Western RoundUp: Hell Bent for Leather (1960)

Western summary: Hell bent for leather (1960)

It has only been two years since I wrote about Audie Murphy here Seven Walks from Sunset (1960), an entertaining western starring Barry Sullivan.

It has also been a year since my husband Doug and I were guests to discuss Lone Pine film locations on the Western Movies Podcast from France. Our host, Cole Armin, mentioned a film by Audie Murphy that was filmed in Lone Pine that I hadn’t seen: Hell bent for leather (1960), published the same year as Seven Walks from Sunset.

I was immediately intrigued as I hope to see all of Murphy’s westerns at some point, and longtime readers also know that I am a regular visitor to Lone Pine and love his role in western film history.

It took me a while to get on the trail Hell bent for leather, a Universal Pictures release that is inexplicably not available on DVD in the US. (The same goes for Seven Walks from Sunset.) However, it is available on region 2 DVD in Europe, so thanks to my DVD player I was able to order and watch a copy for all regions.

In Hell bent for leather Murphy plays Clay Santell, a horse dealer who is terrified when a thirsty man (Jan Merlin) staggers on foot to his desert camp.

Santell shares his water with the man and is about to feed him when his ungrateful guest hits him hard and steals his horse – leaving behind a distinctive rifle.

Santell eventually staggers on foot to a small town where he hopes to find help and a fresh horse. However, the townspeople take one look at the rifle he is carrying and seem scared to death. Unbeknownst to Santell, the gun left behind by his attacker belonged to a notorious gunman named Travers.

The townsfolk believe Santell is Travers, who is shocked but assumes he will be freed when Sheriff Deckett (Stephen McNally) shows up. Deckett knows what Travers looks like — and Santell is stunned when the sheriff says he’s taking him to Denver to stand trial.

As a nightmare scenario unfolds, Santell believes he will soon be finished and manages to escape Deckett. He forces a young woman, Janet (Felicia Farr), to help him, and while initially angered, the group later turns against her as well, causing their sympathies to shift to Santell.

Santell and Janet manage to evade the group while dealing with another villain, Ambrose (Robert Middleton) and his family. Eventually, however, Santell and Janet have a fateful meeting in the desert with Deckett and Travers.

I found Hell bent for leather A powerful and gripping Audie Murphy film, delivering good Western entertainment in its 82 minutes. It was effectively aimed at a quick clip of George Sherman, who has done many Westerns that I have enjoyed, including Universal titles such as black beard (1948), River Lady (1948), border river (1954), and Dawn in Socorro (1954). His previous work also included Reprisal! (1956), a western directed by Guy Madison and starring Felicia Farr.

The theme of an initially antagonistic couple on the run has been used in countless films, including Hitchcock’s The 39 steps (1935) is an early example. The idea keeps popping up because it’s dramatically effective, with natural conflict and then dramatic interest as a couple gets to know each other under pressure. The truth about their backstories and characters will inevitably emerge, followed by the possibility of a relationship.

As written by Christopher Knopf, the theme works very well here, with Farr’s Janet apparently coming from a troubled background, leading to her becoming believably sympathetic to Santell as she understands his story. My only criticism of the film is the somewhat abrupt ending of its story; one can guess what happens next, but an extra 30 seconds to wrap it up would have been welcome.

The film makes outstanding use of the Alabama Hills outside of Lone Pine in widescreen as shot by Clifford Stine in CinemaScope. I recognized some of the places; Viewers who pay close attention will notice the prominent overhang of Gary Cooper Rock in the background during the film’s action-packed finale. It can be seen here in a photo I took in October 2021.

The film reunited Murphy and McNally The Duel at Silver Creek (1952), which I wrote about here in 2018. Murphy offers his usual understated yet charismatic screen presence that makes his films such an enduring delight; He’s effective as an honest man who can’t believe people adamantly refuse to believe the truth about him.

In contrast to his congenial Marshal von The Duel at Silver Creek, McNally plays a troubled character whose motivations are not fully revealed until the film’s final minutes. His character this time is closer to his well-remembered Dutchman Henry Brown from Anthony Mann’s classic Winchester ’73 (1950).

Farr, who turns 90 this year, directed a number of westerns in the ’50s, the most famous being a trio for director Delmer Daves: Jubilee (1956), The last car (1956) and 3:10 to Yuma (1957).

Farr also appeared in the western The first Texan (1956) with Joel McCrea, which leads to some funny little things. The first Texan was filmed the year after the birth of Peter, McCrea and Frances Dee’s youngest son. A decade later, Farr and her husband, Jack Lemmon, became parents to a daughter, Courtney, who eventually married Peter McCrea.

Farr is appealing as a brave character who is more than a damsel in distress. Her Janet manages to keep up with Santell step by step as they climb through scary rocks, which is all the more impressive considering she’s wearing a dress! Once allied with Santell, she refuses to leave him when Santell wants her to escape, choosing instead to face what is happening together.

Robert Middleton has a brief but prominent appearance as hard-drinking Ambrose throughout the film. The characters of Ambrose and his brothers seemed very much inspired by Charles Kemper’s uncle Shiloh and his sons in John Ford’s wagon master (1950); I noticed similar echoes from wagon master in Will Penny (1967), a western by Charlton Heston, reviewed here last year.

These recognizable connections to previous films are part of what I think makes westerns so enjoyable to watch. The same goes for some of the other connections of actors, locations, and themes mentioned in this review.

Former “B” western star Bob Steele, whom I mentioned here in a review by Joel McCrea a few months ago cattle drive (1951), is visible in the background as one of the posse. Another “B” star, Allan “Rocky” Lane, also appears in the credits, but I didn’t spot him during this viewing. I’ll look for him next time!

Rounding out the cast are James Westmoreland (then known as Rad Fulton), Herbert Rudley, Malcolm Atterbury, John Qualen, Eddie Little Sky, Roy Engel and Olan Soule.

Hell bent for leather was quite entertaining western entertainment which I would recommend. Let’s hope that at some point both this film and Audie Murphys Seven Walks from Sunset more readily available in the United States.

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– Laura Grieve for Classic Movie Hub

Laura can be found on her blog, Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings, where she has been writing about film since 2005, and on Twitter at @LaurasMiscMovie. A lifelong film buff, Laura loves classics like Disney, film noir, musicals and westerns. She regularly reports on classic film festivals in Southern California. Laura will be writing all about westerns at the Western RoundUp for CMH.