Yuma (1971)

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

A different way of telling a story

I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

RELEASED TO TV IN 1971 and directed by Ted Post, "Yuma" covers events in Yuma, Arizona, when a new Marshal (Clint Walker) is sent to tame its lawlessness. Morgan Woodward plays a tough cattleman who blames the marshal for the deaths of his two brothers while Kathryn Hays is on hand as a winsome hotel owner/operator. Peter Mark Richman and John Kerr appear as two officers at the local Army fort while Barry Sullivan plays a shady proprietor of a freight company and Edgar Buchanan the owner of a lesser one.This was the pilot movie for a potential series that was never realized. Its short runtime gives away that it would've fit in a 90 minute slot with commercials. Walker is likable as the towering laconic Marshal whereas sweet Hays shines in her role. The tone is serious & realistic while the story is rather contrived, in the manner of TV Westerns of the 60s (e.g. The Big Valley), yet the latter makes for a brisk viewing with almost zero filler. The story even throws in Natives from a local reservation and the scenic locations (outside the town) lend authenticity. THE FILM RUNS 73 minutes and was shot in Arizona (Old Tucson, Sonora Desert, Ironwood Forest National Monument, Silver Bell and Riggs Flat Lake) with studio work done at Paramount Studios, CA. WRITER: Charles Wallace. GRADE: B-/C+

"Yuma" was a pilot movie for a television series that never was made. Apparently, it failed to convince the right folks that they should make another western television show...which isn't surprising since westerns were already falling out of fashion.When the film begins, two of the King brothers come into town causing trouble...and firing their guns indiscriminately. When Marshall Harmon (Clint Walker) tries to get them to surrender their guns and come along peacefully to jail, the dumber brother takes several shots at Harmon...and Harmon blows him in half with his shotgun.Later, that night, two guys sneak into the jail and free the other King brother. Are they members of his gang or just doing a bit of charity work? Nah...one of them shoots King dead with the Marshall's shotgun...hoping to get the Marshall blamed for it. A young boy saw what happened and identified one of the men as a soldier. Harmon investigates and finds that the nearby natives are about to rise up because the peace treaty has been broken--they were supposed to receive cattle to help them survive. It seems that the same officer in charge of taking care of this might just be the guy in on the murder. And what of the third King brother? Surely he'll want to pay someone back for the murder. How is Harmon to prevent the town of Yuma from exploding?Clint Walker was a good actor and was just fine as the Marshall....which is hardly surprising. As for the plot, it's pretty good as well. But I really think the reason this never became a series was that westerns were huge in the 50s and 60s...but the 70s were big for realistic modern programming and not this sort of thing. Good and watchable but nothing more. I did, however, like watching Harmon cross-examining a guy who has broken into the jail.

It quickly becomes clear that the Aaron Spelling made for TV movie "Yuma" was really a disguised pilot for a prospective television series. The movie never lead to a series, maybe because westerns around this time were starting to die out, but more likely because this pilot simply isn't that good. The biggest problem with the entire movie is that it is really bland in several key areas. Clint Walker doesn't seem very enthusiastic, maybe because his character is written to reveal very little about him. He is more or less a stock character, which goes for most of the other characters in the movie. The story is pretty boring, with most of the movie devoted to characters speaking and very little in the way of action (and what action there is is not the least bit exceptional.) While this movie is easy to find thanks to its copyright not being renewed, leading to many DVD labels devoted to public domain movies putting it out, even westerns addicts should turn down the opportunity to see it.

A sheriff named Harmon(Clint Walker) goes into a small town to impose peace and order .The picture deals an intrigue concerning livestock smuggling.Harmon confronts against corrupt owners,Indians and gunfighters.At the ending contains a little action and plot twists.This mediocre and old-style TV western produced by Aaron Spelling is redeemed by its great stars and supporting cast. Good casting formed by Clint Walker(Dirty dozen), Western usual(Bounty man,None but the brave,Pancho Villa,White Buffalo),Barry Sullivan as mean proprietary of Decker's freighter company, Kathryn Hays as hotel's receptionist, Peter Mark Richman as colonel of cavalry, John Kerr as a captain, and Edgar Buchanan as deputy,he's an eternal secondary of uncountable Western.The movie was a pilot episode but its little success caused cancellation of series. Passable and some dull direction by Ted Post. He's a Western expert, in fact his best movie is still a Western called ¨The legend of Tom Rooley¨. Besides, he has directed Clint Eastwood many times , starting working on Eastwood's television Western series, ¨Rawhide¨. When Eastwood returned to America after his successful Sergio Leone movies , he called for Post who directed him in Western ¨Hang'Em high¨ and the second entry Dirty Harry pictures, ¨Magnum Force¨.Ted Post also directed acceptable Sci Fi(Beneath of the planet of apes,Harrard experiment) and horror movies(The Baby,Dr Cook's garden).