I certainly remember this as a child – the title seemed so exciting but why I just don’t know. A recent viewing confirmed that is was in fact a quite action packed Western and was pretty good I have to say.

It came from Monogram Pictures noted for their low budget films, serials and supporting pictures with quite a lot of Westerns

The Colour used was Cinecolor which later became Super Cinecolor and that was much better. The Cinecolor here was dull and lifeless but I got used to it

The picture is set in 1870’s Montana where former Confederate officer turned civilian scout for the US Cavalry ,Kirby Frye (Rod Cameron) is sent to find out who has stolen a consignment of Gatling Guns with the aim of using them on robberies and also selling them to the Cheyenne and Sioux who are readying for battle.

The villain is a local freight hauler Martin Gavin (James Millican ) .Frye is helped in his task by Lieutenant Spalding (Jim Davis) and he also finds time to romance the lovely local business woman Claire (Audrey Long)

Also an early role for James Arness in a rare bad guy role .

ABOVE – The Gatling Gun which would have wreaked havoc in the wrong hands which it nearly was

Indians return fire – just before they get the Gatling Gun into action

BELOW – The Gatling Gun opens up

ABOVE – The Gatling Gun in action

ABOVE The end chase

ABOVE Rod Cameron and Audrey Long

Rod Cameron is an actor who I always associate with Westerns and it seems most people see him the same way – but in fact when he came to Hollywood and got into acting – first as a stunt man and then as an actor – like Jack Mahoney did also – he was cast in a Western and as he said he had never ridden a horse before, but as he says, after he got on one, he was never able to get off.

He was Canadian

One bit of gossipy news about him – it seems that in 1960 he divorced his wife and married her Mother. Probably because of this, Film Director William Witney described him as the bravest man he ever knew

Audrey Long didn’t have that long a career although she seemed to be in a lot of Westerns – her second marriage was to Leslie Charteris who was the author of ‘The Saint’ stories. They remained married for 40 years right up until Leslie Charteris died – he died in Windsor England so maybe they lived there.

The above is a Studio Set Publicity Still – we see many like this and I always think how good they look