Three films this week, two with Hoot Gibson, one with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.
The Hard Hombre is a 1931 film with Hoot Gibson.It's screenplay by Jack Natteford and directed by Otto Brower.
Hoot takes the job on a ranch with a young woman, played by Lina Basquette, in charge. He doesn't wear a gun, smoke or drink. The baddies think he's the Hard Hombre and try to kill him. Lucky for Hoot they aren't very good at their jobs. There's a good bit of comedy, in Hoot being mistakes for the Hard Hombre, than the typical western plot. There's bit of romance and some ridin' but not much killin'. The movie was one of the first films to be shot at Vasquez Rocks. Lina Basquette was supposedly Hitler's favorite actress and her bio page on the IMDb is really interesting to read.
Lucky Terror is a 1936 Hoot Gibson film. It's the second feature on the same DVD as the movie above. Roger Allman wrote the script and Alan James is the director. Hoot is riding in the mountains when he gets into the middle of some fleeing bank robbers. One of the men jacks Hoot's horse but the horse spooks and takes the robber over a cliff to their deaths. Hoot finds gold in the saddle bags, buries it and takes a job with a traveling side show. Things get complicated and Hoot winds up in court. It all settles out fine and Hoot gets the gal. There were a few laughs in the movie and I had a giggle or two watching.
4 For Texas is a 1963 movie with Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Ursula Andress and Anita Ekberg. It's got a script by Teddi Sherman and director Robert Aldrich. The other cast includes Charles Bronson, Mike Mazurki, The Three Stooges, Arthur Godfrey, Richard Jaeckel, Ellen Corby, Jack Elam and Victor Buono. Dean and Frank meet up defending a stage coach from robber Charles Bronson and then Dean robs Frank of $100,000. Turns out Franks not much short of being a robber as he uses his sheriff's office for extorting the local business men. Later they're rivals in opening up a waterfront casino in Galveston. Ursula and Anita are the romantic action for Dean and Frank. It was alright but it's very much a 60s comedy before it's a western. Dean's Rio Bravo is a much better western.
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