Support Your Local Gunfighter
When humor and Hollywood collide western style, you need a willing suspension of disbelief, double butter on that popcorn, oh and a mule load of dynamite might help too. Dynamite you say? Hold that thought and imagine being shaken by periodic explosions while reading this post. While you’re at it ignore any suspicious similarities to A Fistful of Dollars. They are coincidental and Clint wouldn’t approve.
Latigo Smith (James Garner), a gambler and con man (sound familiar?) escapes a train in the small mining town of Purgatory Colorado. Actually, escaping the train was about escaping the clutches of a scheming woman with marrying designs. Purgatory sits atop a mother lode of gold no one has found yet, though not for lack of trying. Cue a dynamite blast or two. Two powerful mining companies are bent and determined to unearth the hidden riches under the command of mortal rivals Taylor Barton (Harry Morgan) and Colonel Ames (John Dehner).
Latigo has never seen a roulette wheel he can resist let alone one shaken by explosive force. As is his serial misfortune, miss roulette cleans him out. Broke, he turns to his back-up charm, romance, only to attract the attention of Taylor Barton’s firebrand daughter Patience (Suzanne Pleshette). Now we’re talkin’! Patience sees Latigo as a ticket east to finishing school and a New York style life of refinement.
When Latigo is mistaken for notorious gunfighter “Swifty” Morgan, he talks town no account Jug May (Jack Elam) into impersonating “Swifty”. Both sign on to the Barton side of the mining feud. Now if Jug was known to the town, how did he transform himself into a pseudo-‘Swifty’? See what I mean about disbelief. Not content to take this development lying down, Ames wires the real Swifty who comes to town spoiling for a fight. Cue another warm-up dynamite blast.
Swifty challenges Jug to a showdown, but Latigo shows up riding a mule packing cases of dynamite. Swifty goes for his gun as the next blast goes off – now wait for it – causing him to accidently shoot himself. The blast spooks the mule who bolts into the Barton’s saloon, where its own load explodes, destroying the saloon while finding – you guessed it – the mother lode. Latigo survives the blast that successfully removes an unwanted tattoo. No word on the fate of the mule. Latigo wins big at roulette while sweeping Patience off her . . . finishing school.
Next Week: Hannie Caulder
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
Latigo Smith (James Garner), a gambler and con man (sound familiar?) escapes a train in the small mining town of Purgatory Colorado. Actually, escaping the train was about escaping the clutches of a scheming woman with marrying designs. Purgatory sits atop a mother lode of gold no one has found yet, though not for lack of trying. Cue a dynamite blast or two. Two powerful mining companies are bent and determined to unearth the hidden riches under the command of mortal rivals Taylor Barton (Harry Morgan) and Colonel Ames (John Dehner).
Latigo has never seen a roulette wheel he can resist let alone one shaken by explosive force. As is his serial misfortune, miss roulette cleans him out. Broke, he turns to his back-up charm, romance, only to attract the attention of Taylor Barton’s firebrand daughter Patience (Suzanne Pleshette). Now we’re talkin’! Patience sees Latigo as a ticket east to finishing school and a New York style life of refinement.
When Latigo is mistaken for notorious gunfighter “Swifty” Morgan, he talks town no account Jug May (Jack Elam) into impersonating “Swifty”. Both sign on to the Barton side of the mining feud. Now if Jug was known to the town, how did he transform himself into a pseudo-‘Swifty’? See what I mean about disbelief. Not content to take this development lying down, Ames wires the real Swifty who comes to town spoiling for a fight. Cue another warm-up dynamite blast.
Swifty challenges Jug to a showdown, but Latigo shows up riding a mule packing cases of dynamite. Swifty goes for his gun as the next blast goes off – now wait for it – causing him to accidently shoot himself. The blast spooks the mule who bolts into the Barton’s saloon, where its own load explodes, destroying the saloon while finding – you guessed it – the mother lode. Latigo survives the blast that successfully removes an unwanted tattoo. No word on the fate of the mule. Latigo wins big at roulette while sweeping Patience off her . . . finishing school.
Next Week: Hannie Caulder
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
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