Western

Wichita

- THE TRUE SAVAGE STORY OF WYATT EARP!

Former buffalo hunter and entrepreneur Wyatt Earp arrives in the lawless cattle town of Wichita Kansas. His skill as a gun-fighter makes him a perfect candidate for Marshal, but he refuses the job until he feels morally obligated to bring law and order to this wild town.

Release Date : 1955-07-03

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Allied Artists Pictures

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Wyatt Earp

Original Name : Joel McCrea

Gender : Male

Character Name : Laurie McCoy

Original Name : Vera Miles

Gender : Female

Character Name : Gyp Clements

Original Name : Lloyd Bridges

Gender : Male

Character Name : Arthur Whiteside

Original Name : Wallace Ford

Gender : Male

Character Name : Doc Black

Original Name : Edgar Buchanan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Morgan Earp

Original Name : Peter Graves

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bat Masterson

Original Name : Keith Larsen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mayor Andrew Hope

Original Name : Carl Benton Reid

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jim Earp

Original Name : John Smith

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sam McCoy

Original Name : Walter Coy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ben Thompson

Original Name : Robert J. Wilke

Gender : Male

Character Name : Al

Original Name : Jack Elam

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. McCoy

Original Name : Mae Clarke

Gender : Female

Character Name : Clint Wallace

Original Name : Walter Sande

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bank Robber (uncredited)

Original Name : Robert Anderson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Saloon Madam (uncredited)

Original Name : Gertrude Astor

Gender : Female

Character Name : Hal Clements (uncredited)

Original Name : Rayford Barnes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Townsman (uncredited)

Original Name : John Bose

Gender : Male

Character Name : Townsman (uncredited)

Original Name : Rudy Bowman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Townsman (uncredited)

Original Name : Chet Brandenburg

Gender : Male

Character Name : Townsman (uncredited)

Original Name : Joe Brooks

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cowpuncher (uncredited)

Original Name : Bill Clark

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cowpuncher (uncredited)

Original Name : Bill Coontz

Gender : Male

Character Name : Barfly (uncredited)

Original Name : Ben Corbett

Gender : Male

Character Name : Townswoman (uncredited)

Original Name : Jean Dean

Gender : Female

Character Name : Proprietor (uncredited)

Original Name : George DeNormand

Gender : Male

Character Name : Townsman (uncredited)

Original Name : Tex Driscoll

Gender : Male

Character Name : Townsman (uncredited)

Original Name : Franklyn Farnum

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cowpuncher (uncredited)

Original Name : Leonard P. Geer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Townswoman (uncredited)

Original Name : Signe Hack

Gender : Male

Character Name : Barfly / Lookout (uncredited)

Original Name : Frank Hagney

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Jackson (Michael's Mother) (uncredited)

Original Name : Mary Alan Hokanson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Townsman (uncredited)

Original Name : George Huggins

Gender : Male

Character Name : Barfly (uncredited)

Original Name : Dick Johnstone

Gender : Male

Character Name : John Stanton (uncredited)

Original Name : I. Stanford Jolley

Gender : Male

Character Name : William (uncredited)

Original Name : Chester Jones

Gender : Male

Character Name : Townsman (uncredited)

Original Name : Ray Jones

Gender : Male

Character Name : Townsman (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Kenny

Gender : Male

Character Name : Robber #3 (uncredited)

Original Name : Rory Mallinson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Saloon Girl (uncredited)

Original Name : Kathy Marlowe

Gender : Female

Character Name : Townsman (uncredited)

Original Name : Kermit Maynard

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gunman (uncredited)

Original Name : Jody McCrea

Gender : Male

Character Name : Townsman (uncredited)

Original Name : Russell Meeker

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bartender (uncredited)

Original Name : Charles Morton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Girl (uncredited)

Original Name : Anna Navarro

Gender : Female

Character Name : Bartender (uncredited)

Original Name : William Newell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Barfly (uncredited)

Original Name : Jimmy Noel

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bank Teller (uncredited)

Original Name : Sam Peckinpah

Gender : Male

Character Name : Townsman (uncredited)

Original Name : Ford Raymond

Gender : Male

Character Name : Townsman (uncredited)

Original Name : Bob Reeves

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cowpuncher (uncredited)

Original Name : Alex Sharp

Gender : Male

Character Name : Marshal Billy Smith (uncredited)

Original Name : George Sherwood

Gender : Male

Character Name : Robber #2 (uncredited)

Original Name : Robert Swan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Saloon Girl (uncredited)

Original Name : Adele Taylor

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Stanton (uncredited)

Original Name : Dorothy Tennant

Gender : Male

Character Name : Saloon Girl (uncredited)

Original Name : Coleen Vico

Gender : Male

Character Name : 1st Robber (uncredited)

Original Name : Gene Wesson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Townsman (uncredited)

Original Name : Chalky Williams

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cowpuncher (uncredited)

Original Name : Henry Wills

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cowpuncher (uncredited)

Original Name : Al Wyatt Sr.

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

The Kansas Law Dog! Wichita is directed by Jacques Tourneur and written by Daniel B. Ullman. It stars Joel McCrea, Vera Miles, Wallace Ford, Edgar Buchannan, Lloyd Bridges and Keith Larsen. It's filmed in Cinemascope/Technicolor with cinematography by Harold Lipstein and music by Hans J. Salter. Wichita is an origin story, that of one Wyatt Earp (McCrea), the story is set before he gets to Dodge City, where apparently some famous gunfight occurred. From a narrative stand point it's a town tamer story, Earp arrives in a newly thriving Wichita, at this point he's a hunter of buffalo only. But as the cowboys converge on the town, and things turn very dark, Earp - a bastion of good and just righteousness - finds it impossible to continue in turning down the town superior's offers of becoming the town Marshal. It's one of those Western movies that made Western movie fans become Western movie fans. A film you would have watched as a youngster and just bought totally into the good guy against the baddies central core. Of course as youngsters we wouldn't have cared a jot about thematics such as capitalism ruling over common sense, or metaphysical leanings ticking away, all while a genius director is composing shots and frames of great distinction. Hell! Even the intelligence and maturity in the writing would have escaped us, the dark passages merely incidents of no great concern... Wichita is damn fine film making. OK! It isn't wall to wall action. Sure there is a good round of knuckles, a bit of trench warfare and the standard shoot-outs, but these are just conduits to smart and compelling human drama, richly performed by McCrea (brilliantly cast) and company. Tourneur, Ullman and Lipstein make sure there is no waste on the page or via location framing, the costuming authentic and pleasing, and of course the story itself, the set up of the iconic man himself, is as compelling as it is splendidly entertaining. It be a traditional Western for the traditional Western fan. Nice! 8/10