The Gun Hawk" provided star Rory Calhoun an opportunity to display his acting talents as the anti-hero gunfighter Blaine Madden.

Artificial Chaos ( Artificial Chaos P-1, Artificial Chaos P-100, Cell, Float Type, Guard Type) · Boo · Boom Boo The Gun Hawk is a 1963 American Western film directed by Edward Ludwig and starring Rory Calhoun, Rod Cameron, Ruta Lee and Rod Lauren. [1] Plot [ edit ]

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So he winds up bound for Sanctuary, a town that lives up to its name. It’s a town where he’s boss and where those on the run can hide out, under two conditions: They pay their way and they don’t kill one another. Along for the ride is a new, young friend, “Red” Roan (Rob Lauren.)

Intriguing little Western, full of snappy dialogue, a couple of wrinkles you won’t expect once Madden reaches his home and an equally surprising ending. Certainly the best of Calhoun’s Westerns from the 1960s. Sure, the movie has faults. It begins badly, with a cheesy title song, clumsy expositional dialogue in a sheriff's office, and a comedy-relief fight scene that's not funny. By that point I was thinking maybe I should turn it off. But soon after, it improved. The performances of the lead actors are noteworthy. Rory Calhoun embodies the character of J.B. Brooks, the retired gunslinger, to perfection. His on-screen presence commands attention, and his portrayal of a tough ex-convict looking for redemption is convincing. Rod Cameron's role as the town sheriff is also well played, showing the character's determination, intelligence, and courage at every turn. And Ruta Lee's performance as Virginia, the feisty and determined woman who loves Brooks, is captivating.Gunslinger Blaine Madden (Calhoun) is pursued by the law after a shoot out he was forced into results in him killing two men. With young protégée Reb Roan (Lauren) in tow, Madden makes his way to the town of Sanctuary, a place that ultimately holds the fate cards of the man known as El gavilán. It's the last movie directed by Edward Ludwig -- he would helm one TV episode three years later, then retire -- and there are a lot of troubles with it. Cameron moves and speaks as if his corset is hurting him, Jimmy Haskell's score makes this seem more like a long TV episode than an actual movie, and the script is busy and muddled. Ludwig directs as if the Production Code is still in effect. Saddest of all, it's John Litel playing Calhoun's drunkard father for a brief, inglorious moment on the screen. Written by Jo Heims (known later for Play Misty for Me), The Gun Hawk was the final film directed by Edward Ludwig, whose nearly 50-year career spanned over 100 shorts, television episodes and features, including the John Wayne hits The Fighting Seabees, Wake of the Red Witch and Big Jim McLain. Cast [ edit ] Calhoun may not have been the greatest actor, but he knew how to deliver the goods as a jaded gunfighter. What makes the role unusually interesting is that after a certain point, Calhoun knows he's going to die. In fact, he knows it before we do, and once we figure it out, his actions - such as his seemingly unfeeling treatment of a longtime girlfriend - make sense. As the story unfolds, the town sheriff, Jake Evans, realizes that Brooks is innocent of the murder he's been accused of. Evans decides to help Brooks clear his name, even going as far as risking his job and life to do so. But getting to the truth won't be easy, as hidden agendas of the corrupt mayor and his henchmen keep complicating things.

There's also something fresh about the town of Sanctuary, where outlaws on the lam are safe from pursuit, as long as they keep their guns holstered. I'm not saying it's never been done before, but I've seen a lot of films in this genre, and the idea seemed new to me. But Calhoun has another scheme in mind. He's the kingpin in a town called Sanctuary, an outlaw town. Calhoun's also got his girl friend Ruta Lee there as well. He'll need her presence as his gun hand is out of commission.While having a drink in the saloon, a drunk (a barely recognizable John Litel) wanders in bagging for a drink. Turns out the old man is Madden's father. The Sullys learn of this and use the old timer to draw Madden out into the open. During the ensuing scuffle, the old man sacrifices himself to save his son. On the outskirts of the relationship between Blaine and Reb there is the lawmen in pursuit, one is wise and has a soft spot for Madden, the other is angry and only sees death for Madden as a positive result. Into the mix comes Ruta Lee (ravishing in looks, staid in acting) as the love interest, though it's nice to report that this strand of the story never cloys and in fact enhances the Madden character arc. Robert J. Wilke and Lane Bradford file in for villain duties, with the former energetic and doing a nice line in brash outlaw who is destined for a fall. Passing through town Madden gets involved in a fight between "Reb" Roan (Rod Lauren) and the Sully brothers (Lane Bradford, Glenn Stensel) over a poker game. Roan begins a hero worship of Madden much to the dismay of hard nosed sheriff Ben Corey (Rod Cameron). Corey and Madden it seems once had a father-son relationship but Corey was unable to prevent Madden from leaving town and becoming a well known gunfighter. Reb Roan: “Ain’t nothing like a good fight to wake a man up, is there? Matter of fact, that’s my philosophy, you know? Start the day off with a good fight and end it with a bad woman. It’s a lot easier to find a fight, though.” City Escape · Wild Canyon · Prison Lane · Metal Harbor · Green Forest · Pumpkin Hill · Mission Street · Aquatic Mine · Route 101 · Hidden Base · Pyramid Cave · Death Chamber · Eternal Engine · Meteor Herd · Crazy Gadget · Final Rush

Director Edward Ludwig helmed over a hundred films and television shoes during his 25 year career in Hollywood. He directed three John Wayne films: "The Fighting Seabees,""Wake of the Red Witch," and "Big Jim McClain," but he never made a western with Wayne. He drifted into westerns late in his career. He made 50 episodes of John Payne'a western series "The Restless Gun." When he called the shots on the standard issue Rory Calhoun oater "The Gun Hawk," he was no stranger to the actor, having directed him in 15 episodes. Actually, "The Gun Hawk" was the only western that Ludwig directed. This predictable Allied Artists release covers familiar ground that John Wayne's final western "The Shootist" handled with far greater spontaneity and creativity. All the themes that you'd find in a 1950s western are recycled in "Play Misty for Me" scenarist Jo Heims' screenplay based on a story by Richard Bernstein and Max Steeber. Some of the dialogue isn't bad. Blue Eagle · Bomb Beetle · Bomb Wing · Gold Beetle · Gum Hawk · Gun Hawk · Gun Beetle · Gun Hawk · Gun Hunter · Gun Wing · Hornet-3 · Hornet-6 · Hornet-9 · Laser Hawk · Laser Hornet · Laser Hunter · Mono Beetle · Phoenix · Rhino Cannon · Rhino Jet · Rhino Metal · Rhino Spike · Shield Hunter · Sky Hawk · Spark Beetle · Spring BeetleSheriff Ben Corey, handing over a six-shooter: “Reb, I took this away from you last night while you were asleep. I didn’t want you to roll over and blow your big toe off.” The Gun Hawk is directed by Edward Ludwig and collectively written by Jo Heims, Richard Bernstein and Max Steeber. It stars Rory Calhoun, Rod Cameron, Ruta Lee, Rod Lauren, Morgan Woodward and Robert J. Wilke. Music is by Jimmy Haskell and cinematography by Paul Vogel. The role of Madden’s long-suffering lover Marlene is played by Ruta Lee, who got her film start in “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” and settled into a long TV acting career. When she hit the big screen, it was usually in a Western. She also appeared in “Sergeants Three” and the Audie Murphy vehicle “Bullet for a Badman.” The one thing which makes "The Gun Hawk" more interesting is Rory Calhoun whose performance as Blaine is superior to the movie. In the first half as the notorious outlaw who knows he can never take his gun off you really get that aspect of tiredness of a life of choices which means he can never rest but also the desire to have a quiet life. And then in the second half as he faces a slow painful death it is quite touching as he wants to die the way he lived rather than a slow painful one in bed. It is a good thing that Calhoun excels because whilst there is also Rod Cameron, Ruta Lee, Rod Lauren and Morgan Woodward they only deliver the routine sort of performance you would expect in a b-movie western. On Madden’s trail is an old friend, Sheriff Ben Corey (Rod Cameron), who figures he has to take Madden in for the two killings, but isn’t looking forward to the proposition. His deputy has no such compulsions. He’s always been jealous of Madden and his hold over a sheriff he looks up to as a father.