A small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a disabled man, a drunk, and a young gunfighter in his efforts to hold in jail the brother of the local bad guy.
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CinemaSerf
8
By CinemaSerf
Sherriff "John T." (John Wayne) is saddled with a drunken deputy "Dude" (Dean Martin) just at a time when local landowner "Burdette" (John Russell) is besieging the jail to extricate his murderous brother. Luckily, his friend "Pat" (Ward Bond) drives his wagon train through the town and he's got the gunslinging "Colorado" (Ricky Nelson) on board. Initially reluctant to get involved in someone else's fight, the turn of events change his mind providing Duke with a new ally. Then, when he thinks things can't get any worse, the stagecoach comes in with a dodgy wheel and wanted card-sharp "Feathers" (Angie Dickinson) - a woman who knows exactly which buttons to press to turn the sheriff into a gibbering wreck. With tensions mounting, we retreat to the safety of their prison for a sing-song with Martin and some acerbic antics from the real star of the film - Walter Brennan. He's the cantankerous old "Stumpy" who is tasked with keeping an eye on their prisoner whilst fixing their beans... Wayne and Martin work well together and though Nelson is a bit wooden, his eye candy value just about works - that and his lively rendition of "Cindy" that gets even Wayne's toes a-tapping. It all builds well to a lively and explosive denouement with some diney-mite and a perfectly aimed sawn-off shotgun topping this off nicely. It's a solid story with engaging characters and well worth a watch - even if westerns aren't necessarily your thing.
