Day of the Evil Gun is a 1968 American traditional Western starring Glenn Ford, Arthur Kennedy, and Dean Jagger. It was directed by Jerry Thorpe. The men come to a small town where Forbes is able to convince a gun running storekeeper (James Griffith) to point the way. Next they are captured by a band of Apaches and taken to the camp of bandito Deleon (Nico Minardos). Warfield and Forbes are staked out in the sun to await the buzzards . They escape from Deleon when Warfield lets it be known that he has money buried somewhere. Deleon frees them but is overpowered by the men. Deleon is killed by Forbes when he attempts to overpower him. If I were casting this film I think I would have reversed the roles of two of the supporting players. Royal Dano could usually be found playing less than savory characters, so seeing him here as a doctor treating cholera victims was a new one on me. I thought he would have been better suited to portray the part of the pretend crazy guy, Jimmy Noble. He had already taken on a similar role in a first season episode of 'The Rebel' TV series when he played a coward holed up in an abandoned fort, surviving only because Indians pay no mind to the mentally infirm. The title of that show was 'Yellow Hair' if you care to look it up. In any event, Dean Jagger acquitted himself well as the nutty Noble. Agony of the Feet: When Warfield tries to walk away from Forbes at the end of the film, Forbes shoots him the ankle with a shotgun. Unwilling Suspension: After being captured by the Apaches, Warfield and Forbes are strung up by their wrists in the Bandito camp.

Ghost Town: Warfield and Forbes enter the deserted Mormon settlement of Obed, where they encounter a detachment of U.S. Cavalry led by "Captain" Jefferson Addis, who turn out to actually be a band of Dangerous Deserters. According to the IMDB, actor R.G. Armstrong was in a deleted scene, and Lee J. Cobb is in the picture too. I either missed him or he was cut out as well. Peter Ford tells us that Lon Chaney Jr. flew down to play a role but was incapable of doing so because of his drinking problem. In his recent biography of his father, Peter Ford who played one of the army deserters said that this was one cursed production. Some kind of malady was going around in Durango, Mexico where the film was shot and everyone in the cast came down. The most serious was Dean Jagger who nearly died. Jagger has only one scene in the film, but he plays an itinerant peddler who pretends he's crazy so that the Apaches will deal with him. He looked somewhat ravaged in his appearance. The malady whatever it was also affected the crew on Guns For San Sebastian shooting at the same time. The story was written by two veteran TV writers: Charles Marquis Warren and Eric Bercovici. The screenplay may be formulaic, but they provided an efficient story-line with lively characters and enough surprises to keep it entertaining all the way. The men undergo personality changes as the trek unfolds ,with the previously peaceable Kennedy displaying a new found relish for the killing fields and events build to a personal confrontation between the two men Performances are superlative ,the script by Charles Marquis Warren and Eric Bercovi is pointed and candid .Jerry Thorpe directs capably if somewhat anonymouslyThe 7 Feb 1967 DV listed the working title as Ballad of the Evil Gun. It was later mentioned in the 6 Jun 1967 LAT as The Evil Gun. On 14 Jun 1967, DV announced the official title as Day of the Evil Gun, scheduled to begin production 1 Aug 1967 in Durango, Mexico. Originally planned as a feature for ABC Television, it was decided to release the film theatrically prior to its broadcast debut. Retired Gunfighter: Lorn Warfield is this at the start of the movie. Learning his wife and children have been taken by the Apaches forces him to strap on his guns once more. Obfuscating Insanity: Indian trader Jimmy Noble feigns insanity as the Indians will not kill a crazy person. The Warner Archive Collection DVD-R of Day of the Evil Gun looks quite good on this enhanced widescreen Remastered Edition. After the poorly designed and rather ugly titles are done with the movie plays out in bright and clear colors, always looking pleasing to the eye. The audio is very strong. I once tried to watch this pan-scanned on TV and chopped up with commercials, and gave up. The new disc looks great.

The 18 May 1967 issue stated that actor Earl Holliman had declined a role in the film due to a prior obligation. Other cast members included Mark Richman (26 Jul 1967 DV); Lon Chaney, Jr., who replaced R. G. Armstrong after the latter was unable to fulfill his commitment (15 Aug 1967 DV); Jose Chavez (22 Aug 1967 DV); and Peter Ford, son of Glenn Ford and dancer Eleanor Powell (8 Aug 1967 LAT). Nine days later, DV reported that Peter Ford was forced to withdraw from the project after being diagnosed with typhus. That won’t be easy. They’ve been taken far into the hills to an Apache stronghold, perhaps to be killed as part of a sacred ritual. But they have to stay allied because they do come across a whole lot of low lifes on their journey into Apache country. On the way there they come into a charming, but coldblooded Mexican bandit in Nico Minardos, a cholera epidemic in a town with an avaricious store owner in James Griffith and some army deserters who are an outlaw gang with John Anderson in charge. Color / 2:35 enhanced widescreen / 94 min. / Street Date January 10, 2012 / available through the Warner Archive Collection / 19.95 Revealing Reflection: Warfield becomes aware that Forbes is following him when he is shaving, using the still water of the waterhole as a mirror, and sees Forbes on the ridge behind him in the reflection.The cinematography is pleasing to the viewers and the film moves along at a great pace with action occurring every few minutes to keep the audience's attention. What I really liked about this western is how well developed the two main characters were. The travelling gunfighter Lorn Warfield (Glenn Ford) and homesteader Owen Forbes (Arthur Kennedy) personalities and inner demons were on full display and brought to the forefront as the hate for one another fed off of each other as they traveled across the barren desert in search for Lorn Warfield's wife and two (2) daughters who were in the hands of an Apache tribe. On 18 Sep 1967, LAT stated that the company had begun two weeks on location in Torreon, Mexico, while waiting for the flood waters of Durango to subside. Sorry. Carried away there. Will someone help me down from this soap box? Thank you. Thank you very much.

Angie Warfield and her two children are kidnapped by Apaches. Lorn Warfield ( Glenn Ford), who had been away a long time, sets out to rescue his family, with the unwanted help of his neighbor Owen Forbes ( Arthur Kennedy). Warfield is a former gunman trying to forget his violent past. Forbes, a decent, humane rancher, is also in love with Warfield's wife and feels guilty that he did not try to prevent the kidnapping. Book Ends: Starts and ends with an unarmed Lorn Warfield attempting to walk away from someone who is trying to goad him into a gunfight. Sawn-Off Shotgun: "Captain" Jefferson Addis' preferred weapon is a single barrel sawn-off shotgun. After killing him, Forbes takes the gun for himself. Day of the Evil Gun is a 1968 film Western starring Glenn Ford, Arthur Kennedy, and Dean Jagger. It was directed by Jerry Thorpe.

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Day of the Evil Gun maintains a good grip on our interest, and not just for its "will they rescue the captives?" plot device. Glenn Ford's character is rather interesting ... he never tells us why he disappeared for three years, and doesn't mind that townspeople think he was off committing crimes or murdering people as a hired gunman. The movie begins with Lorn refusing a gunfight with a punk, a scene handled fairly well (and nicely mirrored at the conclusion). Reviewers often comment that the two protagonists "change places", in that Ford's supposed Bad Egg becomes more peaceful while Arthur Kennedy's rancher has by the end become a ruthless killer. Lorn Warfield seems thoroughly averse to unnecessary killing at the very beginning; I'm not sure that he actually shoots anybody in the course of the entire movie. The plot of Day of the Evil Gun is a variation on The Searchers. Glenn Ford is looking for his kidnapped wife and his two children. He gets unwanted help from the lover of his wife, played by Arthur Kennedy. On their search they meet some colorful characters, all played by some of the best standard supporting actors Hollywood had to offer in that period: Dean Jagger, John Anderson, Royal Dano, Nico Minardos and a very young Harry Dean Stanton. The search and the finding of his wife and children become less interesting as the film progresses. The relationship between the two leads and the characters they encounter are far more compelling. Glenn Ford would continue to act until the early '90 in films and TV. After Day of the Evil Gun he still managed to participate in one classic, the very first big budget comic book epic: Superman (1978). He was excellent and is still the most memorable film interpretation of Jonathan Kent, Superman's adopted earth father. Despite the fact that he had only about two scenes. Arthur Kennedy would also keep on working until his death in 1990, but nothing memorable.