A Silvermine Production, released through Allied Artists Pictures Corp. Copyright 20 June 1954 by Allied Artists Pictures Corp. No New York opening. U.S. release: 20 June 1954. U.K. release through Associated British-Pathe: 23 April 1954. No Australian theatrical release. 7,210 feet. 80 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Fleeing from the State Police under the corrupt administration of the 1870s, a young Texan is befriended by gunman Sam Garrett. COMMENT: Wayne Morris was the last of the "B" western heroes and The Desperado is the second last of the "B" western series. It's a shame it's not the official last as it's a much superior a film to Two Guns and a Badge. With The Desperado the series "B" western would have gone out in really grand style. Blessed with an intriguing script by none other than Daniel Mainwaring, The Desperado is probably the best-written "B" western ever made. Gone are all the usual "B" stereotypes of plot, setting and characterization. Instead we are presented with a fascinating and unusually complex story, involving real, believable people.
Director Thomas Carr has risen to the occasion nobly, drawing ingratiating performances and character studies from unlikely players like Wayne Morris, Jimmy Lydon, Rayford Barnes and even Dabbs Greer. One of our favorite heavies Lee Van Cleef has a major dual role, while Nestor Paiva is unusually effective in a deep-dyed villainous role with absolutely no comic undertones whatever. John Dierkes also makes a wonderfully sadistic bully-boy, but Roy Barcroft fans will be disappointed to find him in a minor sympathetic role as a too law-abiding ex-sheriff.
Production values are better than the usual Silvermine level. There are plenty of scene changes, extras, a fair amount of action, and some reasonably effective locations. Technical credits including staging, lighting and music scoring are also impressive by Monogram's usual standards.
Oddly, The Desperado is not listed in Mainwaring's credits as published in Backstory 2: Interviews with Screenwriters of the 1940s and 1950s edited by Pat McGilligan (University of California Press, 1991). Whilst certainly a lesser effort than classics like Out of the Past, The Lawless and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, it is most definitely worthy of inclusion.
OTHER VIEWS: This better-than-average Allied Artists western moves at a good clip, boasts an interesting cast and will please most action fans. Although it starts off with the usual time-wasting rolling Foreword title (underlined by Kraushaar's customarily plodding score), production values are pretty fair, while Carr's direction is slightly more imaginative than his usual norm.
SYNOPSIS: Fleeing from the State Police under the corrupt administration of the 1870s, a young Texan is befriended by gunman Sam Garrett. COMMENT: Wayne Morris was the last of the "B" western heroes and The Desperado is the second last of the "B" western series. It's a shame it's not the official last as it's a much superior a film to Two Guns and a Badge. With The Desperado the series "B" western would have gone out in really grand style. Blessed with an intriguing script by none other than Daniel Mainwaring, The Desperado is probably the best-written "B" western ever made. Gone are all the usual "B" stereotypes of plot, setting and characterization. Instead we are presented with a fascinating and unusually complex story, involving real, believable people.
Director Thomas Carr has risen to the occasion nobly, drawing ingratiating performances and character studies from unlikely players like Wayne Morris, Jimmy Lydon, Rayford Barnes and even Dabbs Greer. One of our favorite heavies Lee Van Cleef has a major dual role, while Nestor Paiva is unusually effective in a deep-dyed villainous role with absolutely no comic undertones whatever. John Dierkes also makes a wonderfully sadistic bully-boy, but Roy Barcroft fans will be disappointed to find him in a minor sympathetic role as a too law-abiding ex-sheriff.
Production values are better than the usual Silvermine level. There are plenty of scene changes, extras, a fair amount of action, and some reasonably effective locations. Technical credits including staging, lighting and music scoring are also impressive by Monogram's usual standards.
Oddly, The Desperado is not listed in Mainwaring's credits as published in Backstory 2: Interviews with Screenwriters of the 1940s and 1950s edited by Pat McGilligan (University of California Press, 1991). Whilst certainly a lesser effort than classics like Out of the Past, The Lawless and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, it is most definitely worthy of inclusion.
OTHER VIEWS: This better-than-average Allied Artists western moves at a good clip, boasts an interesting cast and will please most action fans. Although it starts off with the usual time-wasting rolling Foreword title (underlined by Kraushaar's customarily plodding score), production values are pretty fair, while Carr's direction is slightly more imaginative than his usual norm.
