The Sacketts
Encyclopedia
The Sacketts is a 1979 TV Western movie, based on a series of books of the same name by Louis L'Amour. The film recounts the story of the Sacketts brothers in the Western days.
The movie follows three brothers: Tell, Orrin and Tyrel Sackett. Tell is a mountain man looking for gold going after any work he can get off in the wilderness. Orrin is a former lawman now looking to settle down with his family, while Tyrel is the youngest brother who is very good with a revolver.
The film begins with the wedding of Orrin Sackett (Tom Selleck) and his fiancee in Tennessee. However, the brother of a man Orrin had previously killed arrives in the middle of the ceremony and holds Orrin at gunpoint. The man pulls the trigger, but Orrin's fiance gets in the way and is shot and killed. Orrin's younger brother, Tyrel (Jeff Osterhage), arrives and guns down the man. Having killed a man, Tyrel clears out of Tennessee. Following the funeral of Orrin's fiancee, his mother tells him to join Tyrel and find Tell, and to go start a life in the west.
Meanwhile, Tell has found work in a mining camp. On a break from work, Tell joins a game of cards, but one of the men cheats and starts winning all of the money. Tell and the cheating man get into an argument, and Tell draws his revolver and shoots him dead. The leader of the mining camp orders Tell to get out before he is caught. Tell gets out of the mining camp and into the wilderness, on the run from the law for killing a man, and also from the man's brother, Bigelow.
Tyrel finds work as a cowhand. He immediately becomes friends to aging cowhand Cap Rountree, and former gunfighter Tom Sunday, who becomes a mentor to Tyrel. Orrin finds the group and joins them. The men get the cattle to a town, with Cap, Tom, Orrin and Tyrel going off on their own. While in the town, Orrin becomes attracted to the daughter of wealthy man Jonathon Pritts, while Tyrel becomes attracted to the granddaughter of wealthy Mexican Don Luis. Don Luis and Pritts are arguing with each other over Luis' land in Santa Fe.
The men come to another town, where Orrin and Tyrel reunite with Tell for the first time in years. After catching up on each other, Cap and Tell decide to go searching for gold and silver up in the mountains, while Sunday, Orrin and Tyrel go on to make their own living. Tell and Cap run into trouble with a young gunfighter named Benson. Tell avoids a gunbattle with Benson by ordering him out. It is revealed that Benson is working with Bigelow, who is getting more of his brothers and men to join him in gunning down Tell.
Sunday, Orrin and Tyrel reach Santa Fe, where Don Luis dies of old age. Both Orrin and Sunday run for sheriff of Santa Fe. Pritts supports Orrin and convinces the citizens to vote for Orrin over Sunday; as a result Orrin easily wins becoming sheriff. Sunday believes Orrin and Pritts are in cahoots, although Orrin actually dislikes Pritts. Sunday kills a man in cold blood, and becomes a drunk, drinking heavily and becoming more and more distasteful towards Orrin. Orrin asks Sunday to be his deputy; Sunday angrily refuses, but Tyrell accepts.
Meanwhile, Cap and Tell find a lost woman out in the mountains, and even find a little gold, but Bigelow's men arrive in the mountain. Cap attempts to hold them off and engages the men in a gunbattle, but is shot in the leg and wounded. Tell and the woman escape with Cap by dragging him along, returning the town, where they await Bigelow's men for the final showdown.
Orrin and Tyrell prove that Pritts has been attempting to run out the Mexicans and send him to jail. Orrin decides to run to mayor, and announces his decision to the citizens. As he is doing so, Sunday arrives on the scene with the intention to have a gun duel with Orrin. Tyrell stands in his way, but Sunday tells him that his business is with Orrin and he doesn't want to hurt Tyrell. Tyrell refuses to move, and as a result challenges Sunday to a draw. Tyrell draws first and shoots Sunday twice. Tyrell weeps as Sunday dies in his arms.
Tyrell and Orrin receive word of Tell's news, and hurry to the town he is at. Meanwhile, Bigelow, Benson and their men arrive in town and challenge Tell to a gunbattle next day; Tell accepts. Cap wants to join Tell, but is too wounded from the previous gunfight. Tell strides out onto the street--him against seven. He finds Orrin and Tyrell there to, who have come to join their brother. Bigelow's men open fire and the gunbattle begins. As the gunbattle encompasses the town, Cap, although wounded, grabs his shotgun and joins the gunbattle, killing Benson. While Orrin and Tyrel shoot down Bigelow's men, Bigelow takes on Tell. Bigelow runs out onto the street, shooting at Tell, but Tell returns fire and shoots Bigelow several times, killing him. Meanwhile, Orrin and Tell have killed off Bigelow's men.
Reunited, the Sackett brothers join Cap, and the last shot of the film is of them walking down the street on the town.
Synopsis
The movie follows three brothers: Tell, Orrin and Tyrel Sackett. Tell is a mountain man looking for gold going after any work he can get off in the wilderness. Orrin is a former lawman now looking to settle down with his family, while Tyrel is the youngest brother who is very good with a revolver.
The film begins with the wedding of Orrin Sackett (Tom Selleck) and his fiancee in Tennessee. However, the brother of a man Orrin had previously killed arrives in the middle of the ceremony and holds Orrin at gunpoint. The man pulls the trigger, but Orrin's fiance gets in the way and is shot and killed. Orrin's younger brother, Tyrel (Jeff Osterhage), arrives and guns down the man. Having killed a man, Tyrel clears out of Tennessee. Following the funeral of Orrin's fiancee, his mother tells him to join Tyrel and find Tell, and to go start a life in the west.
Meanwhile, Tell has found work in a mining camp. On a break from work, Tell joins a game of cards, but one of the men cheats and starts winning all of the money. Tell and the cheating man get into an argument, and Tell draws his revolver and shoots him dead. The leader of the mining camp orders Tell to get out before he is caught. Tell gets out of the mining camp and into the wilderness, on the run from the law for killing a man, and also from the man's brother, Bigelow.
Tyrel finds work as a cowhand. He immediately becomes friends to aging cowhand Cap Rountree, and former gunfighter Tom Sunday, who becomes a mentor to Tyrel. Orrin finds the group and joins them. The men get the cattle to a town, with Cap, Tom, Orrin and Tyrel going off on their own. While in the town, Orrin becomes attracted to the daughter of wealthy man Jonathon Pritts, while Tyrel becomes attracted to the granddaughter of wealthy Mexican Don Luis. Don Luis and Pritts are arguing with each other over Luis' land in Santa Fe.
The men come to another town, where Orrin and Tyrel reunite with Tell for the first time in years. After catching up on each other, Cap and Tell decide to go searching for gold and silver up in the mountains, while Sunday, Orrin and Tyrel go on to make their own living. Tell and Cap run into trouble with a young gunfighter named Benson. Tell avoids a gunbattle with Benson by ordering him out. It is revealed that Benson is working with Bigelow, who is getting more of his brothers and men to join him in gunning down Tell.
Sunday, Orrin and Tyrel reach Santa Fe, where Don Luis dies of old age. Both Orrin and Sunday run for sheriff of Santa Fe. Pritts supports Orrin and convinces the citizens to vote for Orrin over Sunday; as a result Orrin easily wins becoming sheriff. Sunday believes Orrin and Pritts are in cahoots, although Orrin actually dislikes Pritts. Sunday kills a man in cold blood, and becomes a drunk, drinking heavily and becoming more and more distasteful towards Orrin. Orrin asks Sunday to be his deputy; Sunday angrily refuses, but Tyrell accepts.
Meanwhile, Cap and Tell find a lost woman out in the mountains, and even find a little gold, but Bigelow's men arrive in the mountain. Cap attempts to hold them off and engages the men in a gunbattle, but is shot in the leg and wounded. Tell and the woman escape with Cap by dragging him along, returning the town, where they await Bigelow's men for the final showdown.
Orrin and Tyrell prove that Pritts has been attempting to run out the Mexicans and send him to jail. Orrin decides to run to mayor, and announces his decision to the citizens. As he is doing so, Sunday arrives on the scene with the intention to have a gun duel with Orrin. Tyrell stands in his way, but Sunday tells him that his business is with Orrin and he doesn't want to hurt Tyrell. Tyrell refuses to move, and as a result challenges Sunday to a draw. Tyrell draws first and shoots Sunday twice. Tyrell weeps as Sunday dies in his arms.
Tyrell and Orrin receive word of Tell's news, and hurry to the town he is at. Meanwhile, Bigelow, Benson and their men arrive in town and challenge Tell to a gunbattle next day; Tell accepts. Cap wants to join Tell, but is too wounded from the previous gunfight. Tell strides out onto the street--him against seven. He finds Orrin and Tyrell there to, who have come to join their brother. Bigelow's men open fire and the gunbattle begins. As the gunbattle encompasses the town, Cap, although wounded, grabs his shotgun and joins the gunbattle, killing Benson. While Orrin and Tyrel shoot down Bigelow's men, Bigelow takes on Tell. Bigelow runs out onto the street, shooting at Tell, but Tell returns fire and shoots Bigelow several times, killing him. Meanwhile, Orrin and Tell have killed off Bigelow's men.
Reunited, the Sackett brothers join Cap, and the last shot of the film is of them walking down the street on the town.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Sam Elliott Sam Elliott Samuel Pack "Sam" Elliott is an American actor. His rangy physique, thick horseshoe moustache, and deep, resonant voice match the iconic image of a cowboy or rancher, and he has often been cast in such roles.-Early life:Sam Elliott was born in Sacramento, California, to a physical training... |
Tell Sackett |
| Tom Selleck Tom Selleck Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B.... |
Orrin Sackett |
| Glenn Ford Glenn Ford Glenn Ford was a Canadian-born American actor from Hollywood's Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades... |
Tom Sunday |
| Jeff Osterhage Jeff Osterhage Jeff Osterhage is an American film and television actor from Columbus, Indiana.Osterhage began his acting career in a television adaptation of True Grit in 1978 and starred in the 1979 TV movie The Legend of the Golden Gun... |
Tyrel Sackett |
| Gilbert Roland Gilbert Roland Gilbert Roland was a Mexican-born American film actor.He was born Luis Antonio Dámaso de Alonso in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico and originally intended to become a bullfighter like his father. When the family moved to the United States, however, he became interested in acting when he was... |
Don Luis |
| John Vernon John Vernon John Keith Vernon was a Canadian actor. He made a career in Hollywood after achieving initial television stardom in Canada.-Early life:... |
Jonathan Pritts |
| Jack Elam Jack Elam William Scott "Jack" Elam was an American film actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films and, later in his career, comedies .-Early life:... |
Bigelow |
| Gene Evans Gene Evans Gene Evans was an American actor.He was born in Holbrook, Arizona, but reared in Colton, California. His acting career began while he was serving in World War II. He performed with a theatrical troupe of GIs in Europe. Evans made his film debut in 1947 and appeared in dozens of movies and... |
Benson |
| L.Q. Jones | Belden |
| Ben Johnson Ben Johnson (actor) Ben "Son" Johnson, Jr. was an American motion picture actor who was mainly cast in Westerns. He was also a rodeo cowboy, stuntman, and rancher.-Personal life:... |
Cap Rountree |