Five Guns West: Difference between revisions

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Corman had directed second unit on ''Fast and the Furious'' and decided to direct ''Five Guns West'' himself. This was announced in November 1954.<ref>Seven Theaters Offer 'Sabrina'
Corman had directed second unit on ''Fast and the Furious'' and decided to direct ''Five Guns West'' himself. This was announced in November 1954.<ref>Seven Theaters Offer 'Sabrina'
Los Angeles Times 24 Nov 1954: 14</ref> Corman later said "the work by the directors on the two films I had produced was acceptable. But I thought, I can go better, more efficient work; I can make better films."<ref>Corman p 28</ref>
Los Angeles Times 24 Nov 1954: 14</ref>


Female lead Dorothy Malone had been in ''Fast and the Furious''. This was her first film following the death of her younger brother.<ref>Whole Town's Talking About F.S.
Female lead Dorothy Malone had been in ''Fast and the Furious''. This was her first film following the death of her younger brother.<ref>Whole Town's Talking About F.S.
The Washington Post and Times Herald 15 Nov 1954: 22.</ref>
The Washington Post and Times Herald 15 Nov 1954: 22.</ref> Corman said he paid her and John Lund "as much as I could afford" and also cast Touch Connors.<ref>Corman p 17</ref>


Corman said the story idea was his but the structure and script was the work of [[R. Wright Campbell]], an actor he had met through Jonathan Haze. Campbell was paid $200 to write the script; his first screenplay. He also appeared in the cast.<ref name="AIP">Mark McGee, ''Faster and Furiouser: The Revised and Fattened Fable of American International Pictures'', McFarland, 1996 p22</ref> This marked the first time Corman worked with long time collaborator [[Floyd Crosby]].<ref>Frank (1996) The Films of Roger Corman</ref>
Corman said the story idea was his but the structure and script was the work of [[R. Wright Campbell]], an actor he had met through Jonathan Haze. Campbell was paid $200 to write the script; his first screenplay. He also appeared in the cast.<ref name="AIP">Mark McGee, ''Faster and Furiouser: The Revised and Fattened Fable of American International Pictures'', McFarland, 1996 p22</ref> This marked the first time Corman worked with long time collaborator [[Floyd Crosby]].<ref>Frank (1996) The Films of Roger Corman</ref>
Line 49: Line 49:
Corman decided to practice his directing beforehand by shooting an 8 minute short film on 16 mm over one day with some actor friends. He says he never bothered having the film processed and cut. Corman later wrote in his memoirs ""if a young man came to me today with similar credentials there's no way I'd hire him. I'd tell him to go out and get mor training."<ref>Corman p 27</ref>
Corman decided to practice his directing beforehand by shooting an 8 minute short film on 16 mm over one day with some actor friends. He says he never bothered having the film processed and cut. Corman later wrote in his memoirs ""if a young man came to me today with similar credentials there's no way I'd hire him. I'd tell him to go out and get mor training."<ref>Corman p 27</ref>


The film was shot over nine days at a ranch in the San Fernando Valley.<ref>Roger Corman & Jim Jerome, ''How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never lost a Dime'', Muller, 1990 p 27</ref> Corman later recalled:
The film was shot over nine days at Iverson's ranch in the San Fernando Valley.<ref>Roger Corman & Jim Jerome, ''How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never lost a Dime'', Muller, 1990 p 27</ref>
Corman later recalled:
<blockquote>I was very, very nervous. I had been confident about my work as producer, but as soon as I made the transition to director, I became shaky. I was so nervous I couldn't et lunch for the first five or six days. All could do was shoot in the morning and stare at the script and study it to find out what I was going to do in the afternoon.<ref>{{cite book|page=121|title=The Directors Take Three|url=https://archive.org/details/The_Directors_Take_Three/page/n131/mode/1up/search/%22fast+and+the+furious%22?q=corman+%22fast+and+the+furious%22|first=Robert J.|last=Emery|publisher=Allworth Press|year=2003}}</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>I was very, very nervous. I had been confident about my work as producer, but as soon as I made the transition to director, I became shaky. I was so nervous I couldn't et lunch for the first five or six days. All could do was shoot in the morning and stare at the script and study it to find out what I was going to do in the afternoon.<ref>{{cite book|page=121|title=The Directors Take Three|url=https://archive.org/details/The_Directors_Take_Three/page/n131/mode/1up/search/%22fast+and+the+furious%22?q=corman+%22fast+and+the+furious%22|first=Robert J.|last=Emery|publisher=Allworth Press|year=2003}}</ref></blockquote>
Corman bought stock footage of Indians to use in the film. He prepared thoroughly with Floyd Crosby and art director Ben Hayne. Corman says Hayne was particularly helpful being a western buff and would help Corman sketch each shot. The director says he was comfortable working with the camera but less so with actors.<ref>Corman p 28</ref>


Corman reportedly went over budget making the movie.<ref>Gary Smith, ''American International Pictures: The Golden Years'', Bear Manor Media 2014 p 18</ref>
Corman reportedly went over budget making the movie.<ref>Gary Smith, ''American International Pictures: The Golden Years'', Bear Manor Media 2014 p 18</ref>

Corman said the film "was a breakthrough for me. With almost no training or preparation whatsoever, I was literally learning how to direct on the job. It took me four or five of these training pictures to learn what a film school student knows when he graduates."<ref>Corman p 27</ref>


Campbell and Corman later made ''[[The Secret Invasion]]'' using the same basic idea.<ref>Obituary: Robert Campbell Vosburgh, Dick. The Independent 04 Oct 2000: 6.</ref>
Campbell and Corman later made ''[[The Secret Invasion]]'' using the same basic idea.<ref>Obituary: Robert Campbell Vosburgh, Dick. The Independent 04 Oct 2000: 6.</ref>


==Reception==
==Reception==
According to Corman the film made a profit.<ref>Corman p 30</ref>


DVD Savant found "The movie is less interesting for its quality than its place in the development of independent production. "<ref name="dvdtalk.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s823five.html|title=DVD Savant Review: Five Guns West|website=www.dvdtalk.com}}</ref> [[TV Guide]] gave the movie 2 out of 5 stars, finding it similar to other westerns of the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/movies/five-guns-west/review/114828/|title=Five Guns West - TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> Variety found the movie acceptable for smaller venues,but found it to have too much talking and not enough action
DVD Savant found "The movie is less interesting for its quality than its place in the development of independent production. "<ref name="dvdtalk.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s823five.html|title=DVD Savant Review: Five Guns West|website=www.dvdtalk.com}}</ref> [[TV Guide]] gave the movie 2 out of 5 stars, finding it similar to other westerns of the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/movies/five-guns-west/review/114828/|title=Five Guns West - TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> Variety found the movie acceptable for smaller venues,but found it to have too much talking and not enough action

Revision as of 12:59, 14 May 2020

Five Guns West
Film poster
Directed byRoger Corman
Written byR. Wright Campbell
Produced byRoger Corman
StarringJohn Lund
Dorothy Malone
Mike Connors
Jonathan Haze
Production
company
Paolo Alto[1]
Distributed byAmerican Releasing Corporation
Release date
  • April 15, 1955 (1955-04-15)
Running time
78 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60,000[2]
Box office554,911 admissions (France)[3]

Five Guns West is a 1955 Western film set during the American Civil War directed by Roger Corman. It was Corman's first film as director although he had already made three as producer. It was the second of two films he made for the American Releasing Company, which later became American International Pictures.[4]

The film stars Dorothy Malone, John Lund and Mike Connors. The cast also includes R. Wright Campbell, who wrote the screenplay.[5]

Plot

Five men, due to be hanged, accept a pardon to join the Confederate army due to the army being desperate for men during the last days of the American Civil War. Their tasks is to go after a traitor and a shipment of stolen gold. They end up taking a woman, Shalee Jethro, captive and begin fighting over her, before one of the men, Govern Sturges, intervenes on her behalf.

Cast

Production

In October 1954, it was announced a new distribution company had been formed, American Releasing Corporation, headed by Sam Arkoff and James H. Nicholson. The first movie they released was The Fast and the Furious produced by Roger Corman for his Palo Alto Company. Corman said he agreed to go with ARC the company were willing to forward him money in advance to make other films.[6] Palo Alto planned to make three more features over the next twelve months, starting with Five Guns West in November.[7] ARC later became the famous American International Pictures.[8]

Corman had directed second unit on Fast and the Furious and decided to direct Five Guns West himself. This was announced in November 1954.[9] Corman later said "the work by the directors on the two films I had produced was acceptable. But I thought, I can go better, more efficient work; I can make better films."[10]

Female lead Dorothy Malone had been in Fast and the Furious. This was her first film following the death of her younger brother.[11] Corman said he paid her and John Lund "as much as I could afford" and also cast Touch Connors.[12]

Corman said the story idea was his but the structure and script was the work of R. Wright Campbell, an actor he had met through Jonathan Haze. Campbell was paid $200 to write the script; his first screenplay. He also appeared in the cast.[8] This marked the first time Corman worked with long time collaborator Floyd Crosby.[13]

Corman decided to practice his directing beforehand by shooting an 8 minute short film on 16 mm over one day with some actor friends. He says he never bothered having the film processed and cut. Corman later wrote in his memoirs ""if a young man came to me today with similar credentials there's no way I'd hire him. I'd tell him to go out and get mor training."[14]

The film was shot over nine days at Iverson's ranch in the San Fernando Valley.[15]

Corman later recalled:

I was very, very nervous. I had been confident about my work as producer, but as soon as I made the transition to director, I became shaky. I was so nervous I couldn't et lunch for the first five or six days. All could do was shoot in the morning and stare at the script and study it to find out what I was going to do in the afternoon.[16]

Corman bought stock footage of Indians to use in the film. He prepared thoroughly with Floyd Crosby and art director Ben Hayne. Corman says Hayne was particularly helpful being a western buff and would help Corman sketch each shot. The director says he was comfortable working with the camera but less so with actors.[17]

Corman reportedly went over budget making the movie.[18]

Corman said the film "was a breakthrough for me. With almost no training or preparation whatsoever, I was literally learning how to direct on the job. It took me four or five of these training pictures to learn what a film school student knows when he graduates."[19]

Campbell and Corman later made The Secret Invasion using the same basic idea.[20]

Reception

According to Corman the film made a profit.[21]

DVD Savant found "The movie is less interesting for its quality than its place in the development of independent production. "[22] TV Guide gave the movie 2 out of 5 stars, finding it similar to other westerns of the time.[23] Variety found the movie acceptable for smaller venues,but found it to have too much talking and not enough action

Home release

The movie is available on line for free from several sites, including YouTube,[24] and released on DVD in 2003 [22]

See also

References

  1. ^ Of Local Origin New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 09 Nov 1954: 30.
  2. ^ Samuel Z Arkoff & Richard Turbo, Flying Through Hollywood By the Seat of My Pants, Birch Lane Press, 1992 p 35
  3. ^ Box office information for Roger Corman films in France at Box Office Story
  4. ^ SIRK WILL DIRECT UNIVERSAL MOVIE: Lot Again Signs Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson to Co-Star in 'All That Heaven Allows' By THOMAS M. PRYOR Special to The New York Times.. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 28 Oct 1954: 47.
  5. ^ FIVE GUNS WEST Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 22, Iss. 252, (Jan 1, 1955): 152.
  6. ^ Corman and Jerome 1990, p. 25.
  7. ^ SIRK WILL DIRECT UNIVERSAL MOVIE New York Times 28 Oct 1954: 47.
  8. ^ a b McGee 1996, p. 21. Cite error: The named reference "AIP" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  9. ^ Seven Theaters Offer 'Sabrina' Los Angeles Times 24 Nov 1954: 14
  10. ^ Corman p 28
  11. ^ Whole Town's Talking About F.S. The Washington Post and Times Herald 15 Nov 1954: 22.
  12. ^ Corman p 17
  13. ^ Frank (1996) The Films of Roger Corman
  14. ^ Corman p 27
  15. ^ Roger Corman & Jim Jerome, How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never lost a Dime, Muller, 1990 p 27
  16. ^ Emery, Robert J. (2003). The Directors Take Three. Allworth Press. p. 121.
  17. ^ Corman p 28
  18. ^ Gary Smith, American International Pictures: The Golden Years, Bear Manor Media 2014 p 18
  19. ^ Corman p 27
  20. ^ Obituary: Robert Campbell Vosburgh, Dick. The Independent 04 Oct 2000: 6.
  21. ^ Corman p 30
  22. ^ a b "DVD Savant Review: Five Guns West". www.dvdtalk.com.
  23. ^ "Five Guns West - TV Guide". TVGuide.com.
  24. ^ "five guns west review - Yahoo Video Search Results". video.search.yahoo.com.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Five_Guns_West&oldid=956636917"