Terror in a Texas Town
| Terror in a Texas Town | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Joseph Lewis |
| Written by | Dalton Trumbo |
| Produced by | John Seltzer |
| Starring | Sterling Hayden |
| Cinematography | Russell Harlan |
| Edited by | Stefan Arnsten |
| Music by | Gerald Fried |
Production company | Seltzer Films |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 81 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Terror in a Texas Town is a 1958 American Western film directed by Joseph Lewis and starring Sterling Hayden.
The script of Terror in a Texas Town was written by Dalton Trumbo. Due to Trumbo's status on the Hollywood Blacklist, Ben Perry initially received screenwriting credit.
Director Lewis was set to retire when his friend, the actor Nedrick Young, handed him the script. Young had been blacklisted and this picture was his chance to get back into the business. Excited by the script, Lewis agreed to do it because he had nothing to fear from working with blacklisted artists as this was going to be his last film anyway.[1]
Plot
The wealthy McNeil wants to control Prairie City and the land around it. He tries to burn out small ranchers and then hires gunfighter Johnny Crale to run them off.
Sven Hansen learns from neighbour Jose Mirada that there is oil on his land. Sven stands up to Crale, his only weapon a harpoon from his past as a whaling fisherman, and Crale callously shoots him dead.
The dead man's son, George Hansen, arrives in town and finds out that his father has died, but isn't sure how or why. The sheriff is in McNeil's pocket and unwilling to help. George tries talking to Molly, Crale's wife, but ends up beaten unconscious and dumped on a train leaving town.
Mirada is the next one gunned down by Crale, but his courage impresses the killer, who in a fit of rage shoots McNeil, the man who hired him. George Hansen returns to town for a showdown, eventually supported by the townsfolk, and is wounded before getting the better of Crale with his father's harpoon.
Cast
- Sterling Hayden as George Hansen
- Sebastian Cabot as McNeil
- Carol Kelly as Molly
- Eugene Mazzola as Pepe Mirada (as Eugene Martin)
- Nedrick Young as Johnny Crale (as Ned Young)
- Victor Millan as Jose Mirada
- Frank Ferguson as Deacon Matt Holmes
- Marilee Earle as Mona Stacey
See also
References
- ^ "Terror in a Texas Town film article at". tcm.com. Retrieved 2014-08-24.
External links
- Terror in a Texas Town at IMDb
- Terror in a Texas Town at AllMovie
- Terror in a Texas Town at the TCM Movie Database
- Terror in a Texas Town at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
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