Seven

SEVEN MEN FROM NOW-1956-Great but overlooked Western by the underrated Budd Boetticher features Randolph Scott as a former sheriff out for revenge on the seven bank robbers who killed his wife. After killing 2 of them in the opening scene he meets up with a couple heading for California. Lee Marvin and Don Red Barry show up looking for the stolen gold the robbers are suppose to have. Meanwhile the remaining robbers wait in town for the seventh man to deliver the loot.

SMFN is one of several unusual westerns Boetticher made in the late ‘50’s (several of them produced by John Wayne and also featuring Scott). The directing and acting are very good and the script (by future director Burt Kennedy) features some good dialogue with touches of sarcastic humor (mostly from Marvin in a standout role) and sexual tension between Scott and leading lady Gail Russell as well several plot twists. John Wayne wanted to play the Scott role but was busy doing THE SEARCHERS (for John Ford who almost directed).

SMFN also features John Larch, Fred Graham (later the sheriff in THE GIANT GILA MONSTER), John Beradino, Pamela Duncan (ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS) and in one scene Stuart Whitman. After many years out of circulation TCM finally showed this and a very interesting documentary on Boetticher.

Now all TCM has to do is show THE TALL T, COMMANCHE STATION and the rest of his westerns!

Note: I just found out TCM has shown COMMANCHE STATION so I guess I screwd up!

Thanks for reading!