James Westerfield Movies

This routine western finds Gannon (Tony Franciosa) as a lone drifter on the Kansas plains. He never looks for any trouble because trouble always manages to find him. Gannon takes on a young Eastern dude named Jess (Michael Sarrazin) and teaches him the ropes of being a cowboy. The two end up in conflict with the widow Beth (Judy West) when she desires to erect a barbed wire fence to corral the cattle. The widow also wishes to corral Gannon before he is befriended by Mattie (Susan Oliver), the local hooker with a heart of gold. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Art Carney guest stars as Cyril T. Jones, a timid gunsmith who is caught in the crossfire of a gangland killing. Though his wound is minor, Cyril is afraid to leave the hospital for fear he has been targeted for death because he witnessed the earlier "hit." Finally, Cyril hits upon a brilliant idea that will ensure him round-the-clock police protection: he will commit a murder himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this '40s film Kay Kyser parades an entertainment group all over the globe providing laughs for the boys in battle. This film realistically portrays the role of the USO during the WW II time period. ~ All Movie Guide

Filmed largely on-location in Salem, MA this lively episode of Bewitched was written by Richard Michaels. Misinterpreting her orders from the Witches Council, Esmerelda zaps Samantha back to 17th century Salem -- where she is promptly put on trial for witchcraft. Likewise hurtled back to the past, Darrin tries to save Sam from the stake, even though she has no idea who he is (nor, for that matter, whom she is). Frequent series supporting players Ronald Long, James Westerfield, and Maudie Prickett are cast respectively as the Magistrate, innkeeper Mr. Farley, and Mrs. Farley. The final episode of an eight-part story arc, "Samantha's Old Salem Trip" originally aired on November 12, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this film based on a true story, Burt Lancaster plays Robert Stroud, a withdrawn prison inmate who cures a sick bird that flies into his cell and eventually becomes a world-renowned ornithologist -- all while serving a life sentence. An overbearing warden (Karl Malden) eventually transfers Stroud to the notoriously brutal prison on Alcatraz, but he is able to continue his research, abort a riot, start a romance, and eventually get his story out through a determined reporter (Edmond O'Brien). Directed with his usual solid craftsmanship by John Frankenheimer, Birdman Of Alcatraz tells a quietly moving tale for which Lancaster, Telly Savalas (as one of Stroud's fellow inmates), and Thelma Ritter (as Stroud's mother) all received Oscar nominations. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

Having accumulated $67,000 from a gold strike, prospector Chris Keller (Christopher Connelly) finds himself the target of virtually every confidence trickster in the country. To save himself and his cash, Chris hides out at the Ponderosa, only to be lured into the open by lovely Charity McGill (Elaine Giftos). By an amazing coincidence, sweet Charity needs $65,000 to pay for her dear father's medical expenses. The Cartwrights are certain that Charity is yet another con artist-but is she? Ralph Waite of The Waltons fame appears in the supporting role of Hoby. Written by Preston Wood, "The Lady and the Mark" first aired February 1, 1970, then was chosen by NBC for an encore presentation in June of 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Reviled in his lifetime as a lunatic insurrectionist, Chief Crazy Horse has in recent years emerged as a Native American hero. In this off-beat western, unusual for its time in that it sympathetically presented the Native American viewpoint, Victor Mature plays the misunderstood Sioux leader while the treaty-breaking villain General Crook is played by James Millican (who had earlier portrayed an equally unsympathetic General Custer in Warpath). The battle of the Little Big Horn is staged with less bravura but more authenticity than in 1941's They Died With Their Boots On (a wildly inaccurate pro-Custer opus). Chief Crazy Horse falters only in its verbose dialogue sequences, wherein the native tongue of the Sioux seems to be Fluent Cliche. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

James Coburn stars in this comedy-melodrama as Eli Kotch, who uses his charm to obtain a parole from prison by having an affair with a female psychologist. Eli's plan upon getting out of jail is to rob a bank at the L.A. International Airport. The date of the bank robbery coincides with the arrival of the Russian premier, so that bank security will be minimal with the premier attracting most of the airport security forces. Harrison Ford appears in his film debut in the bit part of a bellhop. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

In the ninth episode of Walt Disney's 17-part miniseries Tales of Texas John Slaughter, John (Tom Tryon) and his friend, Kentucky horse breeder Ashley Carstairs (Darryl Hickman), arrive in Tombstone, AZ, with their newly purchased cattle herd. Hoping to establish a new ranch on open land, Slaughter runs afoul of ruthless cattle baron Ike Clanton (James Westerfield). John and Ashley are also briefly taken prisoner by feisty Viola Howell (Betty Lynn), who accuses them of thievery. "Range War at Tombstone" originally aired as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ex-lawman turned rancher Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood) is moving a small herd of cattle when a group of nine men on horseback, led by Captain Wilson (Ed Begley Sr.), ride up and accuse him of having stolen the cattle and killed their owner. Refusing to believe his account, they string him up by the neck and leave him for dead, but they don't do the job right. Cooper is dangling there, barely alive, a few minutes later when Deputy U.S. Marshal Bliss (Ben Johnson) spots him and cuts him down. He survives the next few days in Bliss' tumbleweed wagon with the other prisoners, and is later cleared of any wrongdoing and released by Judge Fenton (Pat Hingle), just in time to witness the hanging of the man who really murdered the owner of the cattle and took Cooper's money. Cooper still wants revenge on the nine men who tried to hang him, but Fenton insists that he leave the bringing of them to justice to his deputy marshals. As it happens, Fenton is in desperate need of deputy marshals for the territory that he oversees, and he also knows that Cooper was a good lawman. Cooper, in turn, is now broke and in need of a job, and does want to see justice done. They strike an uneasy bargain, Cooper agreeing to wear a badge and bring in the men he's looking for -- alive -- for trial. The latter proves easier said than done, however, when the first of them that he spots tries to draw on him when he makes the arrest. One of the hanging party, Jenkins (Bob Steele), soon turns himself in and provides the names of the others. Cooper takes Stone (Alan Hale Jr.) alive, but the hapless blacksmith is later shot by the local sheriff (Charles McGraw) while trying to escape. The other men, led by Wilson, have no intention of dying, or even being brought to trial, without a fight. Two of them go on the run out of the territory, while Wilson and two of the others decide to take the law into their own hands once again. Meanwhile, Cooper becomes a hero when he single-handedly brings back a trio of rustlers who are also guilty of murder. This leads to Cooper's first confrontation with Judge Fenton, who, in a gripping scene, explains why it is essential that he be as seemingly quick to hang a man as he is. Unless the people are convinced that the law will do its job -- including hanging men who deserve it -- they will keep taking the law into their own hands and there will be more lynch mobs like the one that tried to kill Cooper. In the course of his quest for justice, Cooper also makes the acquaintance of Rachel (Inger Stevens), a young woman with her own search for justice, haunted by her own ghosts, and the two of them are drawn together, no more so than when Wilson and two of the others try to gun Cooper down in cold blood. The final confrontation between Cooper and Wilson escalates in violence to its savage, irony-laced conclusion. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Homicidal represents producer/director William Castle's slant on Hitchcock's Psycho. The film concerns a young woman named Miriam Webster (Patricia Breslin) who seemingly has everything a girl could want - including a successful flower shop business, and a handsome beau, Karl (Glenn Corbett), who works as a pharmacist. Events take a turn for the worse, however, when Miriam's half-brother, Warren, returns from Europe - with a rather unpleasant friend in-tow: a blonde named Emily (Jean Arless). Emily promptly sets about destroying Miriam's life: the newcomer attempts to wheedle Karl away from Miriam, then rips the flower shop to pieces, then ultimately reveals a little taste for knife-wielding that directly threatens Miriam's safety. Like The Tingler and other Castle outings, this one originally featured a gimmick, preserved in the video release: a "fright-break" just prior to the climax, which allowed terrified audience members approximately 45 seconds to get out of their seats and leave the theater - to avoid the prospect of being "frightened to death." One look at Jean Arless's credit in the cast listing betrays the final twist in this one, directly (and unapologetically) lifted by Castle from Psycho. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

James Westerfield hams it up as Dr. Marvello, the pitchman for a travelling space circus that shows up to entertain the Robinsons--in exchange for a meal. Unfortunately, the food supply is perilously low, so Marvello ends up seeking another form of payment. The crafty showman sets his sights on Will Robinson (Billy Mumy), who has suddenly attained the power to materialize whatever he wants--and as such would be a wonderful attraction in Marvello's freak show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Man with the Gun in this well-paced western is played by Robert Mitchum. A notorious gunslinger, Mitchum has been hired by a group of concerned citizens to restore law and order to the wide-open town of Sheridan City. Before long, however, Mitchum holds the community in a grip of terror, behaving like a Law Unto Himself. So: Is the star of the film actually the villain of the piece? A last-reel plot twist effectively answers that question. Though Robert Mitchum dominates the proceedings, Man With the Gun also includes some good supporting work by Jan Sterling as Mitchum's saloon-gal wife, Henry Hull as an ageing marshal, John Lupton as an honest young farmer, and Emile Meyer as the town's leading citizen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide