Masterson of Kansas (1954)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Good concept, poorly executed.

Captivating movie !

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Producer Sam Katzman and Director William Castle have again thrown history to the wind with this venture. They have brought back to life Bat Masterson (George Montgomery), Doc Holliday (James Griffith) and Wyatt Earp (Bruce Cowling) in Dodge City. All three are sporting two guns and are ready for action.The film starts out with Masterson and Holliday squaring off for a showdown when Earp intervenes.. Amos Merrick who negotiated a peace treaty with the Kiowas, has been accused of murdering an army colonel who was against the treaty. Merrick is being protected by Yellow Hawk (Jay Siverheels) the Kiowa chief. Masterson is sent in to arrest Merrick and bring him in for trial. Yellow Hawk promises that the tribes will attack if any harm comes to Merrick.Merrick's daughter Amy (Nancy Gates) arrives and tries to mount a defence for her father. At Merrick's trial, he is found guilty based on the testimony of Clay Bennett who claims to have witnessed the murder and cattleman Charlie Fry (William Henry) who has a vested interest in the land given to the Kiowa which is prime grazing land. Merrick is sentenced to hang and is taken to Hays City for that purpose. Fry and his men want to lynch Merrick before he can be legally hanged in order to provoke an Indian attack.Meanwhile Bennett has fled to unknown parts. In order to prove Merrick's innocence, Masterson sets out to find him. It turns out that Bennett went in search of his estranged wife Dallas Coray (Jean Willis). Anyway Masterson catches up with Bennett and gets the truth out of him.Returning to Doge with Bennett, Masterson is confronted by Fry and his men. Holliday and Earp join in with Bat and...................................................James Grriffith makes a pretty good Doc Holliday. He is the only one of the three that even remotely looks like the real life person. Montgomery and Cowling are both clean shaven and too clean cut and not in the remotest sense looking anything like their real life counterpoints. The scene where the three walk side by side each with both guns blazing and not getting hit is a little over the top. And you'll notice that the bad guys can't hit the broad side of a barn in the final shootout.Katzman and Castle had similarly distorted history in their previous effort "Jesse James vs. the Daltons" (1954).

Masterson of Kansas (1954) ** (out of 4) Decent, if by the numbers, Western has Bat Masterson (George Montgomery) and Doc Holliday (James Griffith) about to shoot it out when Wyatt Earp (Bruce Cowling) breaks it up. Soon a friend to the Indians is convicted of a crime he didn't commit and the Indians are threatening violence if the man dies for the crime. Now it's up to Bat, Doc and Earp to try and figure out who the real killer is. William Castle will always be remembered for the cheap horror movies he made at the end of his career and it's pretty funny to look back on his earlier days because you'll see countless Westerns that he did for Columbia. This here is one of them and it's certainly a lot better than some he made but at the same time no one is going to confuse this for the work of John Ford. I think for the most part the film remains childish and fun as there's never anything for you to take too serious. If you're into history then it's best to skip this film as there are many liberties taken but I guess that should go without saying. I thought mixing up the three characters made for an entertaining picture and I think the stuff with the Indians also made for some mild entertainment. The majority of the running time is dialogue with the three men constantly arguing with one another and making threats that you know will never happen. I did enjoy the cast with Griffith easily stealing the film as Holliday. He brings a certain toughness to the role but also handles some of the quieter moments dealing with his illness. Montgomery is a tad bit stiff but this actually helps the character and Cowling is fun as Earp. There have been countless films with Doc and Earp so if you want something serious then it's best to look elsewhere. This film here is just 72-minutes worth a "B" fun. Nothing serious. Just mindless entertainment.

Masterson of Kansas is one of the best of the series of westerns starring Montgomery. What helps the film a lot is the good choice of actors. Both Bruce Cowling and James Griffith are convincing as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Also the women, Nancy Gates, as the one who falls for Bat, and Jean Willes as the girlfriend of the man they are searching. The film starts with a showdown between Bat and Doc Holliday. Then the father of Nancy Gates gets arrested and will probably be hanged unless they can find Clay Bennet who testified against him, but really could not have done so because he was not there. There is not one dull moment as Masterson, Amy (Nancy Gates), and Wyatt go on their mission to free Amy's father. We also learn where the name Bat came from.

Even though the title is Masterson of Kansas, It's James Griffiths' Doc Holiday who's the most interesting character. His quiet, cultured manner radiates more deadliness than the generic Western manner of Montgomery's Masterson. Griffith was a good character actor who was worthy of better movies.The problem with the Masterson of this movie is that the real Masterson was a bit of a dandy (more like Gene Barry's TV version) whereas here he's no different than Wyatt Earp.Of the three 'good guys' Holiday, Masterson and Earp, Holdiay seems the most intelligent. Masterson knowingly takes on about 8 bad guys who are waiting for him and almost gets killed but for Holiday's intervention. Earp's attempt to face down a lynch mob lasts about 5 seconds when he gets knocked unconscious by a well thrown rock. That would never have happened to Burt Lancaster! Unfortunately for the viewer, the bad guys are not menacing enough and waste time with elaborate plotting. Makes you long for Lee Marvin or Leo Gordon.