The Last Sunset **** (1961, Rock Hudson, Kirk Douglas, Dorothy Malone, Carol Lynley, Joseph Cotten) – Classic Movie Review 6911

The incest theme and some fine performances from a top cast help to lift director Robert Aldrich’s weird, well-crafted, over-the-top 1961 Western way out of the rut. Rock Hudson, Kirk Douglas, Dorothy Malone, Carol Lynley, and Joseph Cotten star in this Universal release produced by Kirk Douglas’s company Bryna.

Rock Hudson stars as pursuing lawman Sheriff Dana Stribling who chases fugitive gunman Brendan O’Malley (Kirk Douglas) to a ranch in Mexico, as they agree to help rancher John Breckenridge (Joseph Cotten) drive his herd of cattle into Texas, where Stribling could arrest O’Malley.

[Spoiler alert] Breckenridge’s wife Belle Breckenridge (Dorothy Malone) complicates matters, as Belle was O’Malley’s old flame, and O’Malley and Stribling vie for Belle’s hand. Stribling wins fair maid Belle, but O’Malley falls for teenage Missy Breckenridge (Carol Lynley), his daughter from his fling with Belle 16 years earlier.

Dalton Trumbo’s provocative screenplay is based on Howard Rigsby’s novel Sundown at Crazy Horse. Honourably, Douglas helped blacklisted Trumbo back into credited work, and helped end the notorious Hollywood blacklist.

Also in the cast are Regis Toomey, Neville Brand, Jack Elam, Rad Fulton [aka James Westmoreland], Adam William, John Shay, José Torvay, José Frowe, Manuel Vergara and Margarita Luna.

The Last Sunset is directed by Robert Aldrich, runs 112 minutes, is produced by Brynaprod SA, is released by Universal Pictures, is written by Dalton Trumbo, based on Howard Rigsby’s novel Sundown at Crazy Horse, is shot in Eastman Color by Ernest Laszlo, is produced by Eugene Frenke and Edward Lewis, is scored by Ernest Gold, and is designed by Alexander Golitzen and Alfred Sweeney.

Dorothy Malone (1924–2018).

RIP Dorothy Malone, who died on 19 January 2018, aged 93.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6911

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