Gunman's Walk

Davy Hackett (James Darren) and his hot-tempered, arrogant older brother Ed (Tab Hunter) are about to assist their rancher father Lee (Van Heflin) on a horse roundup. The brothers meet Cecily "Clee" Chouard (Kathryn Grant), a beautiful half-French, half-Sioux woman, and when Ed makes unwanted advances toward her, Davy intervenes.

Clee's brother Paul (Bert Convy) and two other Indians are invited to join the roundup. Ed, obsessed with capturing a white mare, resents Paul's interference and rides him and his horse off a cliff to his death. It is witnessed by the two Indians and Ed is arrested. When the case comes to court, Ed is released when a man named Sieverts (Ray Teal) lies that he saw what happened and that the cliff gave way and the death was an accident. Lee learns that Davy is in love with Clee and disowns him.

Sieverts claims he lost a group of wild horses he had gathered and Lee lets him have 10 horses in exchange for his saving his son. When Sieverts selects the white mare Lee is aware that Sieverts is dishonest. Ed sees Sievert riding through town with the horses and the mare and when Sieverts won’t release the mare Ed shoots him. Jailed once again, Ed shoots a deputy and escapes. Lee hunts down Ed who challenges him and when he tries to take Lee’s gun there is a shootout and Lee kills his son. Lee returns to town with the body and asks Davy and Clee to join him in taking Lee’s body back to the ranch.

• Van Heflin as Lee Hackett
• Tab Hunter as Ed Hackett
• Kathryn Grant as Clee Chouard
• James Darren as Davy Hackett
• Mickey Shaughnessy as Deputy Sheriff Will Motely
• Robert F. Simon as Sheriff Harry Brill
• Edward Platt as Purcell Avery
• Ray Teal as Jensen Sieverts
• Paul Birch as Bob Selkirk, Lee's caretaker
• Will Wright as Judge
• Bert Convy as Paul Chouard (uncredited)
• Chief Blue Eagle as Black Horse, Indian (uncredited)
• Paul Bryar as Saloon bartender (uncredited)
• Harry Antrim as Doctor (uncredited)
• Everett Glass as Rev. Arthur Stotheby (uncredited)
• Dorothy Adams as Martha Stotheby (uncredited)

Ric Hardman wrote the original script and it was adapted by Frank Nugent. Van Heflin signed to star in August 1957.[2] Rudolph Mate was originally meant to be the director but he dropped out (he would be replaced by Phil Karlson). Tab Hunter was borrowed from Warner Bros.[3]

Columbia contractee James Darren was assigned to a support role. Filming started in November 1957.[4][5]

Director Phil Karlson says the film reduced Columbia studio head Harry Cohn to tears. "He had two sons and this was a story about a father and two sons. He identified completely."[6]

The Los Angeles Times said it was "moviemaking at its best".[7]

Quentin Tarantino later said the film was an inspiration for Tanner the fictitious movie starring Ric Dalton in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.[8]

• List of American films of 1958

• Gunman's Walk at IMDb
• Gunman's Walk at AllMovie
• Gunman's Walk at the TCM Movie Database
• Gunman's Walk at the American Film Institute Catalog
• Review of film at Cinema Retro