Hidden Guns ** (1956, Bruce Bennett, Richard Arlen, John Carradine, Faron Young, Lloyd Corrigan, Angie Dickinson) – Classic Movie Review 11,630

Director Albert C Gannaway’s 1956 American black and white B-Western film Hidden Guns stars Bruce Bennett, Richard Arlen, John Carradine, Faron Young, Lloyd Corrigan and Angie Dickinson.

It is a simple story of good versus evil. Bruce Bennett stars as the bad guy, outlaw Stragg, who intimidates and controls a town. Richard Arlen stars as the good guy, Sheriff Ward Young, who heads for a town nearby, where there is a witness who could testify against Stragg, who retaliates by hires a gunman to kill the sheriff and the witness.

The cast is nice, with vintage stars, and they give good performances, but the script couldn’t be more routine or run-of-the range. It’s incredible how many Westerns were being churned out in this era, before TV took them over, then the Italians took them over, and killed them off seemingly for ever.

The story and screenplay are written by Samuel Roeca and Albert C Gannaway.

The film is made by Gannaway-Ver Halen Productions and was released on 39 January 1956 by Republic Pictures in the US and by British Lion Film Corporation in the UK the same year.

The cast are Bruce Bennett as Stragg, Richard Arlen as Sheriff Ward Young, John Carradine as Snipe Harding, Faron Young as Deputy Faron Young, Lloyd Corrigan as Judge Wallis, Angie Dickinson as Becky Carter, Damian O’Flynn as Kingsley, Irving Bacon as Doc Carter, Tom Hubbard as Grundy, Ron Gans as Burt Miller, Bill Ward as Joe Miller, Lee Morgan as Emmett Harding, Edmund Cobb as Ben Williams, Ben Welden as Ben Peabody, Guinn ‘Big Boy’ Williams as Kingford, Gordon Terry as Terry, Charles Heard as Stage Stop Attendant, Bill Coontz as Dave, and Michael Darrin as Hank.

Faron Young (February 25, 1932 – December 10, 1996) was an American country music producer, musician, and songwriter.

Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,630

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