The Marauders ** (1955, Dan Duryea, Jeff Richards, Keenan Wynn, Jarma Lewis, Harry Shannon) – Classic Movie Review 12,507

MGM’s passable. nice-looking 1955 widescreen and Eastmancolor Western film The Marauders stars Dan Duryea, Jeff Richards, Keenan Wynn and vintage beauty Jarma Lewis. 

Director Gerald Mayer’s 1955 MGM widescreen and Eastmancolor Western film The Marauders stars Dan Duryea, Jeff Richards, Keenan Wynn, Jarma Lewis, and Harry Shannon.

The Marauders is a passable, low-budget MGM support-feature Civil War Western with the old, old story of the greedy, gun-toting rancher John Rutherford (played by Harry Shannon) versus nice but rugged cattleman Corey Everett (played by Jeff Richards).

These two actors are easily upstaged by Keenan Wynn in a hook hand as as Hook and main star Dan Duryea as Avery, plus the pretty brunette heroine Jarma Lewis as Hannah Ferber. Apart from these five stars, who keep the movie going in fairly flamboyant performances, MGM could have marauded for a better cast and also an improved script. But cinematographer Harold J Marzorati’s widescreen and Eastmancolor images make for a colourful film.

It is written by Jack Leonard and Earl Fenton and based on a novel by Alan Marcus.

Also in the cast are John Hudson, James Anderson, Richard Lupino, David Kasday, Peter Mamakos, Mort Mills, Michael Dugan, Ken Carlton, and John Damler.

Running time: 81 minutes.

Release date: May 20, 1955.

It had a budget $548,000 and took $928,000 at the box office, which meant MGM lost $110,000.

Jarma Lewis (June 5, 1931 – November 12, 1985).

Jarma Toy Lewis (June 5, 1931 – November 12, 1985) was active in films from 1952 to 1957. She was one of the youngest performers signed to MGM. In November 1955, she married Benjamin Edward Bensinger III, whose family had made fortune in bowling alleys. The marriage, which ended in divorce in October 1984, produced three sons.  She died in November 1985 at her home in Beverly Hills, aged 54.

Jeff Richards was third lead in the big hit Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) so MGM started to build him up as a star. Dore Schary, head of the studio, said he had ‘tremendous personal charm’ and ‘looks like a great bet’. He was finally given a star part in The Marauders, played the lead in It’s a Dog’s Life (1955) and one of the male leads in the musical The Opposite Sex (1956) but they all lost money and MGM lost interest in him.

Gerald Mayer was born on 5 June 1919, the nephew of MGM studios owner Louis B Mayer and the son of studio manager Jerry Mayer. He directed The Violent Hour, Inside Straight, The Sellout, Holiday for Sinners, The Marauders and Diamond Safari before a long, busy TV career. Most of his films were not profitable for MGM.

The cast are Dan Duryea as Avery, Jeff Richards as Corey Everett, Keenan Wynn as Hook, Jarma Lewis as Hannah Ferber, John Hudson as Roy Rutherford, Harry Shannon as John Rutherford, David Kasday as Aibie Ferber, James Anderson as Louis Ferber, Richard Lupino as Perc Kettering, Peter Mamakos as Ramos Mort Mills as Carmack, John Damler as Cooper, Michael Dugan as Sal, and Ken Carlton as Thumbo.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,507

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