The Naked Hills * (1956, David Wayne, Marcia Henderson, Keenan Wynn, James Barton, Jim Backus) – Classic Movie Review 13,294

Josef Shaftel’s flimsy 1956 Western film The Naked Hills stars David Wayne, Marcia Henderson, Keenan Wynn, James Barton, and Jim Backus.

Writer/ producer/ director Josef Shaftel’s 1956 Western film The Naked Hills stars David Wayne, Marcia Henderson, Keenan Wynn, James Barton, and Jim Backus.

David Wayne stars as Indiana farmer Tracy Powell, who gets gold fever and heads for Stockton, California, in 1849 and wastes his life chasing gold in ‘them there hills’ at the expense of his family and friends, in this flat, flaccid and flimsy Western drama.

The story by Helen S Bilkie just can’t seem come to life and the performances by a decent, likeable old-time cast won’t light up much either.

It is narrated by Denver Pyle.

James Barton  sings ‘The Four Seasons’ (music by Herschel Burke Gilbert and lyrics by Bob Russell).

The cast are David Wayne as Tracy Powell, Keenan Wynn as Sam Wilkins, James Barton as Jimmo McCann, Marcia Henderson as Julie, Jim Backus as Willis Haver, Denver Pyle as Bert Killian / Narrator, Myrna Dell as Aggie, Lewis L Russell as Baxter, Frank Fenton as Harold, Fuzzy Knight as Pitch Man, Jim Hayward as Counter Man, Christopher Olsen [Chris Olsen] as Billy as a Boy, Steven Terrell as Billy as a Young Man, and Paul E Burns.

The Naked Hills is directed by Josef Shaftel, runs 73 minutes, is made by La Salle Productions, is released by Allied Artists Pictures, is written by Josef Shaftel, based on a story by Helen S Bilkie, is shot by Frederick Gately, is produced by Josef Shaftel, is scored by Herschel Burke Gilbert, and is designed by Rudi Feld.

Release date: June 17, 1956.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,294

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