The MGM Classics Collection is at it again. This time with Peter Graves in Bel-Air’s Fort Yuma (1955). Directed by Lesley Selander, it was pretty rare for Bel-Air to splurge on Technicolor. Graves’ leading lady Joan Vohs was a Rockette and appeared in William Castle’s Fort Ti (1953).
Other titles are post-1959:
Gunfighters Of Abilene (1960), starring Buster Crabbe, and Gun Street (1961) — both directed by Edward L. Cahn.
California (1963), an AIP picture with a great cast: Jock Mahoney, Faith Domergue, Michael Pate and Nestor Paiva. Alas, a great cast does not always make for a great movie.
50 Westerns From The 50s. 
It’s these little known B-Westerns from the average viewer,
that makes us collectors and fans happy.
Many Buster Crabbe, Jock Mahoney and Peter Graves westerns
have crossed my path once or twice during my watchful eye.
Some of the best directors gave us action packed entertainment
and they were made on a shoe string.
Love those westerns!
I’ve become a new-born fan of Buster Crabbe. Ever since I saw “Gunfighters of Abilene” on the THIS channel, I discovered Buster Crabbe is a great Western actor. I always used to just associate him with Flash Gordon. Since seeing him in this great little Western I discovered he played in a whole series of little westerns in the ’40’s playing “Billy” I believe, (I haven’t seen any of these) but I think I prefer the older Buster Crabbe from the mid and late ’50’s. He had more lines in his face and looked more like a Westerner.
I’ve also since discovered he made a few more Westerns in ’50’s, Badman’s Country, Gun Brothers (another real good one), Lawless ’80s (another goodie), Charge At Feather River, & Prairie Badmen. I haven’t seen all these yet, they’re waiting for me though. I can’t wait. In the future I’ll have to try to find his earlier westerns, they seem to be available commercially. The ’50’s westerns though seem to go ignored commercially. Anyway, glad to have discovered Crabbe from Gunfighters of Abilene. Great little western!
I really liked Gun Brothers, too. No great shakes, but a great way to spend an hour or so.
Good point about Crabbe and age and Westerns. Same with Randolph Scott: age made him more believable in these Western roles. As much as I love Western Union (1941), Scott’s seems a bit too young and handsome. (It’s about time to watch that one again!)
I agree, Randolph Scott in the ’50’s is one of the best Western actors, but Randy in the ’30’s and early ’40’s looked too much like a boy. As opposed to Duke, who looked good in Westerns even when he was in his 20’s. I especially liked him in his 3 Mesquiteers series. I like Joel McCrea much better in the ’50’s but even when he was young in the occasional Western he made, he looked believable. Scott & Crabbe couldn’t pull it off.
Scott looked pretty young in The Texans (1938) but in Western Union
he looked great;his doomed gunfighter was one of his best Forties
roles.Scott never got the billing he deserved in the Forties; in Western
Union he was billed below Robert Young;totally wrong for Westerns.
Having said that I would love to see Relentless (1948) which I believe
Young also co-produced. Note also Scott got third billing beneath
the two Georges;Raft and Brent in Christmas Eve (1947) Scotts last non
Western. (I will not count Starlift!) Oddly enough the two Georges careers
would nosedive after Christmas Eve;Scotts would soar!
Gun Brothers is a fun movie I love the bit where Buster wipes his dinner
knife on James Seays hand.Walter Sande as Yellowstone Kelly was
inspired casting!
We can almost count on at least four or five Westerns every month from
the MGM/UA cats. Universal and Columbia………Are you listening!
That’s a coincidence, I just watched “Relentless” about 3 weeks ago. I really like westerns from the ’50’s that are in color. Robert Young was a pretty good tough guy in “Relentless”, he’s an excellent actor and can seem to pull off any role. I recorded “Relentless” many years ago but forgot all about it and that I even had it. Then recently, I forget why, but the subject of Relentless came up, I assumed I didn’t have it, but when I checked, I was surprised I had recorded it, probably 15 years ago. Anyway, transferred it now to DVD and it looked good, esp. in color. Good movie, glad to see it.
Relentless is another good one from George Sherman.
I’d like to revise my opinion on the “too young” Randoph Scott. I watched “Western Union” over the weekend and yes, even a youngish Randoph Scott in this movie looks good as a cowboy. He seemed to have a few lines in his face even in this 1941 movie. Maybe I just remember him from some of his early ’30’s romance or comedy movies where he doesn’t look Western at all. But Scott was very very good in “Western Union”, I might even go so far to say Robert Young looks a bit out of place, but I don’t want to have to revise myself again. I liked Robert Young better in “Relentless”.
By the way, an interesting weekend of movies. By accident I happen to see Dean Jagger in 2 different movies, one as a young man in “Western Union” and then the next night he pops up again as a very old man in the movie ‘Vanishing Point”. Overnight Dean Jagger went from young to old, time really does fly.
Anyone ever have this experience. Where purely by accident the same star or actor keeps popping up over and over in TV shows or movies you’re watching in a short period of time? It happened again a couple weeks ago with Chill Wills, he popped up in 3 different movies I watched, I wasn’t playing these to have a Chill Wills night, he just kept popping up by chance of the movies I chose to watch for completely different reasons.
Also saw Glenn Ford in “Man From The Alamo” (with Chill Wills again!). This was a very good and moody movie for Glenn Ford. A genuine Budd Boeticher type movie, good guy misunderstood by most everyone else.
Regarding the just previous post….this happens to me all the time…meaning seeing the same star in different productions in a short time span. And often it seems, I will just be channel surfing and see the same actor in two different movies broadcasting simultaneously.