Young Guns of Texas ** (1962, James Mitchum, Alana Ladd, Jody McCrea, Chill Wills, Gary Conway) – Classic Movie Review 12,906

The 1962 colour Western film Young Guns of Texas stars James Mitchum, Alana Ladd, Jody McCrea, Chill Wills, and Gary Conway. It is routine but of interest, if only for starring children of famous stars.

‘Blazing a New Trail of Courage!’

Producer/ director Maury Dexter’s 1962 DeLuxe Color Western film Young Guns of Texas stars James Mitchum, Alana Ladd, Jody McCrea, Chill Wills, and Gary Conway. It is routine but of interest, if only for starring children of famous stars.

Tyler Duane (Gary Conway) is thrown out of West Point military academy after the US Civil War and searches for his Union officer brother who has apparently made off with Union money, accused of stealing Army funds. Along the way, he is joined in turn by Jeff Shelby (Jody McCrea), Lily Glendenning (Alana Ladd), Morgan Coe (James Mitchum) and Martha Jane Canary (Barbara Mansell0, but there is a trail of death and blood before the happy ending for the hero.

Many of the most familiar Western ingredients like the search for money, the lust for greed, the pursuit of a woman and vengeance for a killing, plus marauding Apache Indians. are chucked into this routinely written oater, and even the stars are hand-me-downs. But, nevertheless, the gimmicky casting pays off with decent acting from the young relatives of these famous names – Robert Mitchum, Alan Ladd and Joel McCrea.

The cast are James Mitchum as Morgan Coe, Alana Ladd as Lily Glendenning, Jody McCrea as Jeff Shelby, Chill Wills as Preacher Sam Shelby, Gary Conway as Tyler Duane, Barbara Mansell as Martha Jane Canary, Robert Lowery as Jesse Glendenning, Troy Melton as Luke, Fred Krone as Glendenning’s foreman Pike, Alex Sharp as Red, Robert Hinkle as Sheriff Simon, and Will Wills as Charlie.

It was shot in August 1962 in Big Bend National Park, Texas. But the saguaro cacti in the film grow only in Arizona, so filming also took place in Arizona’s old Tucson Studios.

Barbara Mansell’s character is Martha Jane Canary, the real name of Calamity Jane. (I have to say Calamity Martha doesn’t really do it, does it?)

Young Guns of Texas is directed by Maury Dexter, runs 78 minutes, is made by Associated Producers, is released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Harry Spalding [billed as Henry Cross], is shot in DeLuxe Color by John M Nickolaus Jr, is produced by Maury Dexter, is scored by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter.

Release date: November 1962.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 12,906

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