Mon 21 Sep 2015
Jonathan Lewis Reviews Two AUDIE MURPHY Western Movies.
Posted by Steve under Reviews , Western movies[5] Comments
DRUMS ACROSS THE RIVER. Universal International, 1954. Audie Murphy, Walter Brennan, Lyle Bettger, Lisa Gaye, Hugh O’Brian, Mara Corday, Jay Silverheels, Regis Toomey, Morris Ankrum, Bob Steele. Story & screenplay: John K. Butler. Director: Nathan Juran.
If you’re looking for a Western of economical running time that nevertheless manages to squeeze in a many of the genre’s most durable tropes, look no further than the little known Drums Across the River. You’ve got a father-son conflict; scheming bad men, working at the behest of big city folks, trying to stir up a race war between Whites and Indians; a town filled with people eager for quick and swift justice; a man bitter at the Indians, blaming them for the death of his mother; and a plot to steal a safe.
All in less than 80 minutes. But you know what, for the most part it works quite well.
Directed by Nathan Juran, this surprisingly effective Universal-International movie stars war hero-turned-actor Audie Murphy as Gary Brannon, a man caught up in a scheme to illicitly access gold mines on Ute territory. Against the wishes of his father, Sam, portrayed effectively by character actor Walter Brennan, Gary (Murphy) sets out with Frank Walker (Lyle Bettger) and his gang to get the gold, as it were. Soon enough, he realizes that Walker may not be all that he seems.
The rest of the film follows Gary as he tries to rebuild his relationship with his father, make peace with the Utes, and stop Walker’s men from inciting racial violence. Look for Hugh O’Brien as Morgan, a truly evil henchmen and killer that Walker hires to threaten Gary. With some beautiful cinematography and outdoor scenery, this one is worth seeking out.
40 GUNS TO APACHE PASS. Columbia Pictures, 1967. Audie Murphy, Michael Burns, Kenneth Tobey, Laraine Stephens, Robert Brubaker, Michael Blodgett, Michael Keep. Director: William Witney.
Although he wasn’t nearly the screen presence as was Randolph Scott, war hero-turned-actor Audie Murphy, particularly in his later films, began to emerge as a more than capable actor to portray a flawed protagonist or an anti-hero.
That’s certainly the case for 40 Guns to Apache Pass, Murphy’s final movie appearance. Directed by William Witney, this surprisingly effective and visually captivating Western has Murphy portraying U.S. Army Captain Bruce Coburn, a man with anger issues and an impossible mission: secure the shipment of 40 rifles before the Apaches attack and kill every last settler in southern Arizona.
Filmed almost exclusively outdoors, this taut and gritty Western dispenses with many of the lighthearted moments that permeated many of Murphy’s 1950s films. It’s a bloody and dusty world out West, and Bruce Coburn is more than willing to beat and berate his men into submission. Not only does he make an enemy in one of his subordinates, a scheming Corporal Bodine (Kenneth Tobey), he also ends up driving a young man into the ranks of outlaws and traitors.
It’s Coburn’s impetuousness and his inability to think through how his behavior affects his men that ends up causing him the greatest amount of distress. As such, 40 Guns to Apache Pass can well be categorized as a minor classic in the psychological Western genre, an otherwise little known film that is skillfully directed and, while not having the most original plot in the world, is nevertheless a pleasure to watch.
September 22nd, 2015 at 9:56 am
I wonder if any of you have heard (or remember) this story:
When Don Siegel was putting together the screenplay of Dirty Harry, he and the writers hadn’t yet decided on how to portray the sniper.
In an interview, Siegel told of one of the early ideas: to make the sniper an ordinary man, ” … someone in a suit and tie, someone who might sell you insurance …”.
During this early period, Siegel briefly met Audie Murphy, who was between flights on a business trip.
As the two men spoke, it occurred to Siegel that Murphy had killed as many men in his war service as any serial killer had – and here he was in a suit and tie, looking to sell things.
The interview doesn’t say how far Siegel’s thought went, or if he ever actually proposed something to Murphy (who’d quit acting by that time anyway).
But as we all know, Siegel and his writers went in a different direction anyway.
Audie Murphy never considered himself much of an actor, which was the major reason he gave it up.
These two movies seem to indicate that he sold himself short in that respect.
September 22nd, 2015 at 3:49 pm
Ian Cameron pointed out that the 4th most-decorated soldier in WWII was Neville Brand, and wondered if numbers 2 & 3 were in Hollywood or Prison?
September 22nd, 2015 at 4:56 pm
DRUMS ACROSS THE RIVER is as good a movie as Jon says it is. For some reason, I often find smaller production movies such as this one more enjoyable than A westerns of the same era.
Take THE BIG LAND (1957), for example, with Alan Ladd and based on a Frank Gruber novel, which I recently had occasion to see on DVD. The first 30 minutes were fine, as the elements of the story were set up. But the rest of movie was a mass of standard cliches and muddled scenes. I was disappointed. Another SHANE it wasn’t.
September 22nd, 2015 at 9:52 pm
Murphy had an interesting take on his screen persona seeming to shy away from heroic roles. His characters were likely to be either young and naïve, tough cynics, outlaws,or idealists. Perhaps because he needed no fictional heroics to prove himself he always seemed cast in roles more complex than you would expect of an actor who never thought much of his skills.
Within that basic Audie Murphy personality he had more than a little range and for a man who single handedly killed more enemy soldiers in one battle than some small companies in a war his screen roles tended to show great vulnerability.
But what Murphy carried on screen that no other actor had in these roles was simply that he was the real thing. Acting or not there was no question who he was or that he was a genuine hero.
Michael Landon told a story one night on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Back when he was doing BONANZA he and the stars of numerous westerns regularly met after filming to talk before heading home, among the actors Chuck Connors of THE RIFLEMAN and Murphy who had a series at the time.
All the actors Landon claimed were going on about how fast they were on the draw while Murphy said nothing. As he got up to leave however Murphy stood up and said he would meet any of the other actors early the next morning before the days shoot to see who was the fastest gun.
They were all excited according to Landon, after all he was Audie Murphy, but the excitement cooled when Murphy added just before he went out the door that he would be using real bullets.
It sort of sums up who Murphy was in relation to most actors of his time.
September 23rd, 2015 at 7:31 am
A recent Murphy bio doesn’t mention a Dirty Harry offer. Would’ve been interestlng, with Murphy comlng across as Harry’s mini-me,a twlsted mirror image.