Written by James M. Tate / 12/04/2016 / No comments / kent taylor , maury dexter , russ bender , sixties , western , willard parker
MAURY DEXTER DIRECTS WILLARD PARKER IN 'WALK TALL'
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Willard Parker stands firm and can really WALK TALL Year: 1960 |
A minimalist version of a John Ford Western, TALL is directed by the man whose eclectic filmography includes bikini beach babes, marauding bikers and determined cops after sneaky robbers: And following the aforementioned exterior shot, the wonderful aesthetic does not sustain inside a tent where a one-color backdrop conveniently frames three men: The film's star, experienced Calvary veteran Willard Parker (who the Indians say "Walks Tall") flanked by Maury Dexter regular-everyman Russ Bender as Parker's affable superior, and, last but not least, a wise old Indian Chief dead set on finding the one man everyone knows killed the tribe that included an Indian warrior's young wife.
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Fighting Quiet Man style |
While the arrest was extremely simple — an oblivious Carter relaxing on the store steps of a ghost town where, once forced out of an idyllic malaise, he quickly hides the loot received for scalping the (what turns out being the wrong) Indians. From this point on, Trask's biggest obstacle is the most entertaining aspect of WALK TALL. Taylor is the main actor (like Hitchcock's James Stewart/Preminger's Dana Andrews/Wood's Bela Lugosi) in Maury Dexter's early-60's troupe and, with a pencil-thin mustache no matter what side of the law he resides, here he's got the charm of a resilient snake, coolly playing down the "Gentleman Heavy" with sly humor and meticulous goading that intensifies once Joyce Meadows as Sally, whose family was attacked and slain by Indians a stone's throw from the duo's morning campout, gets easily brainwashed by the proud Indian Killer: after what she's been through, all Indians are better off dead. The sneaky chemistry between the Indian haters and sole protector make up for the most moments, overall...
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Poster artwork for Maury Dexter's WALK TALL Movie Score: **** |
In fact, both lead roles, the good and the bad, relies on pushing each other's buttons while the surrounding landscape makes you forget this is a very low-budget venture with a good cast and a familiar "Cowboy Picture" script, rushing towards an inevitable and utterly predictable conclusion — ending way too soon since the trio's chemistry makes wordplay trump gunplay. When being reunited with his dimwitted three-man gang to collect the loot, Kent Taylor's just another cerebral leader of vapid, one-dimensional brutes while our main man is back to the typical hero we started out with before the combined synergy provided more than we (or they) paid for. Thankfully, b-pictures usually have a short, to-the-point runtime, and for the sixty-one minutes, most of WALK TALL is a three-person show.
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Joyce Meadows in WALK TALL Joyce Meadows |
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Joyce Meadows in WALK TALL directed by Maury Dexter |
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