Ghost Town (1956 film)

Ghost Town
Ghost Town
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Allen H. Miner
Written by	Jameson Brewer
Produced by	Howard W. Koch
Starring	Kent Taylor; John Smith; Marian Carr; Serena Sande; John Doucette;
Cinematography	Joseph F. Biroc
Edited by	Michael Pozen
Music by	Paul Dunlap
Production; company	Bel-Air Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	March 1956;
Running time	77 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$100,000

Ghost Town is a 1956 American Western film directed by Allen H. Miner and written by Jameson Brewer. The film stars Kent Taylor, John Smith, Marian Carr, Serena Sande and John Doucette. The film was released in March 1956 by United Artists.^[2]^[3]

Plot

Four passengers in a stagecoach are heading west through Indian territory: Barbara, a young woman going to meet her fiancée; Rev. Wheedle, a minister who believes the settlers should make friends with the Indians; Doc, a drunken doctor; and Conroy, a well-dressed “gentleman” with a sly and cynical tone.

At a stage stop that has been destroyed by Indians, they are joined by Duff, the woman’s fiancé and his friend Crusty; they have been prospecting for gold for the last two years. They continue on, then encounter Sgt. Dockery, a soldier from a nearby fort, and Alex, his son. The soldier tells the group that the Cheyenne are on the warpath and they have to change course. The group is then attacked by a band of Cheyenne and the two stagecoach drivers are killed. The doctor is also killed. The rest of the group manages to get to a ghost town (apparently wiped out by a disease of some kind), where they hold up for the night. They are joined there by Stone Knife, a disgraced Cheyenne chief, and Maureen, his young half-white female companion.

The Cheyenne attack and the group is able to hold them off, but they run out of ammunition. The minister tries to go and talk to the Cheyenne, but is killed. The Army sergeant’s son sneaks off in the night to try and get help, but is also seemingly killed. The next day Fire Knife, the leader of Cheyanne, offers the group a bargain – turn over Stone Knife, and the rest will be allowed to go free. Duff, who has become the leader of the group, doesn’t want to do it, but Stone Knife sneaks out a back door and gives himself up, so the rest are allowed to leave the ghost town.

Cast

Kent Taylor as Conroy
John Smith as Duff
William 'Bill' Phillips as Kerry 'Crusty' McCabe (uncredited)
Marian Carr as Barbara
Serena Sande as Maureen
John Doucette as Doc
Joel Ashley as Sgt. Dockery
Gilman Rankin as Rev. Wheedle
Gary Murray as Alex Dockery
Edmund Hashim as Stone Knife
Chief Ted Nez as Fire Knife

Production

Parts of the film were shot in Johnson Canyon and the Kanab movie fort in Utah.^[4]

References

^ Weaver, Tom (2000) [First published 1988]. Return of the B Science Fiction and Horror Heroes. McFarland Publishing. p. 211. ISBN 9780786407552.
^ "Ghost Town (1956) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
^ "Ghost Town". TV Guide. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
^ D'Arc, James V. (2010). When Hollywood Came to Town: A History of Moviemaking in Utah (1st ed.). Layton: Gibbs Smith. p. 289. ISBN 978-1-4236-0587-4. Wikidata Q123575108.

External links

Ghost Town at IMDb

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[1] Weaver, Tom (2000) [First published 1988]. Return of the B Science Fiction and Horror Heroes. McFarland Publishing. p. 211. ISBN 9780786407552.

[2] "Ghost Town (1956) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved October 23, 2014.

[3] "Ghost Town". TV Guide. Retrieved November 15, 2023.

[4] D'Arc, James V. (2010). When Hollywood Came to Town: A History of Moviemaking in Utah (1st ed.). Layton: Gibbs Smith. p. 289. ISBN 978-1-4236-0587-4. Wikidata Q123575108.

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