The Duel at Silver Creek *** (1952, Audie Murphy, Stephen McNally, Faith Domergue, Susan Cabot, Lee Marvin, Gerald Mohr) – Classic Movie Review 13,195

Quentin Tarantino recommends the 1952 Audie Murphy Western film The Duel at Silver Creek as ‘a very well conceived and executed picture, as well as being obviously a Don Siegel picture.’

Audie Murphy and Stephen McNally star as The Silver Kid and Marshal Lightning Tyrone, who form an uneasy alliance against a gang of mining claim jumpers, in director Don Siegel’s 1952 Universal Pictures Western film The Duel at Silver Creek.

When evil claim jumpers (Lee Marvin as Tinhorn Burgess, Gerald Mohr as Rod Lacey) kill an innocent victim, The Silver Kid’s father, the gun-toting Kid (Murphy) is deputised by Marshal Tyrone of Silver City (McNally) and joins him to go after them.

There is an unusual amount of romance in the picture. While Tyrone pursues Opal Lacey (Faith Domergue), who sides treacherously with the claim jumpers, the Kid falls for tomboy Dusty Fargo (Susan Cabot), who desires Tyrone.

Maybe it is a hard-to-believe yarn, but there is fast-moving, craftsman-like work from director Siegel, and a decent Universal Pictures production in Technicolor, plus a good Audie Murphy appearance, nice intrigue from Faith Domergue and Susan Cabot, and tasty performances from a select band of character actors.

The cast are Audie Murphy as Luke Cromwell aka The Silver Kid Faith Domergue as Opal Lacey, Stephen McNally as Marshal Lightning Tyrone, Susan Cabot as Dusty Fargo, Gerald Mohr as Rod Lacey, Eugene Iglesias as Johnny Sombrero, James Anderson (billed as Kyle James) as Rat Face Blake, Walter Sande as Pete Fargo, Lee Marvin as Tinhorn Burgess, George Eldredge as bartender Jim Ryan, and Griff Barnett as Dan ‘Pop’ Muzik

The Duel at Silver Creek is directed by Don Siegel, runs 77 minutes, is made and released by Universal Pictures, is written by Gerald Drayson Adams and Joseph Hoffman, based on a story by Gerald Drayson Adams, is shot in Technicolor by Irving Glassberg, is produced by Leonard Goldstein, and scored by Hans Salter, Herman Stein (uncredited) and Joseph Gershenson (musical direction).

Release dates: August 1, 1952 (New York City), August 2, 1952 (Los Angeles) and September 5, 1952 (US release).

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,195

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