User Reviews

Arizona Bushwackers was the last of three B westerns that Howard Keel made during the Sixties. He also did Waco and Red Tomahawk. He also appeared in support of John Wayne and Kirk Douglas in the acclaimed War Wagon. This film ain't no war wagon.

It's not horribly bad film, Arizona Bushwackers, it's just a very tired one. A lot of hackneyed clichés jammed into the 90+ minutes of the running time. Howard Keel plays a former Confederate who earns a pardon from the Union Army and an out from a federal prison by agreeing to join the Union Army, but serve in the western frontier as opposed to the war in the east.

Keel even rates a special job as sheriff of a lawless Arizona town called Colton after mayor Brian Donlevy calls for help. Saloon owner Scott Brady and partner Marilyn Maxwell like the wide open town that Colton is and don't cotton to no law and order.

In fact Keel himself has never really forgotten his rebel roots and has been biding for time to pull something off.

All these plot strands get themselves resolved in one of the dumbest Indian attacks I've ever seen staged on film. The once popular players set themselves all around with various weaponry on either side of the main street and the Indians ride by and just keep getting picked off.

Others in Arizona Bushwackers include Barton MacLane, Yvonne DeCarlo, James Craig, and John Ireland. It's a regular convention of movie names who hit their peaks during the forties and fifties. It's also the farewell film of director Lesley Selander who did just about a gazillion B westerns in his day.

No matter how dumb the film, it's nice to see all these stars together in one film. And the opening narration is given by a bigger movie name than all of these who did the off camera speech as a favor to his friend, producer A.C. Lyles.

For nostalgia fans only.

During the Civil War , Lee Travis (Howard Keel) is hired by government authority to protect townspeople from revenge-seeking outlaws and avoid arms contraband . As a spy taking job as sheriff in small western town as a cover for his espionage activities . As Travis dons a damn Yankee uniform to pull the most daring plot of the war in the West , but he is actually a confederate spy . However, he soon finds out that a local businessman is selling weapons to a band of rampaging Indians . Once there , he has to straighten out a few bad guys who have been selling guns to the Apaches . As the confederate lawman up against gunfighters , and gunrunners as well as usual Indians . As the marshal on the trail of the smugglers is accompanied by a spy woman (Ivonne De Carlo) . Town boss (Scott Brady) is behind the crime and corruption of the little town called Colton but the townspeople are too scared to help sheriff out except for Saloon gal (Marilyn Maxwell) . In the Old west there are always the men who live breathe violence and the women who hold their breath.

This ordinary western is plenty of thrills , go riding , shootouts and suspense as the dreaded final showdown approaches and the protagonist realizes he must stand alone against impossible odds , as his fellow town people for help , nobody is willing to help him ; meanwhile he attempts to clear an issue about weapon gunrunning . This routine Western has the customary story of a sheriff-for-hire who takes the law on his own hands and based on a story and screenplay by Steve Fisher. It begins as a slow-moving Western but follows to surprise us with dark characters and passable plot . This short runtime tale is almost ordinary , a pacifier comes to a town just in time to make sure its citizenry but later the events get worse . Although made in low budget by the producer A.C. Lyles , it has its good moments here and there . Acceptable acting by Howard Keel as a Confederate spy who takes a job as marshal . Notable for the presence of old Western-movie veteran such as John Ireland , Marilyn Maxwell , Scott Brady , Brian Donlevy , Barton MacLane and James Craig . Atmospheric and colorful cinematography in Technicolor , though is necessary a remastering.

This horse opera was realized in low-budget by producer A.C. Lyles and distributed by Paramount Pictures . Lyles produced a lot of Western in short or average budget such as ¨Black spurs¨(1965) , ¨Apache uprising¨(1966); ¨Johnny Reno¨ , ¨Waco¨ , ¨Red Tomahawk ¨and ¨Hostile guns¨(67) , among others ; many of them directed by R.G. Springsteen or Lesley Selander and starred by old glories such as Dana Andrews , Rory Calhoun , George Montgomery and Howard Keel . This quickie was middlingly directed by Lesley Selander , a craftsman working from the 30s . Selander is generally considered to be the most prolific director of feature Westerns of all time, with at least 107 to his credit between 1935 and 1967 . He realized his first feature in 1936, a horse opera , genre in which he would not only excel but one where he would spent much of the rest of his career . He began in this genre with series starred by Buck Jones and ¨Hopalong Cassidy¨ series starred by William Boyd such as ¨Silver on the sage¨ , ¨Three men from Texas¨ and ¨Wide open town¨. In Republic production he directed his better movies such as ¨Panhandle¨and ¨Stampede¨ starred by Rod Cameron and in RKO he directed Tim Holt in 20 films such as ¨Rio Grande patrol¨ and ¨Overland telegraph¨. He subsequently shot B-movies such as ¨Fort Vengeance¨, ¨Arrow in the desert¨, Shotgun¨, ¨Town tamer¨ and his last picture ¨Texas Kid¨. Although Selander couldn't be deemed an "A"-list director, his movies had a professionalism and a verve that many of those made by his fellow B directors lacked . He also filmed detective thrillers , action/adventure motion pictures and even a horror film or two . Rating : 5,5 . Acceptable and passable

Despite several reviews, that state, that Richard Arlen is not, in this movie, he appears, unbilled, in a quick scene, as a banker exiting his bank. This was archive footage, from another A.C. Lyles western, that was used, to fulfill a promise, that Lyles made, to Arlen, about 40 years, previously. In the late 1920's, Lyles was an office boy, at Paramount, where Arlen was a star, who befriended him. He told Arlen, that if he ever became a producer, he would put Arlen, in every one, of his films. This was a promise, that he fulfilled, even if it was only a picture, of him, on a mantlepiece, of a brief clip, such as, in this film.

This is one of a string of cheap westerns ground out by producer A.C. Lyles in the mid- to late '60s. The only thing they were notable for was that they gave work to faded stars who were otherwise unemployable. Everything about these films was second-rate--the stories were recycled (most of them were written by the same man, Steve Fisher), the photography was usually washed out and at times unsteady (Lyles was not a believer in shooting more than one take) and they looked rushed, which is what they were--they were usually shot in two weeks or less. This one is no different. The only advantage it has over Lyles' other pictures is that the beginning of it is narrated by none other than James Cagney, who did it as a favor to Lyles, a longtime friend. Other than that, this film has absolutely nothing going for it. It's tough to swallow even for diehard western fans like myself. Avoid it.

1967's "Arizona Bushwhackers" was #12 of the 13 A.C.Lyles Westerns between 1963-67, missing both of his most prolific stars, Lon Chaney (8) and Richard Arlen (11). There are nine actors returning to the series, all but one (Barton MacLane) for the last time: top billed Howard Keel (3rd, in his final starring role) plays the Civil War rebel now fighting for the North, a former riverboat gambler sent West to Colton Arizona to settle a town rampant with corruption; Yvonne DeCarlo (3rd) as the town salesgirl, later revealed to be a Confederate spy; John Ireland (2nd), whose deputy appears to be the only honest citizen left in Colton, now that Sheriff Grover (Barton MacLane, 3rd of 4) has decided to go straight by leaving town; Scott Brady (5th) is the lead villain Tom Rile, running the saloon/gambling house when not selling stolen rifles coveted by Keel's supposed lawman to a band of renegade Apaches; Brian Donlevy (3rd) enjoys his role as the Mayor, but occasionally struggles to deliver his lines; Marilyn Maxwell (2nd) plays the hostess who knows the new sheriff from his days on the Mississippi; James Craig (3rd) as one of the title bushwhackers, killed in a clever bait and switch by one of his own men; finally, the ubiquitous Reg Parton shows up for his 10th Lyles oater, twice trying to murder the sheriff, unsuccessfully. As if that wasn't enough, we have the only feature film role of Roy Rogers Jr., who gets a nice closeup in his lone scene, then disappears from the picture, never to be seen again. Also, the opening narration is dramatically delivered by the unmistakable voice of James Cagney, his only screen work between "One, Two, Three" in 1961, and "Ragtime" in 1981. All things considered one may be thankful that it's as watchable as it is, with an exceedingly tired script sucking all the life out of the film, concluding with an appallingly feeble Apache attack that shows that director Lesley Selander couldn't wait to yell cut, on what turned out to be his screen farewell after 135 features. For my money, Scott Brady and Barton MacLane come off best, Howard Keel not so much.

Actually, wearing a blindfold during a sitting for this movie seems like a pretty good idea given how lifeless it is. When you see it's produced by A.C. Lyles then realistic expectations are needed, his low budget Westerns grabbed the aged coat tails of a genre that had moved onto a different plain than the one Lyles now traversed. Lyles was astute enough to fill out these Oaters with names familiar to genre fans, regardless of the advent of time or box office appeal, so some interest in the said picture was there from the off.

Some of these Westerns rose above their budget limitations to be better than average, the likes of Johnny Reno, Waco and Stage to Thunder Rock, while not essential Western viewings, are good time wasters for the undemanding fan. The trouble with Arizona Bushwhackers is that it promises so much more than it can ever deliver. Proudly it tells us that it's in Technicolor and Techniscope, and it stars Howard Keel, Yvonne De Carlo, John Ireland, Marilyn Maxwell, Scott Brady, Brian Donlevy, Barton MacLane and James Craig. Hell! The opening narration is even by one James Cagney. And with a plot involving spies and gun runners in the town of Colton, where Union and Confederate operatives dwell, it's all in place for some solid "B" entertainment. Unfortunately it's a lame duck once Caggers has finished his narration.

Story limps on as the various citizens of Colton potter around wondering about who is trustworthy? Who will get caught out? Who will survive? And isn't it about time the Indians showed up? The actors, bless em', give it a good go, shuffling about in some sort of one- take wonderland, while director Lesley Selander tries hard to beef up the plot with the odd action scene; including a fight between two one armed men that I'm pretty sure isn't meant to be funny. It all builds to a hopelessly weak finale where the Indians do indeed turn up and they file in for cannon fodder duties. The colour photography is washed out, the scenic locations barely realised, and the musical score is 101 rank and file. Lifeless all told and only fans of the fading stars should seek this out so as to tick off of their completist lists. 3/10

This is the second of Howard Keel's westerns for producer A.C. Lyles that I've seen in the last several days and the fourth of Lyles during that same period. They've all been pretty enjoyable for the conventional oaters they are in the compact 90 or so minutes they run for. Among other players from previous of Lyles' pictures are: Marilyn Maxwell, Scott Brady, Brian Donlevy, John Ireland. Also, Yvonne De Carlo is the leading lady here. Keel is a rebel (Southern) turned Union soldier who becomes the new sheriff. But one doesn't know which side he's on until the middle portion. Anyway, there's also the appearance of one Roy Rogers, Jr., who shouldn't be hard to recognize especially since his character's name is Roy. Oh, and as one would expect in these oaters, Indians are also portrayed as savages though once they start moaning in pain, one by one, I couldn't help laughing since they sound soooo unconvincing! One more thing, since Ms. Maxwell's character is from New Orleans-which is a two-hour drive from where I currently live-I couldn't help but think that just three days before, when our house was out of power during Hurricane Issac, I relistened-for perhaps the upteenth time-to a cassette of her on "The Abbott & Costello Show" originally from the radio days of the '40s and she was singing "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?" during what the announcer referred to was New Orleans Jazz Week. Incidentally, this particular ep had the comedy duo performing "Who's on First?" since this was also the week Joe DiMaggio was recuperating in bed. Okay, so in summary Arizona Bushwackers was another of these old-fashioned westerns that I managed to enjoy for the entertaining yarns they are. P.S. James Cagney did the beginning narration for his old friend Lyles who produced the only picture Cagney directed: Short Cut to Hell.

When I see a name like Howard Keel listed for a film, I can't resist having a look, particularly as Keel was probably my first screen hero (perhaps alongside Roy Rogers) as a six year old when I was taken to see Annie Get Your Gun. I still have vivid memories of him in that although it was around 65 years ago. I find it rather sad that stars like Keel ended up having to take jobs in feeble B westerns like Arizona Bushwhackers when they have so much more to give. Rather sad also that he's remembered better for Dallas than Seven Brides for Seven Brothers by some people. However, on to this film, Arizona Bushwhackers is a very tired looking picture that looks like it was made for TV, rather like those Warner Bros series in the 50's like Bronco with sets where everything looks so clean. Everyone wears clean clothes with shirts perfectly pressed and dresses that look like they've just been hired from the fancy dress shop. The movie is packed with actors and actresses who have seen better days, quite big stars some of them in their day like Yvonne De Carlo, John Ireland and Brian Donlevy (who doesn't look at all well here, in fact he died a few years later as did Marilyn Maxwell). Barton McLane although only in his sixties, looks about 80. Actors seemed to age far more quickly back then (1968) than they do today. Too much alcohol and cigarettes I think. The script here is very tedious, nothing I've not seen in westerns hundreds of times before, the colour is washed out and the direction listless and lazy. The final Indian attack is comical as this group of so called renegades just roar into town riding up and down and get picked off by the towns folk waiting for them. Must have been the most stupid Indians ever in a western. The only reason for watching this is to see your favourite old time movie stars of B films which does give one a sort of peculiar warm feeling as their easily recognisable faces appear. I thought John Ireland as a one armed deputy came off best in the acting stakes. Bless them all.

One more AC Lyles Productions, where had beens are galore, old timers from Hollywood. Old fashioned westerns made in the early sixties, not bad done, using old usual topics, and where characters are not forgotten. This one is not the best, nor the worst. Yvonne De Carlo, who was for me one of the most beautiful actress in Hollywood is so important because of her presence, poignant; such a shame that this woman was so much underrrated, she deserved better than such B movies.... Most people remember her for the TV series THE MUNSTERS. Back to this film, you can watch it with great pleasure for also Roy Rogers, Richard Arlen, old timers gallery.

I saw this as a "sneak preview" before "The Odd Couple". Although there were several decent actors in it, "Arizona Bushwhackers" was so laughably awful that it got almost as many laughs as the main feature.

It wasn't intended to be funny.

I admit I don't remember much about it in specific except that there was a character who was supposed to have only one arm, but you could VERY clearly see his supposedly missing limb under his sleeve.

I really wouldn't suggest seeing this at all, much less sober, unless you're putting on a Worst Films Ever Festival. Seriously, this movie stinks on ice.

Arizona Bushwhackers (1968)

** (out of 4)

Set during the Civil War, Lee Travis (Howard Keel) is a Confederate soldier who is released from a Union prison so that he can head to Arizona and become the new Sheriff to a small town that is controlled by Union supporters.

There's a lot of dialogue in the film that expands on the plot description I just gave but that's the basic plot to this film, which just seems too old-fashioned for its own good. The film was released in 1968 yet it seems like it should have been made thirty-years earlier but producer A.C. Lyles was attempting to make a Western that would appeal to an older crowd. The Italian Spaghetti Westerns had taken over so here was a throwback and that's also shown with the older cast.

Not only do you have Keel here but there's also Yvonne DeCarlo, James Craig, Barton MacLane and John Ireland. Obviously this film was meant to be a throwback to older Westerns but the problem is that there's just nothing interesting going on here. The characters are all boring. The story isn't anything to brag about. Then you've got to wonder why the producer would think this story would want to be seen by anyone in 1968.

Not only is the film very slow but it's just downright boring to the point where even the cast can't save it. The actors are all game for what they're asked to do but they just can't bring any energy to the material. You've even got narration from James Cagney to start things off but this turns out to be rather worthless as well.

With a well known cast, one would have hoped this would have at least reached the level of a B+ Western. Unfortunately, it struggled to make it to the B- range. The problems were myriad: a very standard plot, a bad musical score that grated, actors with no spark, and a final battle scene that was the antithesis of exciting. Without giving any spoilers, the plot involved various characters with hidden agendas all having converged on an Arizona town in the closing stages of the Civil War. Cowboys, Indians, Rebs, and Unionists all thrown together could have had a bit of life but here, the mix had no yeast and didn't rise. What should have been a climactic battle scene was a visual humor feast. The renegade Indians sat on their horses like targets at a Coney Island arcade but this was countered by townsmen not using any cover as they threw lead. In the usual B-Western tradition, a hero with a 6-gun was much more deadly than a Star Trek red-shirter with a rifle. All in all, it was depressing seeing these actors reduced to showing up for work in an effort like this one.

There's a reason why the western genre has, on the whole, died out. They were made ad nauseum from the 1940s-1970s and there were infinitely more "typical westerns" than good ones, so the public got tired of them. Yours truly is not a fan of westerns. They have to be really exciting-or have a serious amount of eye candy-for me to enjoy watching them. Therefore, you understand why I took a chance on Arizona Bushwackers, a western starring the hunky Howard Keel.

Unless you're desperately in love with him, you'll probably want to skip this one. John Ireland was supposed to be a one-armed sheriff, but he just had the end of his sleeve sewn into his trouser pocket, and both sturdy shoulders were clearly visible. Yvonne De Carlo tried to give a Jane Russell impression, and Marilyn Maxwell tried to give an Yvonne De Carlo impression. The townsmen with only one or two lines seemed like they either weren't actors or had gone to the John Wayne school of acting. Howard Keel seemed to be mirroring the audience's thoughts, wondering why he was stuck in such a bad movie when he was once king of the 1950s musical genre. Plus, I know the title had an actual meaning at the time, but nowadays, it's way too dated to take seriously.

The only interest of this nothing special B Western is the all star faded movie star cast. The main stars were all in their late forties, but all looked like they were in their sixties. I guess in the 1960s, movie stars did not age well. Paunchy Howard Keel was the star of this dull mess. He sleep walks his role and is dull as can be, yet the two main actresses find him totally irresistible. Ha! Yvonne De Carlo gives the films best performance, but it is laughable as she acts like a teenage virgin, despite the fact she is nearing fifty. Miss Maxwell tries her best to be the town's sexpot, but is just too old. Of course everyone in the film is practically a senior citizen, so I guess for them Miss Maxwell was a real hottie. The shootouts were void of any suspense and the whole film is just a boring, dull mess.