Universal-International, the more I like them.
20% is not a sale. I don’t get out of bed for less than 50%, Warner Archive.
Good point.
At $15.96, that’s still 23 cents a minute for RETURN TO WARBOW!
I didn’t do so hot in Economics, so that kinda analysis is beyond me.
I go with a more basic supply-and-demand approach — I demand it, they supply it.
I haven’t seen RETURN TO WARBOW either though it’s long been on my list. Does anyone know if it’s actually a Western remake of STORM FEAR?–I have had that impression for some reason. Maybe I saw a few minutes in the middle once or something.
Thanks for the kinds words in earlier post, Toby and hope someone here did catch up with REPRISAL, an excellent movie and even if you hadn’t seen it in a long time your description was exactly right.
Not sure about the remake thing. It’s based on a novel of the same name from 1955, both written by Les Savage, Jr. By the way, Savage died the year this picture came out. He was in his 30s.
I’ve been trying your version of supply-and-demand on review copies, with mixed results.
I love short little movies like this. What a cast! Catherine McLeod was good in the Andrew Stone film A BLUEPRINT FOR MURDER (1953), and she was also in a memorable (and fairly somber) MAVERICK episode, “Rage for Vengeance.”
Best wishes,
Laura
RETURN TO WARBOW is an A movie trapped in a B movies body!
With its adult themes and tense plot one wondered what Daves or
Sturges would have made of it with A-List stars.
It certainly proves Ray Nazarro was capable of far more than
shoot em ups.Great to see the excellent Andrew Duggan as a good
guy for once and the film has an very good role for Jay Silverheels too.
All in all a dandy little programmer.
Have not seen STORM FEAR but would sure love too;I understand
Director Cornel Wilde also plays the heavy and the great Dan Duryea is
the good guy for a change!
If it were not for MOD titles like RETURN TO WARBOW would be forever
lost in the ether!
Speaking of Columbia MOD the forthcoming release of THE QUICK GUN
(Sidney Saklow 1964) is up on Amazon USA for a pre-order price of
$14.49 at the moment.It would seem that there are moves afoot to reduce
the price of these things. All the new MGM/UA titles are greatly reduced in
price too!
Over here in the UK or “Rip-Off Britain” as we are sometimes known;
we are used to ultra high prices for our DVDs.The more classic the
title,the higher the price.Actually the MOD prices dont seem too bad to
us; its just the additional high postage charges that make them so
expensive!Nevertheless its great to see such obscure films like
RETURN TO WARBOW make it to MOD/DVD and long may it continue.
Any UK Western fans reading this blog might be interested to know
that Pegasus,normally a cheapo-cheapo P.D. imprint have just released
a whole raft of vintage Universal Westerns at a very keen price. These are
“official” releases and I hear through the grapevine that the quality is
very good.Titles include COMANCHE TERRITORY,PILLARS OF THE SKY,
COLUMN SOUTH,SMOKE SIGNAL and TAZA SON OF COCHISE.
Also the non-Fifties title INCIDENT AT PHANTOM HILL a most entertaining
little epic with a top-notch supporting cast and wonderful Dan Duryea
having no trouble “stealing” the entire film.
Finally a wish list for Columbia Classics should they ever return to
releasing Westerns at regular intervals.
RELENTLESS (George Sherman 1948)
THE WALKING HILLS (John Sturges 1948)
THE DOOLINS OF OKLAHOMA (Gordon Douglas 1949)
THE TEXAS RANGERS (Phil Karlson 1952)
STAGE TO TUCSON (Ralph Murphy 1952)
THE LAST POSSE (Alfred Werker 1953)
MASTERSON OF KANSAS (William Castle 1955)
THE HARD MAN (George Sherman 1957)
EDGE OF ETERNITY (Don Siegel 1959)
REPRISAL! naturally belongs on this list but Toby has already
championed that one.
Siegels film,while technically not a Western is a great thriller in a
Western setting.A writer for Films and Filming in the early Sixties
noted that one cinema in London had booked the film alongside
Carol Reeds THE RUNNING MAN;giving the audience a guide on how
to and how not to make a thriller!
I’m dying to hear how Pillars Of The Sky looks. I’m a big fan of that one!
Watched the DVD of WARBOW a few weeks ago. Loaded with great “character” folks and very entertaining. Today’s filmmakers need to take a lesson from movies like WARBOW, i.e., movies do not have to be 145 minutes to be entertaining.
Is it widescreen? I’m afraid I know what the answer to that is.
The length of films today is as much of a deterrent to me as the quality. I’ve really been wanting to see Inglorious Basterds, but I can fit two 50s Westerns into that same amount of time!
Looking at IMDb, RETURN TO WARBOW does not appear to be a Western remake of STORM FEAR (1956) as that had a different novel basis and Savage’s original novel for Warbow came out a year earlier. Still, the narratives seem very, very similar. STORM FEAR is an interesting movie, Cornel Wilde’s first as a director. Though people think of him as a villain because he did it so memorably, I always found Dan Duryea could play any shade of character, and sometimes very sympathetic.
In the impressive cast of RETURN TO WARBOW, I also noted the name of Christopher Olsen, fine child actor who really deserves to be known because few of his age appeared in more great 50s films, of which his standout performance is certainly BIGGER THAN LIFE but he’s also notably in THE TARNISHED ANGELS and the 1956 THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, and in Westerns a small but crucial role in THE TALL T and he’s in THE FASTEST GUN ALIVE too (but I don’t remember him in this one–I’m sure Toby does though; I assume he is Glenn Ford’s son). Olsen called it quits on his acting career in 1960 at age 14.
One other note on WARBOW. IMDb lists 1.85 as AR and I’m sure that’s right. Referring to my own lists of seen Columbias, those the
studio itself would have considered as As are often in CinemaScope, but those they’d consider Bs never are until the last two Boettichers. I hasten to add that of course I don’t think of RIDE LONESOME and COMANCHE STATION as Bs at all and for me they could hold their own with any films ever made anywhere. And will also say I like many other Columbia Bs, and as I’d expect John Knight has a good list above (but where’s FACE OF A FUGITIVE, John?). I appreciate a push for STAGE TO TUCSON which I haven’t seen and have never heard anyone mention until now and will want to see it. Also Karlson’s THE TEXAS RANGERS has eluded me and hope to remedy that too.
I’d love to talk to Christopher Olsen. Anybody know how to get ahold of him? He’s great in Bigger Than Life — one of those films where everybody involved was at the top of their game.
I agree that a Columbia want list would have to include Face Of A Fugitive. Watched it on my computer recently, and even though the image wasn’t much bigger than a baseball card, I was completely engrossed.
As this book (and blog) progress, how I see the line between what is a B vs. an A film is blurring. The dividing line certainly has nothing to do with quality. Since working with a smaller budget requires relying on talent, creativity and guts, the lack of funds often seems to inspire a cast and crew.
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS is worth the time!
The omission of FACE OF A FUGITIVE from that otherwise-perfect run of Paul Wendkos Columbia titles does offend one’s sense of order, doesn’t it? Maybe there are rights or elements issues. And of course, speaking of Wendkos, Sony still needs to correct the butchery of the GIDGET films on DVD….
I knew that Basterds comment would get a rise out of somebody!
You’re right about Gidget — the things are a travesty full frame.
I am told that PILLARS OF THE SKY from Pegasus UK is a very good
widescreen transfer. I have the German Koch version and its stunning.
Unfortunately these Pegasus DVDs I already have, from Germany or
France;I could have saved myself a packet!
I have e-mailed Pegasus and pleaded with them to release RED SUNDOWN
thats one I am desperate to get.
My reason for not including FACE OF A FUGITIVE was because it was
recently released in Spain;I tried to make my list include films (to my
knowledge) that have never seen the light of day anywhere on the planet.
RETURN TO WARBOW is presented in 1.1:85 widescreen.
STAGE TO TUCSON is a most entertaining romp;Rod Cameron and
Wayne Morris make a surprisingly good team.Harry Joe Brown was the
producer.The real strong suit of the film is extensive use of lovely
Lone Pine locations.
Phil Karlsons THE TEXAS RANGERS has a cast to die for and is yet
another George Montgomery that packs as many Western legends
into one movie as possible!William Bishop (as Sam Bass) has a great line:
“Hot tub sure is a fine thing;I take one ever month weather I need one
or not!”
Notice the date of my posts…anyway, since my post above I went to my man cave and dug out RETURN TO WARBOW and just finished watching it. It was very enjoyable. I want to note that there was an issue in this film that was the same as one in another western, THREE HOURS TO KILL, with Dana Andrews. That issue, or subject, being a situation where a woman has become pregnant by a man she did not marry but married another man instead. Interesting to see those things integrated into westerns instead of just the usual good guy/bad guy stuff. For those who have not seen THREE HOURS TO KILL, I highly recommend it. At one time at least it was not available on video but finally came to TCM for me. It is very good and also stars Donna Reed if that matters.