Warlock **** (1959, Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, Anthony Quinn, Dorothy Malone, Dolores Michaels) – Classic Movie Review 6494

Producer-director Edward Dmytryk’s ambitious and gripping 1959 adult Western has a strong cast headed by Henry Fonda as a famous cultured gun-slinging killer called Clay Blaisedell, who is hired as lawman by the cowardly citizens of the small town of Warlock, harassed by a gang of thugs.

Fonda then proceeds to clean up the town with the help of his close lifelong pardner Tom Morgan (Anthony Quinn), a blond, club-footed gambler gunman.

They are joined by former bad guy Johnny Gannon (Richard Widmark), who is loved by Lily Dollar (Dorothy Malone), who hopes he will avenge the loss of her fiancé, supposedly killed by Blaisdell and Morgan.

Despite his close relationship with Morgan, with its intriguing gay subtext, Blaisedell finds romance with local girl Jessie Marlow (Dolores Michaels).

There are commendably tough and serious performances, and the unusually involved and thoughtful plot, which grips as it tries to make you think about mob role and justice, is brightly handled by director Dmytryk.

Also in the cast are Dolores Michaels, Wallace Ford, Tom Drake, DeForest Kelley, Richard Arlen, Regis Toomey, Don Beddoe, Vaughn Taylor, Whit Bissell and Bartlett Robinson.

Robert Alan Aurthur adapts the novel by Oakley Hall.

It is shot in colour by Joe MacDonald and scored by Leigh Harline.

Kelley recalled he fell over a chair on his arse and shouted ‘Oh, shit’ in front of Princess Sofia of Greece, who was visiting the set. Fonda later told him not to worry because he had danced with her and discovered she had no idea what ‘shit’ meant.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6494

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