The Silver Whip
| The Silver Whip | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Harmon Jones |
| Produced by |
Michael Abel Robert Bassler |
| Written by | Jesse L. Lasky |
| Based on |
First Blood by Jack Schaefer |
| Starring |
Dale Robertson Rory Calhoun Robert Wagner |
| Cinematography | Lloyd Ahern |
| Edited by | George A. Gittens |
Production company | |
Release dates |
|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $560,000.[1] |
The Silver Whip is a 1953 Western film starring Rory Calhoun, Dale Robertson and Robert Wagner.
Plot
Cocky young drifter Jess Harker wants to be a driver on the stagecoach's main line, just like Race Crim, his hero. The coach line's boss, Luke Bowen, doesn't believe Jess is ready yet.
Race is tough but bad-tempered, and so reliant on his skill with a gun that his friend, Sheriff Tom Davisson, is concerned about Race's respect for the law.
Race goes to bat for Jess in getting a chance to guard the next stage leaving Red Rock, which will be carrying $27,000 in gold dust plus two passengers, including the woman Race loves, the beautiful saloon girl Waco. For good luck, Race gives a gift to Jess, a silver-handled whip.
A gang of outlaws led by Slater ambushes the stage. Jess disobeys direct orders and the results are disastrous: Slater rides off with the money and both passengers are killed. Jess is ordered to return home by an angry Bowen, but he joins the sheriff's posse and is deputized instead.
Race is out to avenge Waco in his own way. He becomes a vigilante, killing two of Slater's men before Tom's posse can get to them. Tom wants the wanted men brought back alive to stand trial. He is able to apprehend Slater, returning him to Red Rock, where a lynch mob wants the outlaw hanged.
The circuit judge isn't in town, so the sheriff rides off to get him, leaving Jess to guard the prisoner. Race personally leads the vigilantes, who attack the jail's door with axes. After repeated warnings which Race won't take seriously, Jess shoots him.
The mob disperses. By the time Tom and the judge return to Red Rock, law and order has been restored. Jess is a more mature young man, married to his sweetheart Kathy, while the sheriff is pleased that his friend Race has fully recovered.
Cast
- Rory Calhoun as Tom Davisson
- Dale Robertson as Race Crim
- Robert Wagner as Jess Harker
- Lola Albright as Waco
- Kathleen Crowley as Kathy
- John Kellogg as Slater
- James Millican as Bowen
Home video
The Silver Whip has been released as a DVD in the United States.[2]
References
- ↑ Solomon, Aubrey. Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1. p248
- ↑ The Silver Whip (DVD-R). Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. May 29, 2013. OCLC 859870447. Home video release of the 1953 film.
Further reading
- Roan, Toby (August 28, 2013). "DVD Review: The Silver Whip (1953)". A rare, recent review of the film by a blogger who's working on a book about 1950s western films.