Taggart *** (1964, Tony Young, Dan Duryea, Dick Foran, Emil Meyer, Peter Duryea, Jean Hale) – Classic Movie Review 7714

Director R G Springsteen’s slick, well-cast, violent 1964 B-movie Western Taggart is based on an intricately plotted Louis L’Amour novel, with a neat screenplay by Robert Creighton Williams, and boasts a nice, welcome cast of old-timers, such as Ray Teal, Harry Carey Jr and Bob Steele.

Tony Young stars as Wild West settler Kent Taggart, who is chasing after his parents’ killers, ranch owner Ben Blazer (Emile Meyer) and his sniggeringly evil son Rusty Bob Blazer (Peter Duryea).

Tony Young stars as Wild West settler Taggart.

[Spoiler alert] Taggart catches up with the duo and kills Rusty in a gunfight in front of Blazer, who puts a price of $5,000 on Taggart’s head, a bounty sought by ruthless killer Jay Jason (Dan Duryea). Taggart heads for hostile Apache country pursued by Jason.

It is the film debut of David Carradine (1936–2009). Also in the cast are Dick Foran, Elsa Cardenas, Jean Hale, Tom Reese, Ray Teal, Claudia Barrett, Stuart Randall, Harry Carey Jr, William Henry, George Murdock, Arthur Space, Bob Steele and Sarah Selby.

Taggart is directed by R G Springsteen, runs 85 minutes, is made and released by Universal Pictures, is written by Robert Creighton Williams, based on a Louis L’Amour novel, is shot in Technicolor by William Margulies, is produced by Gordon Kay, is scored by Herman Stein and Joseph Gershenson, and is designed by Alexander Golitzen and Raymond Beal.

Father and son Dan and Peter Duryea appeared in two Westerns together: Taggart (1964) and The Bounty Killer (1965).

Tony Young (1937–2002) was the son of radio, TV and film character actor Carleton G Young.

Young and Dan Duryea also made He Rides Tall with Springsteen.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7714

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