Waco (1966 film)
Encyclopedia
Waco is a 1966
western film starring Howard Keel
and Jane Russell
. The film was directed by R. G. Springsteen and written by Max Lamb, Steve Fisher, and Harry Sanford. It was released by Paramount Pictures
.
This was the last leading screen role for Russell, who did only bit parts in a pair of later films, The Born Losers
and Darker Than Amber
.
is up in arms. Somebody has shot the sheriff, Billy Kelly, and things are so bad that preacher Sam Stone and businessman George Gates implore the mayor, Ned West, to bring in outside help.
They arrange for a gunfighter called "Waco" to be pardoned by the governor and sprung from jail. Waco rides to town and immediately cleans it up, defying boss Joe Gore by becoming sheriff, firing the deputy and bringing in old partner Ace Ross to be by his side.
Preacher Stone is happy but wife Jill is not. She used to be involved with Waco, who isn't going to like it that she got married while he was behind bars.
Also unhappy is rancher Ma Jenner, whose boys Ike and Pete seek revenge on her behalf because Waco killed their brother. And mayor West has troubles of his own because of an attack on his daughter Patricia.
It all comes down to a gunfight. Waco is outnumbered, particularly after Ace chickens out and abandons him, but the mayor and preacher come to his aid. Gore and the Jenners end up dead, but so does Stone, which means Jill and Waco can be together again.
1966 in film
The year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
western film starring Howard Keel
Howard Keel
Harold Clifford Keel , known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer. He starred in many film musicals of the 1950s...
and Jane Russell
Jane Russell
Jane Russell was an American film actress and was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s....
. The film was directed by R. G. Springsteen and written by Max Lamb, Steve Fisher, and Harry Sanford. It was released by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
.
This was the last leading screen role for Russell, who did only bit parts in a pair of later films, The Born Losers
The Born Losers
This article is about the film. You may be looking for the song http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_LosersBorn Losers is a 1967 action film and the first of the Billy Jack movies. The film introduced Tom Laughlin as the half-Indian Green Beret Vietnam veteran Billy Jack...
and Darker Than Amber
Darker than Amber
Darker than Amber is the seventh novel in the Travis McGee series by John D. MacDonald. The plot begins with McGee and his close friend Meyer are fishing underneath a bridge and a young woman, bound and weighted, is thrown over the bridge. It was also adapted in to a 1970 film of the same name....
.
Plot
A town in WyomingWyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
is up in arms. Somebody has shot the sheriff, Billy Kelly, and things are so bad that preacher Sam Stone and businessman George Gates implore the mayor, Ned West, to bring in outside help.
They arrange for a gunfighter called "Waco" to be pardoned by the governor and sprung from jail. Waco rides to town and immediately cleans it up, defying boss Joe Gore by becoming sheriff, firing the deputy and bringing in old partner Ace Ross to be by his side.
Preacher Stone is happy but wife Jill is not. She used to be involved with Waco, who isn't going to like it that she got married while he was behind bars.
Also unhappy is rancher Ma Jenner, whose boys Ike and Pete seek revenge on her behalf because Waco killed their brother. And mayor West has troubles of his own because of an attack on his daughter Patricia.
It all comes down to a gunfight. Waco is outnumbered, particularly after Ace chickens out and abandons him, but the mayor and preacher come to his aid. Gore and the Jenners end up dead, but so does Stone, which means Jill and Waco can be together again.
Cast
- Howard KeelHoward KeelHarold Clifford Keel , known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer. He starred in many film musicals of the 1950s...
as Waco - Jane RussellJane RussellJane Russell was an American film actress and was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s....
as Jill Stone - Brian DonlevyBrian DonlevyBrian Donlevy was an Irish-born American film actor, noted for playing tough guys from the 1930s to the 1960s. He usually appeared in supporting roles. Among his best known films are Beau Geste and The Great McGinty...
as Ace Ross - Wendell CoreyWendell CoreyWendell Reid Corey was an American actor and politician.He was born in Dracut, Massachusetts, the son of Milton Rothwell Corey and Julia Etta McKenney . His father was a Congregationalist clergyman...
as Preacher Sam Stone - Terry MooreTerry Moore (actress)Helen Luella Koford , better known as Terry Moore, is an American actress. Terry Moore made her film debut at age 11 and grew up with all the icons of the Hollywood era that made Hollywood what it is today, also known as "The Golden Age of Hollywood". Moore is an Academy Award nominated actress...
as Dolly - John AgarJohn AgarJohn George Agar was an American actor. He starred alongside John Wayne in the films Sands of Iwo Jima, Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, but was later relegated to B movies, such as Tarantula, The Mole People, The Brain from Planet Arous, Flesh and the Spur, and Hand of Death...
as George Gates - Richard ArlenRichard Arlen-Biography:Born Sylvanus Richard Van Mattimore in St. Paul, Minnesota, he attended the University of Pennsylvania. He served as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. His first job after the war was with St. Paul's Athletic Club...
as Sheriff Billy Kelly - DeForest Kelly as Bill Rile
- Robert LoweryRobert Lowery (actor)Robert Lowery was an American motion picture, television, and stage actor who appeared in over seventy films.-Early life:...
as Mayor Ned West