In this third box set of Audie Murphy westerns, Murphy gets paired with some great co-stars, including John Saxon and Felicia Farr.
George Sherman’s Hell Bent for Leather (1960)
“I tried to help someone by offering them some food and all I got was this lousy gun,” might not be as catchy as, “… all I got was this lousy t-shirt,” but Clay (Murphy) doesn’t even know the half of how much trouble that gun is going to bring him when he decides to take it with him after the gun’s owner (Jan Merlin) steals his horse.
As it turns out that gun has a reputation and, in being found with it, all of the townsfolk assume Clay’s the killer they’ve been looking for. In their defense, they do try to confirm Clay’s identity first (some make more of an effort than others), but their source is corrupt, leaving it up to Clay to clear his name and take a hostage (Farr) in the process.
What’s great about Christopher Knopf‘s screenplay is that it uses how conditioned viewers are to expect the person the townsfolk turn to for help to be a good guy that, just as it takes Clay a moment to realize he’s being set-up, it’s a dawning realization for viewers, too. The source novel by Ray Hogan (which Knopf’s screenplay is adapted from) actually gives the twist away in the title, but luckily that title was changed for the film (though an earlier title, Hell Bent for Paradise, might’ve made more sense, since Paradise is where Clay is heading and “leather” has no baring on the plot).
Murphy and Farr have a really good rapport in this movie. Yes, it’s a little ridiculous that Farr’s lipstick never needs to be reapplied, but that’s not Farr’s fault. Her character is always looking for ways to escape, so there’s never that moment (fair or not) of thinking you could’ve done better. Murphy might be the good guy but he’ll fight dirty to survive, too, which is refreshing. He also never feels the need to assert himself or be macho when he has to depend on Farr’s character to get around. Just because they have to trust each other doesn’t mean they actually do right away either, which is what makes their relationship feel earned instead of forced.
Bonus Feature:
Film historian Toby Roan‘s commentary gets a little bogged down with listing cast credits but he also talks about the locations (Long Pine having been a popular spot to shoot westerns), Sherman’s direction (and why he didn’t end up filming Seven Ways from Sundown as originally planned), and the professional relationship between Murphy and producer Gordon Kay (Hellbent was the first of seven westerns they did together).
Herbert Coleman’s Posse from Hell (1961)
There are two posses in Posse from Hell. Which one is the posse from hell is hard to say but the one that’s robbed a bank and killed multiple people is led by Vic Morrow, while Murphy’s Banner is in charge of the group that’s gone after them.
Posse from Hell is the film that made me want to get this box set and it doesn’t disappoint. The cast is jacked, from the always welcome Royal Dano (with his piercing blue eyes), to Saxon as the city slicker who proves his mettle over the course of the film, to a thoughtful performance by Mexican actor Rodolfo Acosta as an Indigenous American named Johnny.
What’s especially great is that all seven members of Murphy’s posse are given backstories, so when people start getting killed their deaths resonate. Characters are allowed to show their truth colors, too. Not everyone’s heroic.
Bonus Feature:
Author/screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner and film historian Henry Parke provide the commentary. Along with admiring Saxon’s character’s arc (and how his transformation extends to his wardrobe), Joyner and Parke make sure listeners come away with an appreciation for screenwriter Clair Huffaker and how his screenplay acknowledges the practical realities of life in the West that other westerns let their cowboys be immune to, like heat stroke and saddle sores.
R.G. Springsteen’s Showdown (1963)
There’s nothing wrong with loyalty. Most of the time it’s good, but the problem with the loyalty Chris (Murphy) shows Bert (Charles Drake) in the Showdown is that it never feels deserved. Yes, they have history, but when the whole point is supposed to be that Bert doesn’t change, it’s hard to believe he was a better person once. The question of why Chris remains loyal to him, then, ultimately becomes too much of a sticking point in Ric Hardman’s screenplay.
It’s a watchable western. The whole maypole jail imagery (where prisoners are chained to a pole instead of put in a jail cell) is unusual, and a scene where Chris employs a tumbleweed is smart, but Chris is too noble, and the female lead (played by Kathleen Crowley) looks out of place and uncomfortable.
Bonus Feature:
Showdown is the only film in this set that doesn’t come with a commentary but, in his commentary for Hellbent, Roan does mention that Murphy wasn’t happy with the film being shot in black and white, and watching the film, it doesn’t feel like the story was served better for not being in color.
The Audie Murphy Collection III is available on Blu-ray now from Kino Lorber.
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