The Legend of Tom Dooley main backdrop
The Legend of Tom Dooley main poster

The Legend of Tom Dooley

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7.7/10 • 3

1959-07-011h 19m

WesternDrama

Out of that song -- a fury of a movie!

Tom Dooley and Country Boy are on the run after killing an enemy soldier not knowing the war is over. The Command refuses to give them some slack for making this tragic but honest mistake and sends a lawman after them.

Directors
Ted Post
Writters
Stanley Shpetner
Editors
Robert S. Eisen

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Michael Landon

    Michael Landon

    Tom Dooley

  2. Jo Morrow

    Jo Morrow

    Laura Foster

  3. Jack Hogan

    Jack Hogan

    Charlie Grayson

  4. Richard Rust

    Richard Rust

    Country Boy

  5. Dee Pollock

    Dee Pollock

    Abel

  6. Ken Lynch

    Ken Lynch

    Father

  7. Howard Wright

    Howard Wright

    Sheriff Joe Dobbs

  8. Ralph Moody

    Ralph Moody

    Doc Henry

  9. John Cliff

    John Cliff

    Lieutenant

Reviews1

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John Chard Avatar

John Chard

Oct 3, 2015

7/10

Hang down your head and cry. The Legend of Tom Dooley is based on the old folk song, Tom Dooley, which itself was inspired by a real life case about Tom Dula, who was convicted of the murder of Laura Foster in 1866. The films story pretty much follows the song, performed by The Kingston Trio as the title song and as part of the soundtrack - cum - screenplay! Photographed nicely out of Chatsworth and Thousand Oaks, California, by Gilbert Warrenton, it stars Michael Landon, Jo Morrow, Jack Hogan, Richard Rust and Dee Pollock. The narrative and various character actions hit all the right emotional beats. A series of events, where circumstance dictates, puts Dooley and his two pals on the run, which with the Civil War literally only just over, makes for a powder-keg like backdrop. Things are further compounded by the fact that Dooley wants to go to his home town and get Laura, to elope to Tennessee, only he has a major love rival, the bitter and vengeful Charlie Grayson. There's nary a dull moment in the 80 minute runtime, no pointless exposition or scene fillers of no consequence. Action junkies are catered for, with the usual Western staples adhered - though the speeding up of one round of knuckles is more chucklesome than exciting, but a shoot-out (actually a hold-out is a more appropriate terminology) part of the play is splendidly executed. Cast are dandy, doing what is needed to make it all work on an emotional level, with the stand out being Rust as Country Boy. He's a sort of John Ireland/Kevin Bacon hybrid, a very good character actor who deserves to be better known, even if he thankfully carved out a good career in film and TV. It's no hidden gem of the Western genre sphere, and it doesn't break any new ground, but it's admirably constructed and keeps those wagon wheels turning. 7/10

Media

  • The Legend of Tom Dooley poster
  • The Legend of Tom Dooley poster
  • The Legend of Tom Dooley poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
civil warbased on song, poem or rhyme