source: Young Guns of Texas

Moviecut—Young Guns of Texas

Young Guns of Texas

This film has nothing going for it. It used the gimmick of starring the children of three famous Stars (sound familiar?). The sons of Joel McCrea and Robert Mitchum, and the daughter of Alan Ladd play cardboard characters in a dime novel. This novelty of the casting is the only reason anybody ever saw this film in its day, and the only reason to fast forward through it now. As for "whatever happened to", Alana Ladd's filmography speaks volumes. The Boys fared a little better, but not much.

I was surprised to see no comments on this movie, which has certainly been on TV fairly recently (at least in the UK). I also saw it in the cinema in the UK when it first came out. It is in many ways a typical Western of the early sixties, starring actors straight out of contemporary TV series, who looks as if they belong to a Beach Party movie rather than the real Wild West! This film is also famous for starring a string of children of more famous stars. It begins at a good pace, with Gary Conway arriving in town, having an extensive fist fight, and meeting Jody McCrea. After that it becomes increasingly boring & pedestrian, and I couldn't give away the ending, because I don't really remember it! So my advice is, make sure you watch the beginning, but don't bother too much if you miss the end!

Gary Conway is the real protagonist of this western, although the siblings of Joel McCrea, Robert Mitchum and Alan Ladd were given top credit. But James Mitchum had no charisma, and Alana Ladd was not a good actress, so the best parts of the film are carried out by Conway, Jody McCrea, and Chill Wills.The film starts well when Conway arrives in a town controlled by a nasty landowner. He is following a patrol of Southern rebels carrying stolen money. But then the attention turns to the romance of the landowner's daughter (Ladd) and a guy raised by Indians (Mitchum). As things get more complicated and the film demands higher production values, the budget betrays everybody's effort, making everything look really cheap.

A footnote in western film history due to the fresh-faced young cast - of whom Jim Mitcham looks most like his famous pa - bolstered by veteran Chill Wills. A very conventional tale of pursuit and gunplay given visual interest by being shot almost entirely outdoors; despite the jaunty title it's actually a rather sombre affair.

"Young Guns of Texas" was very reminiscent of an Elvis movie - a simple plot where you will easily guess the ending, but will still be entertained. This is the type of movie to see after an especially stressful day - no underlying meanings or political messages, just an enjoyable movie. It has a nice mixture of humor, action and drama with just a dose of romance. ...and Jody McCrea is just darling as Jeff Shelby! If you like Joel McCrea, Robert Mitchum, Alan Ladd or even Chill Wills, I'd definitely recommend this movie...you'll enjoy seeing their kids in action.