Dan Duryea Movies
Hissable movie heavy Dan Duryea was handsome enough as a young man to secure leading roles in the student productions at White Plains High School. He majored in English at Cornell University, but kept active in theatre, succeeding Franchot Tone as president of Cornell's Dramatic Society. Bowing to his parents' wishes, Duryea sought out a more "practical" profession upon graduation, working for the N. W. Ayer advertising agency. After suffering a mild heart attack, Duryea was advised by his doctor to leave advertising and seek out employment in something he enjoyed doing. Thus, Duryea returned to acting in summer stock, then was cast in the 1935 Broadway hit Dead End. The first of his many bad-guy roles was Bob Ford, the "dirty little coward" who shot Jesse James, in the short-lived 1938 stage play Missouri Legend. Impressed by Duryea's slimy but somehow likeable perfidy in this play, Herman Shumlin cast the young actor as the snivelling Leo Hubbard in Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes. This 1939 Broadway production was converted into a film by Sam Goldwyn in 1941, with many members of the original cast -- including Duryea -- making their Hollywood debuts. Duryea continued playing supporting roles in films until 1945's The Woman in the Window, in which he scored as Joan Bennett's sneering "bodyguard" (that's Hollywoodese for "pimp"). Thereafter, Duryea was given star billing, occasionally in sympathetic roles (White Tie and Tails [1946], Black Angel [1946]), but most often as a heavy. From 1952 through 1955, he starred as a roguish soldier of fortune in the syndicated TV series China Smith, and also topped the cast of a theatrical-movie spin-off of sorts, World for Ransom (1954), directed by Duryea's friend Robert Aldrich. One of the actor's last worthwhile roles in a big-budget picture was as a stuffy accountant who discovers within himself inner reserves of courage in Aldrich's Flight of the Phoenix (1965). In 1968, shortly before his death from a recurring heart ailment, Duryea was cast as Eddie Jacks in 67 episodes of TV's Peyton Place. Dan Duryea was the father of actor Peter Duryea, likewise a specialist in slimy villainy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1968
A veteran cast gives the 1968 cheapie The Bamboo Saucer what little credibility it has. In his last role, Dan Duryea plays the head man of an expeditionary force in search of a missing UFO. Since the craft was last sighted in the mountains of Red China, the search takes on political significance. Duryea's American team is eventually forced to align itself with a similarly-purposed group of Soviet researchers (this being a 1968 film, the real bad guys are the Red Chinese). Lois Nettelton has some wonderfully campy moments as a Russian scientist. Bamboo Saucer was produced by Jerry Fairbanks, of "Speaking of Animals" and "Crusader Rabbit" fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Duryea, John Ericson, (more)
In this spaghetti western, two confederate soldiers survive the War and swipe an army payroll. To escape, one of them plays decoy while the other flees with the loot. The decoy is captured and sentenced to five years in prison. He is eventually freed. When he finally finds his partner, he is dismayed to find that he is now rich. He is enraged when he discovers that his "pal" is responsible for his wife's murder. The treacherous partner is aware that his cohort has been released and is out for revenge. He decides to kill him first, and so hires an insane gunslinger to do the job. But the ex-con finds a new partner, and with his assistance is able to sneak into the wealthy man's stronghold and kill both him and his assassin. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thomas Hunter, Henry Silva, (more)
- 1967
A prime early example of how to make a truly worthwhile TV movie, Stranger on the Run is a tough, minimalist western in the tradition of the theatrical oaters of director Anthony Mann (one of whose favorite actors, Dan Duryea, has a supporting part in Stranger). Michael Parks is painfully convincing as a sadistic 1880s railroad detective who has a curious notion of fun and games. Upon catching drifters who hitch rides on the trains in his Southwestern jurisdiction, Parks allows the "criminals" one hour head start in the desert, with horse and supplies; then he and his deputies track the men down and kill them. Parks' latest victim is hard-bitten ex-convict Henry Fonda, who has come to town to deliver a message to his cellmate's sister. Fonda proves to be more of challenge than Parks is accustomed to, a fact that gives this brutal little tale its teeth. Anne Baxter costars in this superior TV-movie outing. Stranger on the Run's multilayered teleplay is by Reginald Rose. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
John Drew Barrymore, Joan Blondell, John Dehner, and Dan Duryea star in this made-for-television remake of the 1950 James Stewart Western about a two brothers who both covet the titular repeating rifle. As the dedicated officer and the crafty ex-con face off to determine who will walk away with rifle in hand, family bonds are violently shattered by the desire for cold steel and hot lead. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Tryon, John Saxon, (more)
- 1967
While traveling through Hong Kong, Bob Mitchell (Robert Cummings) accidentally stumbles into the middle of criminal negotiations between a mean gang, the Five Golden Dragons, and the local mobsters. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1966
In this drama, a teenager discovers that an old woman may actually be his long-lost mother. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Deep in enemy territory, Saunders (Vic Morrow) and the squad come across a stranded Special Services jazz combo. In his efforts to escort the musicians back to safety, Saunders is stymied by the mercurial behavior of bandleader Bernie (Dan Duryea), who seems eager and willing to surrender to the Germans at the first opportunity. New Orleans-born squad member Caje (Pierre Jalbert) has a terrific line about the eccentricities of jazzmen in this episode, which features strong performances by a young Dennis Hopper and by celebrated Hollywood dialect coach Robert Easton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
In this western, set at the end of the Civil War, a group of rebels steal a million bucks from a Union shipment, and stash the gold in a cave near Phantom Hill, Texas. They are subsequently captured. The ring leader bargains with his captors offering to reveal the loot's location in exchange for his freedom. The Union soldiers set out to find the gold. They take the outlaw with him. An Apache attack ensues. Afterward, the outlaw gets a pair of soldiers drunk and kills them. He then flees leaving the rest of the weaponless Yankees to die. Meanwhile the outlaw finds the gold and falls in love with the Yankee leader's girl. Back in the desert, the Yankees endure another attack. The remaining two manage to catch up with the outlaw and the girl. In the ensuing battle, the girl throws the outlaws' gun to the Union leader who shoots him dead. The gold is sent back north and the lovers ride off into happiness. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Fuller, Jocelyn Lane, (more)
- 1965
Saunders (Vic Morrow), Kirby (Jack Hogan) and Littlejohn (Dan Peabody) accompany a G-2 officer (Douglas Henderson) on a dangerous mission to rescue a wounded American war correspondent named Barton (Dan Duryea). Raising the stakes is the fact that Barton holds vital information that would prove disastrous if it fell into enemy hands. Only after their commanding officer is killed do Saunders and his men locate Barton--who reveals himself to be a craven coward and potential traitor! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Dan Duryea plays a Western bounty hunter, expert in his job, but ill at ease with his conscience. He is shunned by the "good" townsfolk until they need him to track down and kill a criminal; the gratitude doesn't last long, and it's back to outcast status for Duryea. At one juncture, the embittered bounty hunter delivers a condemnation against the "hypocrites" who hire him -- but nonetheless takes one more job. Ultimately, Duryea meets his end at the hands of a younger man (Peter Duryea, Dan's son), who becomes a bounty hunter himself, starting the cycle all over again. Produced very economically by B-Western specialist Alex Gordon, The Bounty Killer is distinguished by Dan Duryea's superb performance and by the presence in the supporting cast of several cowboy film veterans -- including Hollywood's very first Westerner, Billy Anderson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Duryea, Rod Cameron, (more)
Based on Elleston Trevor's novel, The Flight of the Phoenix opens with a well-staged plane crash in the middle of the Sahara desert. The pilot (James Stewart) and the navigator (Richard Attenborough) do their best to maintain order among the survivors, a group of oil men not well-suited for survival in the desert wastes. Some of those who appear to be the most resourceful reveal themselves to be inept or cowardly, while other less prepossessing types -- notably bespectacled Standish (Dan Duryea) -- demonstrate surprising inner reserves of strength. The ultimate fate of the survivors rests in the hands of Heinrich Dorfmann (Hardy Kruger), who uses the wreckage of the old plane to design a new one. The Flight of the Phoenix was dedicated to the memory of veteran stunt pilot Paul Mantz, who was killed while filming the take-off scene of the new plane. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, (more)
- 1964
Dan Duryea stars in this gritty medium-budget western as an unregenerate killer. His one saving grace is his affection for his foster son (Tony Young), whom he's raised from infancy. The boy grows up to be a sheriff, while Duryea continues his criminal activities in the company of his natural son. The ultimate showdown finds Young squaring off with his stepbrother, knowing full well that even if he wins, he'll lose in the eyes of some townsfolk--including his violence-hating fiancee. He Rides Tall combines western traditionalism with the gut-splattering gore popular in the early 1960s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Young, Dan Duryea, (more)
- 1964
Dan Duryea stars in this unsavory British melodrama as a seedy kidnapper who accidentally kills his child victim. The police pretend to be unaware of the murder in hopes of capturing Duryea when he comes to collect the ransom. He wriggles out of this trap, then finds he must contend with a nosy neighbor (Isa Miranda) who seems to know more about him than she's letting on. Duryea schemes to poison the woman, but the plan boomerangs and his own wife dies instead. Outside of Dan Duryea's bravura performance, Do You Know This Voice? has zero entertainment value. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
When Sam Logan (Dan Duryea) was sent to prison, he claimed he didn't know where his partner Jack Crawford hid $100,000 in stolen gold. After serving 20 years, Sam is released, whereupon his trail is dogged by a number of shady and avaricious characters, among them a relentless bounty hunter named Reed (John Kellogg) and Crawford's son Mike (Tim McIntire). Because he is the man whose testimony sent Sam to prison, Ben Cartwright also becomes swept up in the search for the missing gold. Virginia Gregg appears in the role of Angie. First shown on October 18, 1964, "Logan's Treasure" was written by Ken Pettus and Robert Sabaroff. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1964
In this western, the trouble begins when a rancher's mother and father are killed by a young outlaw and his family who want his land. The son returns the favor and slaughters them. As the father lies dying, he manages to hire three gunslingers to track the boy down. The boy is a good shot though and kills two of the hired guns and then flees into Indian territory. There he meets an old miner, his wife and their daughter. The remaining gunslinger finds him, but is taken prisoner by the miner. Later, the saucy wife makes a pass at the young man, but he rejects her. In retaliation, she frees the gunman, steals her husband's gold and takes off. She ends up being killed by the Indians. Meanwhile, the daughter, the miner, and the rancher's son are busy fighting off an attack of their own. They then ride off after the fleeing gunman whose horse is so laden down with gold that it collapses. This allows the son to shoot him dead. Afterwards, the son and the miner's daughter get hitched and live happily ever after. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Young, Dan Duryea, (more)
- 1964
Marion Brown (Teresa Wright) of Cleveland, OH, travels to Newark, NJ, there to meet and murder Bernice Brown (Jean Hale). It seems that Marion has discovered that her traveling-salesman husband (Dan Duryea) is a bigamist, and she is determined to knock off not only his "second" wife but also his "third" spouse, Lucille (Linda Lawson). Making matters worse for the peripatetic Mr. Brown is the fact that every time Marion strikes, he loses yet another source of income to feed his gambling habit...but the absolute worst is still to come. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Teresa Wright, Dan Duryea, (more)
- 1964
In this complex mystery, an American woman is married to a British businessman. The trouble begins when the woman suspects that she is being stalked. She tells this to her husband and his friend. They then go home. While the friend is upstairs making a phone call, the stalker sneaks in and kills her husband. The friend hears the commotion and rushes downstairs. He gets there just in time to hear the killer requesting payment from the wife for services rendered. Later the killer is arrested and makes a full confession. Though he claims the woman paid him to kill her husband, the court remains skeptical. The friend believes the killer, but says nothing. After the trial, he learns that the woman's ex-husband had been blackmailing her with the claim that they were never actually divorced. He pushed her into killing her new husband. When the friend learns the truth, he has no choice but to phone the police and tell them all he knows. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1962
A sometimes astonishingly grim western, Six Black Horses ostensibly stars Audie Murphy, but is effortlessly stolen by Frank Jesse (Dan Duryea). Wrongly accused of horse theft, Ben Lane (Murphy) is rescued by ruthless but sentimental gunslinger Jesse. The two men are hired as trail guides by Kelly (Joan O'Brien), who wants to traverse hostile Indian territory so that she can be reunited with her husband. What she knows -- but the audience doesn't -- is that her husband is dead, murdered by Jesse. Kelly had hired him to exact vengeance, but it is she who is nearly killed. Lane is left stranded when Jesse rides off to claim the money promised him by Kelly. This he does so as to finance his "dream funeral," wherein his casket will be borne to Boot Hill by six black horses. When Lane catches up with Jesse, he sees to it that the outlaw gets his wish -- after first taking the precaution of filling Jesse full of lead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audie Murphy, Dan Duryea, (more)
- 1960
Among the most popular TV Western series ever, Bonanza starred Lorne Green as Ben Cartwright and Michael Landon, Dan Blocker and Pernell Roberts as his sons Little Joe, Hoss and Adam. In the episode "Bade Without Honor," first aired in 1960, a stranger arrives in town; he says he's a Deputy Marshall and needs Jackson Blaine, a friend of the Cartwrights, to ride with him to San Francisco to testify against the Murdock Gang. Adam, however, insists on going along as he smells a rat. "Badge Without Honor" features guest star Dan Duryea; it's available on DVD in tandem with "Desert Justice," and as part of a five-episode box set. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1960
This is a low-budget, standard drama by Charles Haas (his last film) in which a father investigates the mysterious death of his son in a military school. Steven Conway (Mickey Rooney) never knew his son who was raised by the ex-Mrs. Conway after their divorce. The son had been enrolled in a hard-as-nails military school, a place of last resort for delinquents of wealthy families unable to straighten out in any other way. Once he learns of his son's death, Conway goes to the school and comes up against a stone wall when he tries to find out how he died. As his investigation raises dangerous confrontations with school authorities it becomes more than apparent that his son was murdered. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Rooney, Terry Moore, (more)
- 1959
In this exciting western, cowpoke Texas John Slaughter rides out for revenge against the man who killed his friend. He heads for Sandoval, a notorious outlaw lair. Horses gallop, guns blaze, and mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1959
First telcast October 16, 1959, this episode stars Dan Duryea as Al Denton, a once-legendary gunslinger fallen on hard times. Now the town drunk and the object of ridicule, Denton dreams of the day that he will regain his skills with a sixgun. That day comes sooner than expected, thanks to a travelling peddler named Henry J. Fate (Malcolm Atterbury) -- but there's a bizarre price tag attached. Written by Rod Serling, this Twilight Zone episode features an impressive cast of future TV-series stars, including Martin Landau as town bully Hotaling, Doug McClure as punkish fast gun Pete Grant, and Jeanne Cooper as faded saloon girl Liz. Incidentally, this dramatic episode was originally intended as a comic story titled "You Too Can Be a Fast Gun," with a timid schoolteacher unexpectedly gaining renown as a gunfighter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Duryea, Martin Landau, (more)
- 1959
In the fourth episode of Walt Disney's 17-part miniseries The Tales of Texas John Slaughter, Slaughter (Tom Tryon) has captured outlaw leader Mrs. Barko (Beverly Garland) who, though she faces the gallows, refuses to explain why she was trying to join forces with another notorious bandit, Dan Trask (Dan Duryea). With the nervous approval of his Texas Rangers superior officer Captain Cooper (Judson Platt), Slaughter formulates a plan whereby he and his fiancée Adeline Harris (Norma Moore) will impersonate Mrs. and Mr. Barko and infiltrate the Trask gang. Originally telecast as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology, "Showdown at Sandoval" and the previous episode "Killers From Kansas" were edited together in 1961 and released overseas as the "feature film" Gunfight at Sandoval. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
A child star becomes a brat to hide her loneliness in this drama. The popular little actress is quite insolent and refuses to allow anyone to push her around. She becomes quite stubborn when a studio publicist asks her to do an interview with his ex-wife, a prominent columnist. He finally bribes her into it, and when the contrary miss meets the journalist she takes an immediate shine to her. The lonesome girl becomes so enamored with the woman that she runs away from home to be near her. Trouble ensues when the publicist is arrested for kidnapping. Fortunately the girl turns up, affects a new attitude and happiness ensues all around. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Duryea, Patty McCormack, (more)
- 1958
Smoke Jumpers stars Dan Duryea as the head man of a group of death-defying firefighters. Duryea and his crew are called upon to combat forest fires by parachuting into the various woodland conflagrations. One of Duryea's crew (Richard Jaeckel) accuses him of being a coward, but Duryea proves his worth when he and his men are cut off from rescue. Dean Jagger and Joan Leslie co-stars in this hour-long adaptation of the 1952 feature film Red Skies of Montana. Smoke Jumpers aired November 14, 1956, on the weekly TV anthology The 20th Century Fox Hour. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
