I've always been a Walter Brennan fan, ever since first seeing him as Grandpa McCoy in the late Fifties popular TV series. Based on that, one can easily assume his characters would be the stereotypically 'aw shucks' good old country boy types, but catching him in his earlier Westerns shows a surprisingly different side. In "Four Guns to the Border", Brennan's Simon Bhumer is an aging former gunfighter who's still pretty handy with a six-gun, evidenced by his quick pull on outlaw Bronco (George Nader) in that scene at Greasy's cabin. He'd still be doing the same thing as Will Sonnett a decade later in another of his many TV series roles.
For a Fifties Western, this one actually gets pretty racy in scenes between star Rory Calhoun and Brennan's screen daughter Colleen Miller. Not exactly beautiful, she has a way of steaming things up with Calhoun in the barn following a rough liplock earlier to set things in motion. Various states of undress and getting soaked in the rain has a way of doing wonders for her figure as well.
The story itself finds Ray Cully (Calhoun) and his gang planning a bank robbery with Cully providing the distraction for his men by facing off against a former friend and partner, now the sheriff of Cholla (Charles Drake). I'll be adding their one on one to my list of best Western movie brawls, as they really mix it up with the town folk uniquely positioned around them so as not to miss any of the action. I would have liked the story to more clearly define their prior relationship; did they have their falling out over Mrs. Flannery (Maggie Foch) or his having become a lawman? All you knew was Cully had a grudge against Jim Flannery and he was itching to get it out of his system.
Inevitably, the outlaws and the Bhumers cross paths more than once; Lolly (Miller) wasn't going to let her man get away. During the Apache attack, keep an eye on the Indian Cully shoots at the top of a rocky outcrop; he gives a slightly noticeable push with his legs as he goes over the cliff. Heading for the finale, I thought sure Cully would ditch Miss Lolly, but she won out in the final showdown when Sheriff Flannery showed up one last time.
Rounding out the cast are Cully's sidekicks Dutch (John McIntire), Bronco (George Nader) and the always reliable Jay Silverheels as tracker Yaqui. Silverheels is a lot more colorful here than his better known character Tonto. Adding to his persona was an amusing attempt at using a Spanish accent, which sounded different every time he spoke. Too bad though, none of the gang made it to the end of the picture.
For a Fifties Western, this one actually gets pretty racy in scenes between star Rory Calhoun and Brennan's screen daughter Colleen Miller. Not exactly beautiful, she has a way of steaming things up with Calhoun in the barn following a rough liplock earlier to set things in motion. Various states of undress and getting soaked in the rain has a way of doing wonders for her figure as well.
The story itself finds Ray Cully (Calhoun) and his gang planning a bank robbery with Cully providing the distraction for his men by facing off against a former friend and partner, now the sheriff of Cholla (Charles Drake). I'll be adding their one on one to my list of best Western movie brawls, as they really mix it up with the town folk uniquely positioned around them so as not to miss any of the action. I would have liked the story to more clearly define their prior relationship; did they have their falling out over Mrs. Flannery (Maggie Foch) or his having become a lawman? All you knew was Cully had a grudge against Jim Flannery and he was itching to get it out of his system.
Inevitably, the outlaws and the Bhumers cross paths more than once; Lolly (Miller) wasn't going to let her man get away. During the Apache attack, keep an eye on the Indian Cully shoots at the top of a rocky outcrop; he gives a slightly noticeable push with his legs as he goes over the cliff. Heading for the finale, I thought sure Cully would ditch Miss Lolly, but she won out in the final showdown when Sheriff Flannery showed up one last time.
Rounding out the cast are Cully's sidekicks Dutch (John McIntire), Bronco (George Nader) and the always reliable Jay Silverheels as tracker Yaqui. Silverheels is a lot more colorful here than his better known character Tonto. Adding to his persona was an amusing attempt at using a Spanish accent, which sounded different every time he spoke. Too bad though, none of the gang made it to the end of the picture.
