Backlash Reviews

John Sturges, who directed some of the best outdoors epics ever (BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK; THE GREAT ESCAPE; GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL; THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN) should have looked more closely at the script. Aaron Rosenberg, former USC football star and producer of many interesting films (TONY ROME; WINCHESTER 73; THE GREAT MAN; THE GLENN MILLER STORY), missed when he put this one together for Universal. Widmark is a gunman searching for his father, McIntire, who sold out five of his pals to attacking Indians, then escaped with a trove of $60,000 in gold. Reed is the widow of one of the dead men. She and Widmark join forces to get to the truth and they wind up together. McIntire is excellent as the villain. Morgan, Wilke and Parton are quite unlikely as three brothers. They are so different in size, shape, and facial characteristics that it's hard to believe someone actually cast them. Morgan, whose real name is Henry, changed it to Harry shortly after THE OX-BOW INCIDENT because he didn't want to be confused with Henry Morgan, the radio comedian, who starred in SO THIS IS NEW YORK. Harry Morgan has gone on to do many TV series ("Pete and Gladys," "Dragnet," and "M*A*S*H," among others) and hasn't stopped working since.