Posse from Hell
Encyclopedia
Posse from Hell is a 1961
Audie Murphy
Western
written by Clair Huffaker
based on his 1958 novel of the same name. Herbert Coleman made his directoral debut.
, Crip (Vic Morrow
), Leo (Lee Van Cleef
), Chunk (Henry Wills) and Hash (Charles Horvath) ride into the town of Paradise and enter the Rosebud Saloon. Crip shoots the town marshal Issac Webb (Ward Ramsey) and takes ten men as hostages, killing some to ensure the four are unmolested. The gang leaves town with $11,200 from the Bank of Paradise and a female hostage Helen Caldwell (Zohra Lampert
) who entered the bar because her alcoholic Uncle Billy (Royal Dano
) was one of the captives.
Prior to these events, Marshal Webb had sent for a friend and former gunfighter Banner Cole to take his place in leading a posse
to rescue Helen and bring the men to justice. Though not a criminal, Cole is a loner that Webb wishes to enter the community through his being deputised. Cole is enraged to discover that the townspeople have put Webb on a table next to the three dead bodies of those murdered by the four. The doctor (Forrest Lewis
) said at first they thought Webb was dead himself, then realised he couldn't be moved so left him among the corpses.
Webb's last act is to deputise Cole telling him to do the right thing, not out of hate, but out of liking people as the townsfolk are good people who have had bad things done to them. Cole agrees only out of liking Webb. The laconic Cole makes his original plan for hunting down the four by himself clear by turning down the offer of Webb's handcuffs
by saying "I won't be needing any." However, town elder Benson convinces Cole to follow Webb's wishes and organize a posse.
The men of the town gather but enthusiasm wanes when not as many able bodied men as expected volunteer to go up against the killers, some men leaving because the posse doesn't outnumber the killers by ten to one. Cole's frank assessment of the situation scares others off with Cole saying "If they're afraid of words they shouldn't go."
Cole's posse eventually consists of the aged former Army Captain Jeremiah Brown (Robert Keith), who wishes to lead the posse himself in the manner of his long ago Army days, Uncle Billy, Burt Hogan (Frank Overton
), who wishes to revenge his brother Burl (Allan Lane
) murdered by the four, Jock Wiley (Paul Carr
), a young gunhand seeking the experience to establish his reputation as a gunfighter, Seymour Kern (John Saxon
), a bank employee who has just arrived on a special assignment from the New York parent and is browbeaten into joining to look after the bank's missing money and avoid taunts of cowardice from the bank manager (Ray Teal
), and Johnny Caddo (Rudolph Acosta
), an Indian who merely thinks that joining is "the right thing to do."
Cole doesn't want any of the inexperienced and troublesome men to come with him but he has no choice. The posse discover Helen who has been left behind tied up near a rattlesnake
that Cole is able to remove from Helen's vicinity. Helen has been raped and is unwilling to return to the town to face the shame of being vilified by the population. Cole orders the willing Uncle Billy to return her by force if necessary.
Captain Brown demonstrates his aged incompetence by disobeying Cole's orders and opening fire and nearly murdering four cowhands who he mistakes for the four killers. Cole has to wound Jeremiah to stop his shooting spree and orders him back to town with the cowhands who have been waylaid by the killers.
Cole's distrust of his own posse begins to subside when he is impressed by the determination of the inexperienced Seymour who has never ridden a horse or used a firearm before and the quiet Johnny Caddo's acceptance of the prejudicial treatment he gets from the posse. The posse tracks the four to a farmhouse and surrounds it until Hogan makes a noise starting a gunfight. Cole kills one of the outlaws. The boasting Wiley is unable to actually kill a man and is killed as he freezes, allowing the remaining three to escape. Hogan begins shooting the corpse of the outlaw that Cole himself killed telling himself and the posse that Hogan himself killed the man who killed his own brother. When the men note that all the witnesses agree that it was actually Hash who had murdered his brother, Hogan refuses to listen and leaves the posse to return to town.
Cole, Caddo, and Seymour continue tracking the party to the desert but realise that the outlaws have doubled back and are intending on returning to shoot up Paradise.
and associate producer
with a long string of credits including working with Alfred Hitchcock
. Coleman later directed Audie Murphy in an episode of his Whispering Smith
TV series and the feature Battle at Bloody Beach
. Coleman filmed at Lone Pine, California
with one location being the aptly named Rattlesnake Hill where thirty rattlesnakes were removed before filming could commence.
Coleman surrounded Murphy with a variety of up and coming young stars as well as experienced professionals. Zohra Lampert was a New York method actress
whose adlibbing frequently confused Murphy, but the two worked out their scenes together.
Huffaker's screenplay deviated from his novel by having Murphy's character as an outsider gunfighter rather than the Marshall's established deputy. His script emphasises the similarity between Cole's voluntary exclusion from society with Helen's sudden involuntary exclusion with her rape. Helen attempts suicide then later talks about becoming a prostitute. She is talked out of both by Cole with the two eventually finding a place in society together. Huffaker stated that when writing a screenplay for the Medal of Honor awardee Audie Murphy, he had to put Murphy's character in "a situation where he has to do something bigger than life. So it really kind of fit him in a way".
Through his viewing the actions of Caddo, Kern and Helen more than make up for the negative traits in the townspeople, Cole ends the film saying "There is always someone or something worthwhile. We just have to look hard enough".
1961 in film
The year 1961 in film involved some significant events, with West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:* Atlantis, the Lost ContinentB...
Audie Murphy
Audie Murphy
Audie Leon Murphy was a highly decorated and famous soldier. Through LIFE magazine's July 16, 1945 issue , he became one the most famous soldiers of World War II and widely regarded as the most decorated American soldier of the war...
Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
written by Clair Huffaker
Clair Huffaker
Clair Huffaker was a U.S. author of westerns and other fiction, many of which were turned into films.-Novels:*Cowboy *Flaming Lance *Posse From Hell *Guns of Rio Conchos...
based on his 1958 novel of the same name. Herbert Coleman made his directoral debut.
Plot
In 1880 four escapees from death rowDeath row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
, Crip (Vic Morrow
Vic Morrow
Victor "Vic" Morrow was an American actor whose credits include a starring role in the 1960s TV series Combat!, prominent roles in a handful of other television and cinema dramas, and numerous guest roles on television...
), Leo (Lee Van Cleef
Lee Van Cleef
Lee Van Cleef was an American film actor who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures. His sharp features and piercing eyes led to his being cast as a villain in scores of films such as High Noon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Good The Bad and the Ugly.-Early life:Van Cleef was...
), Chunk (Henry Wills) and Hash (Charles Horvath) ride into the town of Paradise and enter the Rosebud Saloon. Crip shoots the town marshal Issac Webb (Ward Ramsey) and takes ten men as hostages, killing some to ensure the four are unmolested. The gang leaves town with $11,200 from the Bank of Paradise and a female hostage Helen Caldwell (Zohra Lampert
Zohra Lampert
Zohra Lampert is an American actress, who has had roles on film, television and stage. She may be best remembered for her role as the title character in the 1971 cult horror film Let's Scare Jessica to Death, as well as starring alongside Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty in the 1961 romance film...
) who entered the bar because her alcoholic Uncle Billy (Royal Dano
Royal Dano
Royal Edward Dano was an American film and television character actor.-Early life:Dano was born in New York City to Mary Josephine , an Irish immigrant, and Caleb Edward Dano, a printer for newspapers. He reportedly left home at the age of twelve and at various intervals, lived in Florida, Texas...
) was one of the captives.
Prior to these events, Marshal Webb had sent for a friend and former gunfighter Banner Cole to take his place in leading a posse
Posse comitatus (common law)
Posse comitatus or sheriff's posse is the common-law or statute law authority of a county sheriff or other law officer to conscript any able-bodied males to assist him in keeping the peace or to pursue and arrest a felon, similar to the concept of the "hue and cry"...
to rescue Helen and bring the men to justice. Though not a criminal, Cole is a loner that Webb wishes to enter the community through his being deputised. Cole is enraged to discover that the townspeople have put Webb on a table next to the three dead bodies of those murdered by the four. The doctor (Forrest Lewis
Forrest Lewis
-Career:In the mid-1950s, Lewis appeared briefly as a deputy in the syndicated crime drama Sheriff of Cochise, starring John Bromfield. He also guest starred with Maudie Prickett in the episode "Brief Glory" of the syndicated western series 26 Men...
) said at first they thought Webb was dead himself, then realised he couldn't be moved so left him among the corpses.
Webb's last act is to deputise Cole telling him to do the right thing, not out of hate, but out of liking people as the townsfolk are good people who have had bad things done to them. Cole agrees only out of liking Webb. The laconic Cole makes his original plan for hunting down the four by himself clear by turning down the offer of Webb's handcuffs
Handcuffs
Handcuffs are restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists close together. They comprise two parts, linked together by a chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each half has a rotating arm which engages with a ratchet that prevents it from being opened once closed around a person's wrist...
by saying "I won't be needing any." However, town elder Benson convinces Cole to follow Webb's wishes and organize a posse.
The men of the town gather but enthusiasm wanes when not as many able bodied men as expected volunteer to go up against the killers, some men leaving because the posse doesn't outnumber the killers by ten to one. Cole's frank assessment of the situation scares others off with Cole saying "If they're afraid of words they shouldn't go."
Cole's posse eventually consists of the aged former Army Captain Jeremiah Brown (Robert Keith), who wishes to lead the posse himself in the manner of his long ago Army days, Uncle Billy, Burt Hogan (Frank Overton
Frank Overton
Frank Emmons Overton was an American actor.-Career:Overton appeared in numerous television programs during the early 1950s and through the late 1960s, including The Fugitive in 1963...
), who wishes to revenge his brother Burl (Allan Lane
Allan Lane
Allan "Rocky" Lane was a studio leading man and the star of many cowboy B-movies in the 1940s and 1950s. He appeared in more than 125 films and TV shows in a career lasting from 1929 to 1966...
) murdered by the four, Jock Wiley (Paul Carr
Paul Carr (actor)
Paul Carr was an character actor who was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Carr acted for some fifty years in television, film, and on-stage.-Beginnings:...
), a young gunhand seeking the experience to establish his reputation as a gunfighter, Seymour Kern (John Saxon
John Saxon (actor)
John Saxon is an American actor who has worked on over 200 projects during the span of sixty years. Saxon is most known for his work in horror films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Black Christmas, both of which feature Saxon as a policeman in search of the killer...
), a bank employee who has just arrived on a special assignment from the New York parent and is browbeaten into joining to look after the bank's missing money and avoid taunts of cowardice from the bank manager (Ray Teal
Ray Teal
Ray Teal was an actor who appeared in more than 250 movies and some 90 television programs in his 37-year career. His longest running role was as Sheriff Roy Coffee on NBC's most successful western, Bonanza...
), and Johnny Caddo (Rudolph Acosta
Rodolfo Acosta
Rodolfo Acosta was a Mexican character actor, typically playing heavies in Hollywood westerns. Acosta was also a regular as Vaquero on The High Chaparral from 1967-69...
), an Indian who merely thinks that joining is "the right thing to do."
Cole doesn't want any of the inexperienced and troublesome men to come with him but he has no choice. The posse discover Helen who has been left behind tied up near a rattlesnake
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnakes are a group of venomous snakes of the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus of the subfamily Crotalinae . There are 32 known species of rattlesnake, with between 65-70 subspecies, all native to the Americas, ranging from southern Alberta and southern British Columbia in Canada to Central...
that Cole is able to remove from Helen's vicinity. Helen has been raped and is unwilling to return to the town to face the shame of being vilified by the population. Cole orders the willing Uncle Billy to return her by force if necessary.
Captain Brown demonstrates his aged incompetence by disobeying Cole's orders and opening fire and nearly murdering four cowhands who he mistakes for the four killers. Cole has to wound Jeremiah to stop his shooting spree and orders him back to town with the cowhands who have been waylaid by the killers.
Cole's distrust of his own posse begins to subside when he is impressed by the determination of the inexperienced Seymour who has never ridden a horse or used a firearm before and the quiet Johnny Caddo's acceptance of the prejudicial treatment he gets from the posse. The posse tracks the four to a farmhouse and surrounds it until Hogan makes a noise starting a gunfight. Cole kills one of the outlaws. The boasting Wiley is unable to actually kill a man and is killed as he freezes, allowing the remaining three to escape. Hogan begins shooting the corpse of the outlaw that Cole himself killed telling himself and the posse that Hogan himself killed the man who killed his own brother. When the men note that all the witnesses agree that it was actually Hash who had murdered his brother, Hogan refuses to listen and leaves the posse to return to town.
Cole, Caddo, and Seymour continue tracking the party to the desert but realise that the outlaws have doubled back and are intending on returning to shoot up Paradise.
Cast
- Audie MurphyAudie MurphyAudie Leon Murphy was a highly decorated and famous soldier. Through LIFE magazine's July 16, 1945 issue , he became one the most famous soldiers of World War II and widely regarded as the most decorated American soldier of the war...
as Banner Cole - John SaxonJohn Saxon (actor)John Saxon is an American actor who has worked on over 200 projects during the span of sixty years. Saxon is most known for his work in horror films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Black Christmas, both of which feature Saxon as a policeman in search of the killer...
as Seymour Kern - Zohra LampertZohra LampertZohra Lampert is an American actress, who has had roles on film, television and stage. She may be best remembered for her role as the title character in the 1971 cult horror film Let's Scare Jessica to Death, as well as starring alongside Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty in the 1961 romance film...
as Helen Caldwell - Vic MorrowVic MorrowVictor "Vic" Morrow was an American actor whose credits include a starring role in the 1960s TV series Combat!, prominent roles in a handful of other television and cinema dramas, and numerous guest roles on television...
as Crip - Robert Keith as Jeremiah Brown
- Rodolfo AcostaRodolfo AcostaRodolfo Acosta was a Mexican character actor, typically playing heavies in Hollywood westerns. Acosta was also a regular as Vaquero on The High Chaparral from 1967-69...
(credited as Rudolph Acosta) as Johnny Caddo - Royal DanoRoyal DanoRoyal Edward Dano was an American film and television character actor.-Early life:Dano was born in New York City to Mary Josephine , an Irish immigrant, and Caleb Edward Dano, a printer for newspapers. He reportedly left home at the age of twelve and at various intervals, lived in Florida, Texas...
as "Uncle" Billy Caldwell - Frank OvertonFrank OvertonFrank Emmons Overton was an American actor.-Career:Overton appeared in numerous television programs during the early 1950s and through the late 1960s, including The Fugitive in 1963...
as Burt Hogan - James Bell as Mr. Benson
- Paul CarrPaul Carr (actor)Paul Carr was an character actor who was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Carr acted for some fifty years in television, film, and on-stage.-Beginnings:...
as Jock Wiley - Ward Ramsey as Marshal Isaac Webb
- Lee Van CleefLee Van CleefLee Van Cleef was an American film actor who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures. His sharp features and piercing eyes led to his being cast as a villain in scores of films such as High Noon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Good The Bad and the Ugly.-Early life:Van Cleef was...
as Leo - Ray TealRay TealRay Teal was an actor who appeared in more than 250 movies and some 90 television programs in his 37-year career. His longest running role was as Sheriff Roy Coffee on NBC's most successful western, Bonanza...
as the bank manager - Forrest LewisForrest Lewis-Career:In the mid-1950s, Lewis appeared briefly as a deputy in the syndicated crime drama Sheriff of Cochise, starring John Bromfield. He also guest starred with Maudie Prickett in the episode "Brief Glory" of the syndicated western series 26 Men...
as Dr. Welles - Charles Horvath as Hash
- Harry LauterHarry LauterHerman Arthur "Harry" Lauter was an American character actor originally from White Plains, New York....
as Russell - Henry Wills as Chunk
- Stuart Randall as Luke Gorman
- Allan LaneAllan LaneAllan "Rocky" Lane was a studio leading man and the star of many cowboy B-movies in the 1940s and 1950s. He appeared in more than 125 films and TV shows in a career lasting from 1929 to 1966...
as Burl Hogan
Production
Making his directoral debut, Herbert Coleman was a highly experienced assistant directorAssistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
and associate producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
with a long string of credits including working with Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
. Coleman later directed Audie Murphy in an episode of his Whispering Smith
Whispering Smith (TV series)
Whispering Smith is a short-lived American Western series that aired on NBC. Based on a 1948 movie, the series stars Audie Murphy as Tom "Whispering" Smith, a police detective in Denver, Colorado...
TV series and the feature Battle at Bloody Beach
Battle at Bloody Beach
Battle at Bloody Beach is a 1961 Drama directed by Herbert Coleman, starring Audie Murphy and Gary Crosby. Battle at Bloody Beach is only the second Audie Murphy movie set in WWII, after his autobiographical To Hell and Back.-Plot:...
. Coleman filmed at Lone Pine, California
Lone Pine, California
Lone Pine is a census-designated place in Inyo County, California, United States. Lone Pine is located south-southeast of Independence, at an elevation of 3727 feet . The population was 2,035 at the 2010 census, up from 1,655 at the 2000 census. The town is located in the Owens Valley, near the...
with one location being the aptly named Rattlesnake Hill where thirty rattlesnakes were removed before filming could commence.
Coleman surrounded Murphy with a variety of up and coming young stars as well as experienced professionals. Zohra Lampert was a New York method actress
Method acting
Method acting is a phrase that loosely refers to a family of techniques used by actors to create in themselves the thoughts and emotions of their characters, so as to develop lifelike performances...
whose adlibbing frequently confused Murphy, but the two worked out their scenes together.
Huffaker's screenplay deviated from his novel by having Murphy's character as an outsider gunfighter rather than the Marshall's established deputy. His script emphasises the similarity between Cole's voluntary exclusion from society with Helen's sudden involuntary exclusion with her rape. Helen attempts suicide then later talks about becoming a prostitute. She is talked out of both by Cole with the two eventually finding a place in society together. Huffaker stated that when writing a screenplay for the Medal of Honor awardee Audie Murphy, he had to put Murphy's character in "a situation where he has to do something bigger than life. So it really kind of fit him in a way".
Through his viewing the actions of Caddo, Kern and Helen more than make up for the negative traits in the townspeople, Cole ends the film saying "There is always someone or something worthwhile. We just have to look hard enough".