Backlash 1956  N/R, 83 min.
Genre: Western
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Richard Widmark, Donna Reed, William Campbell, John McIntire, Barton MacLane, Harry Morgan, Robert J. Wilke, Edward Platt, Jack Lambert, Roy Roberts
Jim Slater (Richard Widmark) is searching for the truth about what happened to his father during and after an Apache raid in post-Civil War Arizona. He runs across Karyl (Donna Reed) who is on a similar mission after her husband was killed in the same raid. They join forces, and, to Jim's regret, his father is the thief he was accused of being and had sold out his fellow thieves. John McIntire does his usual good job, this time in the role of Jim's father. Other than that, this expensive film, though beautifully shot, is not at the level of Sturges' other Western sagas such as "Bad Day at Black Rock" and "Gunfight at O.K. Corral".
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Bad Day at Black Rock 1955  N/R, 81 min.
Genre: Drama / Western / Thriller
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Walter Brennan, Dean Jagger, John Ericson, Walter Sande, Russell Collins, Francis McDonald, Billy Dix, Harry Harvey, Mickey Little, Bobby Johnson
Based on Howard Breslin's novel, this movie tells the story of one-armed John J. Macreedy (Spencer Tracy) who arrives in the town of Black Rock on a mission. He tries and fails to find a hotel room, and his request for information about a Japanese farmer, Komoko, who he has come to see is met with silence by Sheriff Tom Horn (Dean Jagger). The town is run by Reno Smith (Robert Ryan) who hates the Japanese and had Komoko killed. Macreedy is unaware of Smith's secret and does locate Komoto's home where he finds his grave. One of Smith's henchmen, Coley Trimble (Ernest Borgnine), has followed Macreedy to Komoto's home, and now Macreedy must not only deal with the cover-ups by the townsfolk, but he will be fighting for his own life as well. Spencer Tracy and Director John Sturges received Oscar nominations.
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By Love Possessed 1961  N/R, 115 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Lana Turner, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Jason Robards, George Hamilton, Susan Kohner, Thomas Mitchell, Everett Sloane, Carroll O'Connor, Barbara Bel Geddes, Yvonne Craig
A successful lawyer (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) has an affair with his partner's wife (Lana Turner) in this soapy melodrama that is very loosely based on James Gould Cozzens' novel.
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The Capture 1950  N/R, 91 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Lew Ayres, Teresa Wright, Victor Jory, Jacqueline White, Jimmy Hunt, Barry Kelley, Duncan Renaldo, William Bakewell, Milton Parsons, Frank Matts, Felipe Turich, Edwin Rand
Told in flashback while taking refuge in a priest's (Victor Jory) home, Lin Vanner (Lew Ayres) relates the story of while inspecting a Mexican oil field he was responsible for the death of a fugitive suspected of payroll robbery. He then quits his job, and the dead man's widow (Teresa Wright) hires him to work on her ranch. They fall in love and marry, but Vanner still has a guilty conscience and sets out to confront the killer. The confrontation does not go well, which leads to Vanner seeking refuge with the priest.
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The Eagle Has Landed 1976 PG, 123 min.
Genre: Action / Adventure / Drama
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall, Jenny Agutter, Donald Pleasence, Anthony Quayle, Jean Marsh, John Standing, Judy Geeson, Treat Williams, Sven-Bertil Taube, Larry Hagman, Michael Byrne, Alexei Jawdokimov, Richard Wren
During World War II, in November 1943, Winston Churchill goes on vacation at an English country estate, and Hitler makes plans to kidnap and murder him. Under orders from Hitler, Heinrich Himmler (Donald Pleasence) assigns the job of masterminding the kidnapping to Col. Max Radl (Robert Duvall). With aid from Col. Kurt Steiner (Michael Caine) and IRA lifer Liam Devlin (Donald Sutherland) plans are made to parachute into the English village of Sudley camouflaged as Polish soldiers. Plans go forward, they arrive at the appointed place and time, but then the well-laid plans begin to unravel.
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Escape from Fort Bravo 1953 N/R, 98 min.
Genre: Western / Adventure / Drama
Director: John Sturges
Cast: William Holden, Eleanor Parker, John Forsythe, William Demarest, Richard Anderson, Polly Bergen, Carl Benton Reid, William Campbell, John Lupton, Howard McNear, Glenn Strange, Alex Montoya, Charles Stevens, William Newell, Harry Cheshire
During the Civil War, Confederate Captain John Marsh (John Forsythe) is being held prisoner at the prison camp where Southern belle Carla Forester (Eleanor Parker) is brought in to distract Union Army Captain Roper (William Holden) and aid in a prison break. The ploy works, Roper falls in love with Carla, and she leaves with the escaping rebels including Marsh who has also fallen for Carla. But, Roper catches up with them and leads them back to Fort Bravo. It proves to be a difficult trek–especially when they meet up with a Mescalero Apache hunting party and must form an alliance to fend off the attack.
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 The Great Escape 1963  N/R, 168 min.
Genre: Adventure / Action / Drama / Thriller
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Donald, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, David McCallum, Gordon Jackson, Nigel Stock, Hannes Messemer, John Leyton, Angus Lennie, Robert Graf, Jud Taylor
This is one of the best war movies ever made. It takes place in a P.O.W. camp into which the Germans have placed all the troublemakers. P.O.W. Bartlett (Richard Attenborough) plans one more escape, and even the loner, Capt. Hilts (Steve McQueen), becomes involved in its execution.
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Gunfight at the O.K. Corral 1957 N/R, 122 min.
Genre: Western
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Jo Van Fleet, John Ireland, Lyle Bettger, Frank Faylen, Earl Holliman, Ted de Corsia, Dennis Hopper, Whit Bissell, DeForest Kelley, Martin Milner, George Mathews, John Hudson
Lawman Wyatt Earp (Burt Lancaster) and outlaw Doc Holliday (Kirk Douglas) join forces to fight the Clanton gang at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. This is an excellent film; although history is romanticized, the 1881 gunfight and action preceding it are exciting fare in this classic Western. The film received Academy Award nominations for Best Sound and Film Editing
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The Hallelujah Trail 1965 N/R, 152 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Burt Lancaster, Lee Remick, Jim Hutton, Pamela Tiffin, Donald Pleasence, Brian Keith, Martin Landau, John Dehner, Dub Taylor, Robert J. Wilke
A cavalry officer in charge of a wagon shipment of whiskey faces a temperance leaguer in Denver who is trying to talk the citizens into making their city alcohol-free.
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Hour of the Gun 1967 N/R, 100 min.
Genre: Western
Director: John Sturges
Cast: James Garner, Jason Robards, Robert Ryan, Albert Salmi, Charles Aidman, Steve Ihnat, Michael Tolan, Larry Gates, William Windom, Frank Converse, Lonny Chapman, William Schallert
After Wyatt Earp (James Garner) kills members of the Clampton gang, remaining members retaliate by killing his brother, and Wyatt gets help from Doc Holliday (Jason Robards) to track down the killers.
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Ice Station Zebra 1968 G, 148 min.
Genre: Adventure
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, Patrick McGoohan, Jim Brown, Tony Bill, Lloyd Nolan, Alf Kjellin, Ted Hartley, Joseph Bernard, Ron Masak
Secret satellite photographs are at an outpost at the North Pole, and U.S. and Soviet forces vie to reach them first. The U.S. sends a nuclear submarine from Holy Loch, Scotland, up under the ice to beat the Russians. Film footage of submarine maneuvers is a highlight.
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Jeopardy 1953  N/R, 68 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan, Ralph Meeker, Lee Aaker, Bud Wolfe, Saul Gorss, Paul Fierro, Alex Montoya
Doug Stilwin (Barry Sullivan) is trapped under a pier where drowning is certain when the tide rises. His wife, Helen (Barbara Stanwyck), tries to get help but is kidnapped in the process by a psychotic killer. Will Doug and/or Helen survive?
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Joe Kidd 1972 PG, 88 min.
Genre: Western
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Clint Eastwood, Robert Duvall, John Saxon, Don Stroud, Stella Garcia, James Wainwright, Paul Koslo, Gregory Walcott, Dick Van Patten, Lynne Marta, Pepe Hern, Joaquin Martinez, John Carter, Ron Soble
After cheating Mexicans out of their land, rancher Frank Harlan (Robert Duvall) is forced to hire ex-bounty hunter Joe Kidd (Clint Eastwood) to take care of the rebelling victims, led by Luis Chama (John Saxon), who are fighting for land reform. At first, Kidd refuses to help, but after his own ranch is raided, he accepts Harlan's deal and rounds up Mexican hostages. One of the hostages is Helen Sanchez (Stella Garcia), and Kidd falls in love with her. Now there are more problems–including a shoot-out between Harlan and Kidd before Kidd and Stella can return to his ranch and live happily ever after.
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Kind Lady 1951 N/R, 80 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Ethel Barrymore, Maurice Evans, Angela Lansbury, Keenan Wynn, Betsy Blair, John Williams, Doris Lloyd, John O'Malley, Henri Letondal
Mary Herries is a kind old woman. And rich. Along comes painter Henry Elcott, who enters her home after demonstrating his painting skills. But, of course, he is after her money. A good update of the 1936 film, partly because the author of the original play, Edward Chodorov, coscripted this tale.
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Last Train from Gun Hill 1959 N/R, 94 min.
Genre: Western / Horror / Thriller
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, Carolyn Jones, Earl Holliman, Ziva Rodann, Brad Dexter, Walter Sande, Val Avery, Brian G. Hutton, Bing Russell, Dabbs Greer, Ty Hardin, Dick Haynes, Henry Wills
U.S. Marshal Matt Morgan (Kirk Douglas) arrives in the town of Gun Hill while tracking down the vicious killer of his wife. He realizes that one of the killers is Rick (Earl Holliman) who is the son of one of his best friends, Craig Belden (Anthony Quinn). Morgan is able to take Rick prisoner and holes up in a hotel waiting for the last train from Gun Hill that is scheduled to leave at 9 P.M. A standoff ensues, and no one–including Sheriff Bartlett (Walter Sande)–will come to Morgan's aid. Then Morgan receives help from the local madam, Linda (Carolyn Jones), and gets a shotgun and handcuffs. But more violence lies ahead before that last train from Gun Hill leaves town.
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The Law and Jake Wade 1958  N/R, 86 min.
Genre: Western
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Robert Taylor, Richard Widmark, Patricia Owens, Robert Middleton, Henry Silva, DeForest Kelley, Burt Douglas, Eddie Firestone, Richard H. Cutting, Roy Engel, Rory Mallison, Al Ferguson, Reginald Simpson
This is a fast-paced, good Western, pitting Marshal Jake Wade(Robert Taylor) against outlaw gang-leader Clint Hollister (Richard Widmark). Jake had been a member of Clint's gang, but after a heist he ran with the money and buried it. Now, Jake aids in getting Clint out of jail–only to be kidnapped and forced to lead them to the hidden loot. 1 User Review
| User Review |
| | The Epitome of a ''Lost Gem'' | SamG 03/15/2007 | | Anyone who ever held some guilt (or perhaps not) over a falling out/'abandoning' of a long-time/personally important friendship/relationship and/or has never fully resolved some feelings of hurt from actually being 'abandoned'/forgotten about by someone they considered a true friend should check this awesome, complex and underrated film out. |
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 The Magnificent Seven 1960 N/R, 126 min.
Genre: Western / Adventure / Drama
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, Eli Wallach, Horst Buchholz, Brad Dexter, Vladimir Sokoloff, Whit Bissell, Jorge Martinez de Hoyos, Rosenda Monteros, Rico Alaniz, Natividad Vacio, Pepe Hern
Citizens of a Mexican farming town are threatened by bandito Calvera (Eli Wallach) and his gang who steal their harvests. The desperate townsfolk find seven American gunmen, led by Chris (Yul Brynner), to protect them. Chris and his gunmen (Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Horst Buchholz, James Coburn, and Brad Dexter) teach the villagers the art of defense, but more than a few problems arise when Calvera and his gang return to town. 1 User Review
| User Review |
| | THE BEST EVER | RAMSEY CARP 04/05/2009 | | THE BEST EVER WESTERN FILM ON MY COLLECTION |
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The Magnificent Yankee 1950 N/R, 89 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: The Man with Thirty Sons
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Louis Calhern, Ann Harding, Eduard Franz, Philip Ober, Ian Wolfe, Edith Evanson, Richard Anderson, Jimmy Lydon, Herbert Anderson, Hugh Sanders
Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes (Louis Calhern) is the subject of this biography, which includes not only Holmes' professional life but his personal life as well.
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Marooned 1969  PG, 134 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: Space Travelers
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Gregory Peck, Richard Crenna, James Franciscus, David Janssen, Gene Hackman, Lee Grant, Nancy Kovack, Mariette Hartley, Scott Brady, Craig Huebing
While serving on a space mission, astronauts encounter major problems and must rely on a second spaceship to bring them home. This film won the Academy Award for Best Special Effects, the only saving grace of this long, boring flick.
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McQ 1974 PG, 115 min.
Genre: Action
Director: John Sturges
Cast: John Wayne, Eddie Albert, Diana Muldaur, Colleen Dewhurst, Julie Adams, Clu Gulager, David Huddleston, Al Lettieri, Jim Watkins, Roger E. Mosley
This fast-paced, tension-filled movie is about a policeman (John Wayne) who discovers a group of bad apples in the police force.
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Mystery Street 1950 N/R, 93 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Ricardo Montalban, Sally Forrest, Bruce Bennett, Elsa Lanchester, Marshall Thompson, Jan Sterling, Edmon Ryan, Betsy Blair, Wally Maher, Willard Waterman
Boston detective Lieutenant Peter Morales (Ricardo Montalban) and forensic expert Dr. McAdoo (Bruce Bennett) work tirelessly to track down a killer by using skeletal remains of the victim as their clues to reconstructing the crime.
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Never So Few 1959 N/R, 123 min.
Genre: Action / Drama
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Lawford, Steve McQueen, Richard Johnson, Brian Donlevy, Dean Jones, Charles Bronson, Paul Henreid, Philip Ahn, Robert Bray, Whit Bissell, Kipp Hamilton, John Hoyt, Richard Lupino
Capt. Tom Reynolds (Frank Sinatra) leads British and American guerilla fighters against Japanese invaders in Burma during World War II. While on leave in Calcutta to bring the doctor, Capt. Grey Travis (Peter Lawford), and medical supplies back to his troops, Tom meets and romances Carla (Gina Lollobrigida) who is the mistress of local businessman Nikko Regas (Paul Henreid). Tom rejoins the troops and then finds that his reinforcements have been killed by Nationalist Chinese forces. Against orders, Reynolds leads his guerilla fighters into China and seeks retribution through bloodshed. A court martial follows, but Reynolds is able to make his point and is cleared. Meanwhile, Carla must decide whether or not to change her life and go to the U.S. with Reynolds.
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The Old Man and the Sea 1958 N/R, 89 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Felipe Pazos, Harry Bellaver, Don Diamond, Don Blackman, Joey Ray, Mauritz Hugo
Spencer Tracy was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in this film, and Dimitri Tiomkin won the Oscar for Best Musical Score. This is Ernest Hemingway's classic story about the old man who catches a very large marlin, but his attempt to bring it in is hindered by his marlin becoming the object of a feeding frenzy of hungry sharks.
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The People Against O'Hara 1951 N/R, 102 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Diana Lynn, John Hodiak, Pat O'Brien, Eduardo Ciannelli, James Arness, Jay C. Flippen, Arthur Shields, Charles Bronson, Henry O'Neill
Defense attorney James P. Curtayne (Spencer Tracy), with a questionable past of his own, agrees to defend John O'Hara (James Arness) against the charge of murder.
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Right Cross 1950 N/R, 89 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: John Sturges
Cast: June Allyson, Dick Powell, Ricardo Montalban, Lionel Barrymore, Tom Powers, Kenneth Tobey, Teresa Celli, Barry Kelley, Mimi Aguglia, Marilyn Monroe
A Mexican prizefighter (Ricardo Montalban) and a sports writer (Dick Powell) vie for the attentions of the fighter's female manager (June Allyson).
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Saddle the Wind 1958 N/R, 84 min.
Genre: Western
Director: Robert Parrish, John Sturges
Cast: Robert Taylor, Julie London, John Cassavetes, Donald Crisp, Charles McGraw, Royal Dano, Richard Erdman, Douglas Spencer, Ray Teal, Jay Adler, Stanley Adams, Irene Tedrow, Lars Henderson, Henry Wills, Kelo Henderson
Ex-gunslinger Steve Sinclair (Robert Taylor) is engaged to Joan (Julie London) and wants to live quietly as a farmer. Then, along comes his younger brother, Tony (John Cassavetes), who not only demonstrates intense sibling rivalry but also is proud of his abilities with a gun. His temper results in a killing, leading to further tragedy. Good acting and writing (by Rod Serling), along with a fine musical score by Elmer Bernstein, make this an enjoyable tale.
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Sergeants 3 1962 N/R, 112 min.
Genre: Comedy / Western
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop, Henry Silva, Ruta Lee, Buddy Lester, Hank Henry, Michael Pate, Phillip Crosby, Dennis Crosby, Lindsay Crosby, Dick Simmons, Armand Alzamora
Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack stars in this Gunga Din satire (now set after the Civil War) as three cavalry sergeants–Mike Merry, Chip Deal, and Larry Barret (Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Peter Lawford), along with slave-turned-bugler Jonah Williams (Sammy Davis, Jr.)–head out West to confront American Indians. They end up getting captured, but Jonah blows his bugle to warn the Cavalry that the Indians have set a trap for them. The ensuing battle against 1,000 Indians results in a victory for the Cavalry, and Jonah is made a trooper.
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| 1. Backlash (1956)
2. Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
3. By Love Possessed (1961)
4. The Capture (1950)
5. Chino (1973)
aka: The Valdez Horses
6. The Eagle Has Landed (1976)
7. Escape from Fort Bravo (1953)
8. The Great Escape (1963)
9. Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)
10. The Hallelujah Trail (1965)
11. Hour of the Gun (1967)
12. Ice Station Zebra (1968)
13. Jeopardy (1953)
14. Joe Kidd (1972)
15. Kind Lady (1951)
16. Last Train from Gun Hill (1959)
17. The Law and Jake Wade (1958)
18. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
19. The Magnificent Yankee (1950)
aka: The Man with Thirty Sons
20. Marooned (1969)
aka: Space Travelers
21. McQ (1974)
22. Mystery Street (1950)
23. Never So Few (1959)
24. The Old Man and the Sea (1958)
25. The People Against O'Hara (1951)
26. Right Cross (1950)
27. Saddle the Wind (1958)
28. Sergeants 3 (1962)
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