Cahill, U.S. Marshal

(1973)

103 minutes

Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen

Western

Cast:

John Wayne as J. D. Cahill

George Kennedy as Fraser

Gary Grimes as Danny

Neville Brand as Lightfoot

Clay O'Brien as Billy Joe

Marie Windsor as Mrs. Green

Morgan Paull as Struther

Dan Vadis as Brownie

Royal Dano as MacDonald

Scott Walker as Ben Tildy

Denver Pyle as Denver

Jackie Coogan as Charlie

Rayford Barnes as Pee Wee Simser

Dan Kemp as Joe Meehan

Harry Carey Jr. as Hank

J.D. Cahill is a legend in the West, but only a legend in his own house, as his focus on duty leads to his young sons growing up on their own and resenting the man who the rest of the West respects. Out of typical teenage rebellion Cahill’s oldest son Danny falls in with a very bad gang of outlaws led by Fraser, a villain who, despite his evil plots, can turn on the charm and say just the kind of thing a young and impressionable boy needs to hear to lure him away from the straight and narrow path. Fraser’s gang decides to rob a bank by getting into a drunken brawl the night before and getting locked up. They convince Cahill’s youngest son Billy Joe to sneak into the jail and let them out. The bank robbery was supposed to go off without a hitch but nothing goes that smooth and the town sheriff and deputy are killed during the attempt. The gang goes back to the jail and locks themselves in, providing the perfect alibi for the crime. Danny’s conscience begins to bother him over the robbery turned murder, and is helped along by Billy Joe’s pleading. Cahill gets back to town to find the town and his family in shambles, and as is his duty, proceeds to pick up the pieces. He clearly suspects that something else is amiss, and has Danny come with him to track down the killers. Enlisting the aid of his old friend Lightfoot who is the best Indian tracker in the territory, they happen upon some bandits who have committed some crime based on the amount of money they have on them, but are innocent of this crime. Presented with the facts at hand, Cahill arrests them for the murders and takes them back to town to hang.  Danny’s conscience continues to eat at him, compounded with seeing these men hang for a crime that he committed. Can the Duke mend his relationships with his sons, get them out of this mess, and bring the real criminals to justice? Watch and see!

Notes: The script was written by Harry and Rita Fink, who also wrote Big Jake and Dirty Harry . George Kennedy, who was the villainous Fraser, is well known as the sidekick of Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke , and in a more comedic role was Leslie Neilson’s sidekick in the Naked Gun series. 

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