Roy Barcroft Movies

Monte Walsh (Lee Marvin ) and his pal Chet Rollins (Jack Palance) are two over the hill cowboys seeking work in the town of Harmony, Arizona in the final days of the Old West. They take a job at the ranch of Cal Brennan (Jim Davis) and meet an old friend Shorty (Mitch Ryan). Monte goes off to visit old flame Martine (Jean Moreau), a saloon girl suffering from tuberculosis. The ranch closes and Chet marries Mary Eagle (Allyn Ann McLerie), a widow who owns a profitable hardware store. He tries to talk Monte in to giving up his cowboy life and settling down. He asks Martine to marry him, but she declines and cites her deteriorating health as the reason for her refusal. Monte goes on a drinking binge and rides a wild horse through town. He is indignant when a rodeo owner offers him a job. Monte states he would rather spit on himself that resort to such degrading work. Shorty is soon unemployed and guns down local lawman (LeRoy Johnson). Distraught after the death of his beloved Martine, Monte goes after Shorty when he guns down Chet. This film marks the directorial debut for cameraman William A. Fraker. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

In Roman Polanski's first American film, adapted from Ira Levin's horror bestseller, a young wife comes to believe that her offspring is not of this world. Waifish Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) and her struggling actor husband, Guy (John Cassavetes), move into the Bramford, an old New York City apartment building with an ominous reputation and only elderly residents. Neighbors Roman and Minnie Castevet (Sidney Blackmer and Ruth Gordon) soon come nosing around to welcome the Woodhouses to the building; despite Rosemary's reservations about their eccentricity and the weird noises that she keeps hearing, Guy starts spending time with the Castevets. Shortly after Guy lands a plum Broadway role, Minnie starts showing up with homemade chocolate mousse for Rosemary. When Rosemary becomes pregnant after a mousse-provoked nightmare of being raped by a beast, the Castevets take a special interest in her welfare. As the sickened Rosemary becomes increasingly isolated, she begins to suspect that the Castevets' circle is not what it seems. The diabolical truth is revealed only after Rosemary gives birth, and the baby is taken away from her. Polanski's camerawork and Richard Sylbert's production design transform the realistic setting (shot on-location in Manhattan's Dakota apartment building) into a sinister projection of Rosemary's fears, chillingly locating supernatural horror in the familiar by leaving the most grotesque frights to the viewer's imagination. This apocalyptic yet darkly comic paranoia about the hallowed institution of childbirth touched a nerve with late-'60s audiences feeling uneasy about traditional norms. Produced by B-horror maestro William Castle, Rosemary's Baby became a critically praised hit, winning Gordon an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Inspiring a wave of satanic horror from The Exorcist (1973) to The Omen (1976), Rosemary's Baby helped usher in the genre's modern era by combining a supernatural story with Alfred Hitchcock's propensity for finding normality horrific. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

In the conclusion of a two-part story, a reluctant Mooney (Gale Gordon) has joined Lucy (Lucille Ball) and her songwriter friend Mel Tinker (Mel Torme) in their efforts to save the small town of Bancroft from being demolished to make room for a new freeway. In hopes of bringing Bancroft's plight to the attention of a major network TV reporter (Dan Rowan), Lucy stages a phony shootout at Mooney's bank. Three guesses as to what happens next! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In Sheriff Coffee's absence, Virginia City's mayor (Ted Knight) hires ruthlessly efficient lawman Wes Dann (Eric Fleming) as peacekeeper. At first an admirer of Dann, Joe Cartwright soon learns that the cold-blooded temporary sheriff is less interested in upholding the law than meting out his own sadistic brand of punishment. This episode marked one of the final TV appearances of former Rawhide star Eric Fleming; others in the cast include Roy Foster, Ray Stricklyn, Dee Pollack, Clyde Howdy, Grandon Rhodes, I. Stanford Jolley, and legendary serial villain Roy Barcroft. First telecast on February 6, 1966, "Peace Officer" was written by Don Mullaly. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Dean Martin stars as an amiable gunrunner in the tongue-in-cheek western Texas Across the River. Martin teams up with fugitive from justice Alain Delon, a Spanish nobleman engaged to the beautiful Rosemary Forsyth. Amidst several Indian attacks, hairbreadth escapes and wild chases, Martin does his utmost to steal Rosemary away from Delon. If you were entertaining thoughts of taking this thing seriously, please bear in mind that Joey Bishop co-stars as a very urban-looking Indian. Watch for future character star Richard Farnsworth as a Native American medicine man. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Gunpoint stars Audie Murphy as a Colorado sheriff -- and never mind that the film was shot in Utah. Sheriff Lucas (Murphy) sets out to bring bad guy Drago (Morgan Woodward) to justice. If the sheriff doesn't succeed, that will be fine and dandy with deputy Hold (Denver Pyle), who's out to get Murphy's job. Edgar Buchanan took a break from Petticoat Junction to play the sort of comic relief he'd been doing in westerns for years. Gunpoint's well-photographed but economical highlights include a wild horse stampede and a shootout with disgruntled Apaches. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Gilbert Roland guest-stars as poor but proud horse rangher Jim Acton. Hoping to get back on his financial feet, Acton is devastated when his prize mare is legally awared to Sam Whipple (Ken Lynch). Not long afterward, Acton kills Sam in self defense, but an overeager deputy named Pete (Pat Conway) is determined to prove Sam a murderer, and to bring him to justice dead or alive-preferably dead. As always, the Cartwrights intervene. Written by Thomas Thompson, this episode served to reunite two veterans of the Republic Pictures B-western mill: Director William Witney, and supporting actor Roy Barcroft. "The Lonely Runner" was first broadcast on October 10, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Andy and Barney steel themselves for the impending arrival of State Investigator Somerset (Robert Cornthwaite), a man notorious for his intolerance of any deviation from rules and regulations. It is Andy's hope that Somerset will allocate extra funds to keep the Mayberry courthouse afloat. Unfortunately, Opie has brought a stray dog into the courthouse-and before long the building is home to eleven yapping and yelping hunting hounds. Written by Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum, "Dogs, Dogs, Dogs" was originally broadcast on April 22, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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, Rovi

Riding into a wild-and-wooly frontier town on Christmas Eve, Paladin (Richard Boone) befriends a young cowboy and pregnant woman who need his help. It seems that the couple cannot find anyone willing or able to provide them lodging for the night; in fact, the only available space is a squalid storeroom behind the saloon. Sound familiar? The "Joseph" of this story is played by guitarist Duane Eddy, who had recently scored a big hit with his recording of "The Ballad of Paladin". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Clock Strikes Three is the alternate title for the low budgeter When the Clock Strikes. The scene is a deserted lodge where a group of people have gathered to await the execution of a convicted killer at a nearby prison. The group plans to search the lodge for money hidden away by the condemned man. Just as the clock strikes three, a stranger rushes in, confessing to the murder. With the execution called off, the gathered parties must hurry and scurry to find the money before the prisoner is released. Director Edward L. Cahn, a longtime Hollywoodite who spent his waning days in lower-rung B pictures, does what he can to make heads or tails of The Clock Strikes Three. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The town of Bad Dog, Oregon is populated by wealthy ranchers who refuse to pay their cattle taxes. Actually, it goes beyond a mere refusal: Three tax collectors have already been killed in their efforts to get the cattlemen to pay up. You guessed it: Paladin (Richard Boone) is hired as Collector Number Four--and he is not about to end up as just another statistic. The strong supporting cast includes such western-movie perennials as Roy Barcroft, Harry Carey Jr. and Raymond Hatton. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The oft-filmed Gene Stratton Porter novel Freckles was given its last screen treatment to date by 20th Century-Fox in 1960. Filmed on location in Northern California, the story concerns the title character, a self-effacing young man, played by Martin West. Though handicapped by a missing hand, Freckles hopes to prove his worth in timber country. He does so by rounding up a gang of lumber thieves headed by Duncan (Jack Lambert). Veteran western heavy Roy Barcroft is effective in the sympathetic role of a timber baron, while Carol Christensen is appealing as Barcroft's daughter and West's love interest. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi