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Ride a Crooked Trail

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6.3/10 • 21

1958-11-231h 28m

RomanceWestern

Alone . . . he faced the deadly crossfire of a killer mob . . . and a fear-crazed town!

After robbing a bank Murphy assumes the identity of his pursuer, a famous US Marshal, when he stumbles into a town and is confronted by the local judge, Matthau. Murphy is forced to remain as the new Marshal; an old flame, Scala, nearly unmasks him by accident, only to be forced to assume the ruse of being Murphy's wife. The "couple" given a house and respectability, which neither has had before. They maintain the charade to avoid hurting a young orphan boy, Matthau's ward. Scala is torn by her loyalty to boyfriend planning to rob the bank and growing feelings for Murphy

Directors
Jesse Hibbs
Editors
Edward Curtiss

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Audie Murphy

    Audie Murphy

    Joe Maybe

  2. Gia Scala

    Gia Scala

    Tessa Milotte

  3. Walter Matthau

    Walter Matthau

    Judge Kyle

  4. Henry Silva

    Henry Silva

    Sam Teeler

  5. Joanna Moore

    Joanna Moore

    Little Brandy

  6. Eddie Little

    Eddie Little

    Jimmy

  7. Mary Field

    Mary Field

    Mrs. Curtis

  8. Leo Gordon

    Leo Gordon

    Sam Mason

  9. Mort Mills

    Mort Mills

    Pecos

Reviews2

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John Chard Avatar

John Chard

May 30, 2014

6.5/10

Middle of the Street. Ride a Crooked Trail is directed by Jesse Hibbs and adapted to screenplay by Borden Chase from a story written by George Bruce. It stars Audie Murphy, Walter Matthau, Gia Scala, Leo Gordon, Henry Silva and Eddie Little. A CinemaScope/Eastman Color production, music is by Joseph Gershenson and cinematography by Harold Lipstein. A blend of the breezy and the beefy here as Audie saddles up as Joe Maybe, a bank robber who after assuming the identity of the detective who was sent to capture him, winds up as the sheriff of a corrupt town. Ironically it’s the town he and his dastardly cohorts had planned for their next big robbery. But as Joe insinuates himself into the company of the town’s better citizens, he begins to doubt his dark side. It’s pretty routine as per the bad man trying to turn good axis of Western movie plotting, but there’s a good sense of fun running throughout. Murphy himself seems to really be enjoying himself in the role of Joe Maybe. Leading the front of frivolity is Matthau as the town judge, his capacity for alcohol is as legendary as his ability to find a quip or sarcasm in the most trying of situations. Many of the scenes shared between the two men are most funny, be it hangovers, court room shenanigans or generally sounding each other out, they make for a great pair of characters. Of course all this good fun has to ease off for the plot to take its darker turn. Which brings in the villains and the action scenes just as Joe’s conscience starts to gnaw away at him. Costuming is appealing, especially when modelled by Scala, Gershenson provides another one of his lively Western musical scores and Lipstein’s Scope photography makes good use of the gorgeous scenery. It’s a bit creaky in parts and Hibbs sometimes lets the pace sag, but this is good entertainment for Audie and Matthau fans. 6.5/10

Media

  • Ride a Crooked Trail poster
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  • Ride a Crooked Trail poster
  • Ride a Crooked Trail poster
  • Ride a Crooked Trail poster
  • Ride a Crooked Trail poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
marshaldeceptionriverboatsheriff's badgefried egg