Town Tamer (1965)

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Having just seen this movie for the first time, I am surprised by the amount of skepticism thrown at it by other reviewers. I found the movie to be quite captivating, not only by virtue of the constant intensity, but also the deep relational intrigue between the characters. The hatred between Dana Andrews and Bruce Cabot is scathing. DeForrest Kelly is excellent as the cowardly, wife-beating "tin-horn" without an ounce of decency. Dana Andrews is gives an appropriately sullen performance, in light of his wife's death the first scene. Silent Star Richard Arlen gives a solid performance as the honorable town doctor. The most compelling performance in the movie without doubt was Lyle Bettger's. The viewer is never quite sure where his tormented character's allegiance lies. Colleen Gray's appearance here is similar to her minor but famous appearance as John Wayne's love interest in Red River. Bruce Cabot is excellent as the perpetually conniving and cold-blooded arch villain. The tension between the two town factions is perpetual, with Andrews character always caught in the crossfire. Solid Western feature with a fantastic cast.

"The Town Tamer" was another of those nostalgic westerns produced by A.C. Lyles featuring a cast of recognizable performers from the past. Modestly budgeted and filmed in color and wide screen they gave many of the performers their last hurrahs.This one was directed by veteran "B" western director Lesley Selander and is the story of a veteran town tamer marshal Tom Rosser (Dana Andrews) who is hired by the railroad boss James Fell (Barton MacLane) to clean up a town that soon will have the railroad coming in.The town is under the control of gambler Riley Condor (Bruce Cabot) with whom Rosser has an axe to grind. The town marshal (Lyle Bettger) also has a past he wishes to hide. Rosser meets Susan Tavenner (Terry Moore) on the stagecoach into town and takes a liking to her. Unfortunately, she is married to a tin horn gambler (Deforest Kelley) who is also a wife beater in the employ of Condor.The town mayor/livery stable owner Charlie Leach (Lon Chaney Jr.) and doctor (Richard Arlen) are trying to raise a vigilante group to take back their town. Condor on the other hand has Deputy Johnny Honsinger (Richard Jaekel)and gunfighter Atkins (Phil Carey) and several allies lined up against them. Rosser not now being a lawman, wants to kill Condor "in his own way".In addition to those mentioned above, several other veteran performers are in the cast. Pat O'Brien, in an all too brief appearance, plays a dishonest judge, Sonny Tufts and Bob Steele as Condor's vigilantes, Jeanne Cagney as café owner Mary Donley, Donald Barry and Robert Ivers as Texas cowboys and James Brown and Richard Webb as railway workers. Veteran stuntman Dale Van Sickel, who plays a bartender, can clearly be seen doubling for Dana Andrews in the fight scenes.There's plenty of action including fights, bushwhacking and gun play to satisfy the viewer. It's better than most of the similar films of the period due in large part to the veteran director and the large cast of seasoned veterans.

Dana Andrews stars in Town Tamer and in the title role of a man hired by railroad entrepreneur Barton MacLane to clean up a town. Usually Andrews operates within the law, but not here because town boss Bruce Cabot owns both sides of the law. That leaves Andrews little room to maneuver.But Andrews doesn't care, he and Cabot have some bad history which is topped off by Cabot hiring someone to bushwhack Andrews, but instead kills his wife Coleen Gray. That makes it personal.Cabot is really some piece of work, as John Wayne said to Ed Asner in El Dorado 'you don't wear a gun so I guess you hire it done'. Cabot has quite a few gunslingers on the payroll and a couple peace officers in sheriff Lyle Bettger and punk deputy Richard Jaeckel. Only Bettger has a habit of going off the reservation every so often. He's the wild card in this deck.Town Tamer is a pretty violent AC Lyles 'geezer' western and this one is directed by western veteran Lesley Selander who must have a couple of hundred directorial credits. Besides those already mentioned you'll find such people as Philip Carey, Terry Moore, Jeanne Cagney, Lon Chaney, Jr., Richard Arlen, and Sonny Tufts. And least we not forget Pat O'Brien as a most corrupt town judge. O'Brien has only one scene and I wish we saw a bit more of him.I saw Town Tamer as a kid in theaters as the back end of a double feature. I liked it then and I like it now.

Oh, I love this movie. For all the wrong reasons. It's a creaking, crawling mess of clichés, enlivened by a geriatric cast. Town Tamer is surprisingly bloody (without the actual blood, of course). It all looks like a mid-sixties (and I mean that in more than one way) TV western with Dana Andrews and crew appearing to be dying from dyspepsia.And yet, you might pick up on the ease in which all these many veteran actors and actresses fall--or totter--into their respective parts. I guess I have a weakness for movies that beg the MST3000 treatment.If you ever get to see it, I'd suggest cutting out a silhouette of the guy and the two robots and taping them to the bottom of your TV screen.C'mon, it'll be fun.Town Tamer can only get better.