Universal’s Vault Series is serving up a handful of 50s Westerns, basically taking the TCM Western Horizons set and selling them as single discs (available exclusively from Amazon).
Horizons West (1952) has Budd Boetticher directing Robert Ryan, Julie Adams and Rock Hudson in a Technicolor post-Civil War tale.
Saskatchewan (1954) puts Alan Ladd, Shelley Winters, J. Carrol Naish and Hugh O’Brian in the hands of the great Raoul Walsh.
Dawn At Socorro (1954) was directed by George Sherman, which is enough for me. Factor in Rory Calhoun, Piper Laurie, Mara Corday, Edgar Buchanan, Skip Homeier, James Millican and Lee Van Cleef, and you’ve really got something going.
Pillars Of The Sky (1956) stars Jeff Chandler and Dorothy Malone. Support comes from Ward Bond, Olive Carey (both appeared in The Searchers the same year) and Lee Marvin. George Marshall directed in CinemaScope. I love this film.
Backlash (1956) comes from John Sturges and stars Richard Widmark, Donna Reed and William Campbell. Good stuff.
These will make a welcome addition to anybody’s collection, but what I want to know is: where are A Day Of Fury (1956) and Last Of The Fast Guns (1958)?
50 Westerns From The 50s. 
In a perfect world Universal Vault would be putting these MODs out
much faster there is so much in their vaults that I am after,including all that
pre 1949 Paramount stuff.
Funny you should mention A DAY OF FURY Toby, because I am on a
real Harmon Jones kick at the moment.
Over the weekend I watched my widescreen de-subtitled version from
Sidonis ( a friend has the tech know how to do this) in a double bill with
HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER (Blu-Ray)
Its amazing how these two films complement each other,both darkly comic
with a cruel streak,both feature red as a symbolic color.
A DAY OF FURY should be far more well known that it is,as a somewhat
twisted take on the Old West;for me its right up there with SILVER LODE
and NO NAME ON THE BULLET.
Special mention for standout supporting performances from Jan Merlin
and Dee Carrol;- as the “kid” who hero worships gunfighter Jagade (Dale
Robertson) and the spinster who lusts after and is destroyed by Jagade.
The latter scene is cruel in the extreme,far darker than anything in the
Eastwood film.
A Day Of Fury is a terrific film. I’m working on a post on it now. The similarity to/influence on High Plains Drifter makes it all the more fun.
Ernest Tidyman wrote Drifter (and The French Connection and Shaft) — I’d love to talk to him or Eastwood about their inspiration.
Toby, I’ve heard that Eastwood’s inspiration for HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER was a Spaghetti Western called DJANGO THE BASTARD aka THE STRANGER’S GUNDOWN, directed by Sergio Garrone and staring Italy’s answer to Clint Eastwood, Anthony Steffen. A widescreen version is available from VCI.
I can see similarities in both films, the gothic/ghostly storyline in which the avenger can or may be the dead returned. Both towns are presented as Hell, and Steffen’s take on Eastwood is priceless, or is Eastwood really copying Steffen copying Eastwood in DRIFTER?
Thanks for your comment. I’d forgotten that there was an Italian picture that could’ve been the inspiration for Drifter.
I have the VCI DVD of The Stranger’s Gundown, but haven’t watched it. Now I’m really looking forward to it.
So glad you love the film as much as I do Toby.
James Edmiston who wrote A DAY OF FURY also wrote my all-time
favorite RAWHIDE episode “Incident With An Executioner” with the
great Dan Duryea going full blast.
Also both films reference the respective towns becoming “hell”
Be so cool if you could contact cast members Jan Merlin and Mara Corday
( a friend of Clints BTW)
Really looking forward to your piece on the film Toby.
I’ve never seen or even heard of “A Day of Fury” so now I’m looking forward to eventually seeing it. I have seen “Last of the Fast Guns”; it’s a very worth while movie: Jock Mahoney, Gilbert Roland, a decent story and lots of pretty pictures.
DAWN AT SOCORRO is available by itself on dvd from Amazon.
A Day of Fury is on Youtube and at a high resolution.
Well, folks, what are you waiting for?
Off topic, but some folks may be interested that the Warner Archive have
just released the long OOP Alan Ladd Paramount Western BRANDED.
Film is one of Ladds very best Westerns and Rudolph Mates finest
Western too. Film has a really interesting story and some truly stunning
scenery.
This is part of a deal Warners have bringing Paramount OOP items
back on DVD.
What many of us want to know is are Warners going to issue UNRELEASED
Paramount titles at some point;. lots of people are asking this on their
Facebook page but they are being pretty coy at the moment;so who knows.
One film a lot of us want is Ladds RED MOUNTAIN again a top-drawer,
top budget Paramount Western.
The Ladd was really on a roll at that time.
BRANDED is pretty good. I have a copy DVD of RED MOUNTAIN and it’s one of the most boring Alan Ladd movies I’ve ever seen. Very little action, mostly dialogue between Ladd and the leading lady. When there is action, it’s lame. I just saw it 2 weeks ago and was very disappointed.
RAILS TO LARAMIE was on Encore Western this morning and was in perfect picture quality, no speckles. An excellent John Payne, Dan Duryea, Lee Van Cleef western.
FLAMING FEATHER is another excellent western Sterling Hayden, Victor Jory, Forrest Tucker. Probably Hayden’s best western movie after JOHNNY GUITAR. Excellent plot and great action, great outdoor photography. I saw it on pirate copy. Hopefully it will be released soon.
SOUTH OF ST.LOUIS is another hopeful for release by Olive Films.
Give me your address and I’ll send you the Red Mountain copy.
I’d love to see widescreen releases of DRAGOON WELLS MASSACRE, AT GUNPOINT, THE TALL STRANGER and THE QUIET GUN. I can’t even find them abroad, excepting a pan and scan of TALL STRANGER and a copy of AT GUNPOINT with no English soundtrack.
Tom,we beg to differ regarding RED MOUNTAIN;I love that movie.
FLAMING FEATHER is an absolute cracker;top drawer cast too and
crammed with action,breathless pacing as well. This is the sort of UNRELEASED Paramount stuff many of us crave;Warner Archive……are
you listening. Olive Films having decided not to release WARPATH,
THE SAVAGE,A MAN ALONE and THE LAST COMMAND will not release
FLAMING FEATHER or RED MOUNTAIN………..these guys hate Westerns
unless of course they star The Duke!
They have promised SOUTH OF ST LOUIS for 2014 but I am not holding
my breath.
Mike,THE TALL STRANGER will be released by Warner Archive at some
point in lovely remastered scope.DRAGOON WELLS MSSACRE is sadly
owned by Paramount Republic,again not the sort of film to ever appear on
Olive Films radar.Not too sure about AT GUNPOINT hopefully Warner
Archjive own this one.
THE QUIET GUN in Regalscope highly unlikely I would say.
GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING has been delayed by Warners because of
remastering problems but it will appear and when it does it should look
stunning.
BTW Tom,I recently got a lovely upgrade of RAILS INTO LARAMIE
probably from the same source you mention………..great fun movie.
While we are talking Universal Westerns Koch in Germany (who have been
rather quiet on the Western front lately) have a couple of goodies
lined up for December 5.
Edgar Ulmers THE NAKED DAWN which is 4×3
Also George Shermans WAR ARROW presented in widescreen 1.85
WAR ARROW is also going to be released on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Both Discs feature trailers and lovely poster art on the covers.
Is the THE TEXAN – Rory Calhoun TV show any good? Lots of action or lots of talking? I have bought some other TV Westerns and was disappointed.
I just received and watched DAWN AT SOCORRO last night. The Technicolor picture quality is off-the-charts spectacular. Excellent storyline, great directing and dialogue. It starts off as a copy of OK Corral and then turns into a clock-ticker drama like High Noon. Great action and pacing through the whole movie. I would rate it a 10/10 against other B westerns and an 8/10 against A westerns. Awesome!