TWO-GUN LADY is a black & white 1955 Western, produced and directed by journeyman Richard Bartlett.
Peggie Castle plays famed sharpshooter Kate Masters, who rides into a small town in order to perform at the local saloon. The reason why such a talented woman would appear at such a backwater spot is that she is planning to get revenge on the town boss, a powerful landowner who killed her family years ago when she was a child. Kate is joined in her quest by an undercover lawman (William Talman) who is on the trail of the landowner's son, a wanted criminal.
Throughout her acting career Peggie Castle had a long affiliation with Westerns--after this film she later played the Miss Kitty equivalent in the underrated TV series LAWMAN. She does very well as the determined Kate Masters, but TWO-GUN LADY has a lot of plot and characters for a 70 minute low-budget B movie. The result is that Castle is relegated to the sidelines much too often.
William Talman (best known for being the mediocre D.A. on TV's PERRY MASON) gets as many scenes as Castle here. Talman is an unlikely choice for a Western hero, and he's an even more unlikely choice as a romantic interest for Castle. Future Three Stooges member Joe Besser, of all people, plays Kate's assistant in her trick shooting act. (If you ever wanted to see Joe Besser act drunk, TWO-GUN LADY gives you your chance.) Barbara Turner plays the landowner's teenage daughter, a quirky, barefooted tomboy who winds up making an important contribution to the proceedings.
Marie Windsor also doesn't get enough screen time as a conniving saloon girl who is in love with the landowner's son. While watching TWO-GUN LADY, one has the expectation that Castle and Windsor are going to face off against each other, but it sadly never happens. Both actresses could have easily handled the other's role.
Other than the main character, there isn't much to set apart TWO-GUN LADY from any other minor Western of the period. One notable detail is that the murderous landowner's son is driven crazy by the noise of the sheep!
The intriguing premise of TWO-GUN LADY isn't developed adequately enough, and charismatic performers like Peggie Castle and Marie Windsor aren't giving enough chances to shine.
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Director Richard H. Bartlett both starred in as well as directing the Lon Chaney Western THE SILVER STAR.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check that out!
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