Day of the Outlaw *** (1959, Robert Ryan, Burl Ives, Tina Louise, Alan Marshal, Venetia Stevenson, David Nelson, Nehemiah Persoff) – Classic Movie Review 7515

The 1959 Western film Day of the Outlaw stars Robert Ryan, Burl Ives, Tina Louise and Venetia Stevenson. It is directed by Andre DeToth, making his final Western. Philip Yordan called his script ‘one of the best I’ve ever written’.

Director André De Toth’s 1959 Western film Day of the Outlaw stars Robert Ryan as tough rancher Blaise Starrett, who is busy having a showdown with cattleman Hal Crane (Alan Marshal) when a bunch of villains, led by evil Captain Jack Bruhn (Burl Ives) arrive on horseback and terrorise the townsfolk.

The harsh, remote landscape dominates the film and provides a worthy backdrop to the taut tale and rounded characters.

It is well acted all round, but there are terrific turns from Ryan and Ives, the standouts of the movie.

Philip Yordan’s screenplay is based on the 1955 novel by Lee Edwin Wells, which producer Buddy Adler bought to star Robert Wagner. Yordan read the novel and wanted to write a script, which he called ‘one of the best I’ve ever written’.

But he said the film was not what it could have been as it had many problems: the $400,000 budget was not big enough, DeToth was having personal problems; Ryan was away for a week with pneumonia; snowstorms were causing delays; DeToth was changing his mind from interiors to remote exteriors for shooting some scenes; and finally they ran out of money, packed up and went to film in the studio in Hollywood.

Russell Harlan shoots in black and white. Unit director Leon Chooluck did many of the long exterior shots.

Also in the cast are Tina Louise, Venetia Stevenson, David Nelson, Nehemiah Persoff, Jack Lambert, Frank DeKova, Lance Fuller, DeForest Kelley, Elisha Cook Jr, Dabbs Greer, Betsy Jones-Moreland, Helen Westcott, Robert Cornthwaite and Donald Elson.

British-born Hollywood blonde starlet Venetia Stevenson (born 1938) was lucky enough to date both the Nelson brothers in 1958. Venetia and David Nelson began seeing each other in March 1958 and went on to play boyfriend and girlfriend in Day of the Outlaw. But, by the time filming started, Venetia was dating David’s little brother Ricky. She accompanied him on his music tour in October of 1958 and she played Ricky’s girlfriend on the popular TV show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, but they dated only briefly. Venetia’s film career lasted from 1958 to 1961. She married Don Everly of The Everly Brothers in 1962 and retired from acting. They divorced in 1970 and she never remarried.

She was 17 when she married MGM actor-dancer Russ Tamblyn on Valentine’s Day 1956. They divorced in April 1957 but remained friends. She had a year-long affair with actor Audie Murphy, which began when they starred in Seven Ways from Sundown in 1960.

She also frequently dated Tab Hunter.

In his 2005 autobiography, Tab Hunter Confidential: the Making of a Movie Star, Tab Hunter recalled that she was a large part of his social life with his-boyfriend Anthony Perkins, ‘acting as a beard when we double-dated.’ Stevenson recalled: ‘Certainly we all knew Tony [Perkins] was gay. We were real friends, and he would sleep over at my house in the same bed. But there was never, ever any… well, you know.’

Venetia Stevenson.

Joanna Venetia Invicta Stevenson (born 10 March 1938) died on 26 September 2022 at a health care facility in Atlanta from Parkinson’s disease, aged 82.

De Toth had the town built in Oregon several months before filming so the buildings could be naturally weathered by rain and snow.

It was filmed in central Oregon at Dutchman Flat and Todd Lake Meadows near the town of Bend from late November 1958 to early December 1958.

It is De Toth’s final Western.

Hungarian-American film director André De Toth directed the 3D film House of Wax, despite being unable to see in 3D, having lost an eye at an early age.

The cast are Robert Ryan as Blaise Starrett, Burl Ives as Jack Bruhn, Tina Louise as Helen Crane, Alan Marshal as Hal Crane, Venetia Stevenson as Ernine, Vic’s daughter, David Nelson as Gene of Bruhn’s gang, Nehemiah Persoff as Dan, Starret’s Foreman, Jack Lambert as Tex of Bruhn’s gang, Lance Fuller as Pace of Bruhn’s gang, Frank DeKova as Denver, Bruhn’s Gang, Elisha Cook Jr as town barber Larry Teter, Dabbs Greer as veterinarian Doc Langer, Betsy Jones-Moreland as Mrs. Preston, Helen Westcott as Vivian, Paul Wexler as Vause, Michael McGreevey as Bobby, DeForest Kelley, Robert Cornthwaite and Donald Elson.

It runs 92 minutes.

It was released on 19 July 1959.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7515

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com