From Hell to Texas

Plot synopsis:
Tod Lohman is on the run from a posse. The ruthless land baron Hunter Boyd has sent men, including sons Otis and Tom, in pursuit of Tod for having killed another son.
Otis Boyd stampedes horses toward Tod, but gunshots drive them in the opposite direction and Otis is trampled instead. Tod then gets the drop on Tom Boyd and insists he did not kill their brother, but before Tod can leave, Tom Boyd shoots his horse.
On foot, Tod collapses near a river bank. He is found by kindly rancher Amos Bradley and daughter Juanita, who provide food and shelter. Juanita takes a liking to Tod, who is searching for his missing father and was brought up with Biblical lessons and principles by his mother.
Tod departs but is soon surrounded by Hunter Boyd and his men. In gratitude for not shooting Tom Boyd when he had the chance, Hunter Boyd permits a horse and a four-hour headstart to Tod, then resumes the chase.
Tod discovers that his father has died. A member of the posse shoots old man Bradley, which proves the last straw for Tod after having tried to turn the other cheek. But during a gun battle in town, Tom Boyd is engulfed by flames after a chandelier's crash. Tod's instincts take over. He saves the life of Tom, whose appreciative father Hunter finally calls off the feud.

Tags: revenge

Review:
It is fast paced and full of action, has interesting characters you care about and romance but not too much and good plotting.
The casting is excellent especially with Murray in the lead and one has to wonder why it is sitting on a shelf somewhere while lesser films are on video and TV and shown repeatedly.
On his travels he meets and befriends Amos Bradley and his adopted daughter, Juanita, it's a meeting that holds the key to Tod's future.Henry Hathaway directs this one, and the first thing that sticks out is just how interesting his characters are, this is not just a throwaway Western, it has depth of feeling and lays out a story that isn't purely relying on action to entertain the viewers.
That said, Hathaway doesn't skimp on the action scenes, an excellent beef stampede and an Indian pursuit, resplendent with horse jumping heroics, deliver promptly for the discerning action viewer.
Locke called The Hell Bent Kid, this adaptation is adroitly telling the story of an honest and naive young man on the lam, it's the naivety of Lohman that gives the picture its emotional heart, all framed excellently by Hathaway in the Alabama Hills vista.The cast are across the board solid, Don Murray, Chill Wills, Diane Varsi, R.G. Armstrong and a fresh faced Dennis Hopper all earn their respective pay cheques.
It's understandably not up to the high standard of Hathaway's big hitters like True Grit and The Sons Of Katie Elder, it is however a picture that is definitely worth checking out if you are given the opportunity.
It was a memorable film that i first saw on 'Saturday Night At the Movies" when I was 12 years old, (six years after it was released in 1958).
Being raised on a diet of TV and movie westerns, 'From Hell to Texas' stood out from all of them; I identified with the lead and had a crush on Diane Varsi that lasted for years.I saw this feature only one more time when I was 21, just before shipping out to Nam. This time I identified with the scope of the film and the depth of the characters.
Chill Will gave a memorable performance definitely a cut above his typical side-kick comic relief roll, and I thought it interesting for a father to actually help his daughter's suitor in such a unstinting fashion.
Opposite Wills was R.G. Armstrong and his son Dennis Hopper, though the heavies one could not really hate them.
An underrated western from Henry Hathaway worth seeing more than once!.
This film, starring underused actors Don Murray and Diane Varsi backed by outstanding support by fine character actors like R.G. Armstrong, Chill Wills, Adolfo Acosta and a young Dennis Hopper among others, is a tense film with many nuances.
Hathaway directs a scene of a cattle stampede coming directly at the viewer.
Decent western with a cowboy on the run and being relentlessly pursued by a posse on his way.
Interesting and enjoyable Western with a deep meaning upon the power of forgiveness and an attractive ending .
This cultured actioner Western contains noisy action , dashingly violent scenes , rider pursuits , impressive Indians attacks and loads of crossfire .This splendid motion picture was professional and convincingly directed by Henry Hathaway , doing an useful job and being well starred by top-notch actors .
When ranch hand Tod Lohman (Don Murray who recently passed away) accidentally kills the son of a powerful rancher (R.G. Armstrong) , he panics and flees , as he on the run with posse on his trail .
As the rancher carries out his vengeful crew hunt Tod down , being accompanied by his another wild son (Dennis Hooper) and crafty Mexican underling (Rodolfo Acosta) .
At the farm Tod falls for his daughter (Diane Varsi) but trouble won't remain far away for long time .
Exciting Western also titled ¨Manhunt¨ packs thrills , emotion , shootouts , go riding , a love story and including timeless resonance about a merciless as well as useless vengeance .
Striking interpretations by a good cast , particularly R.G. Armstrong as vengeful father in typical fire-eating form and Dennis Hopper who worked steadily in Western genre through the 1960s including twice more with Hathaway: "The Sons of Katie Elder" in 1965 and "True Grit" in 1969.
Support cast is frankly well , plenty of familiar faces such as Chill Wills , Dennis Hopper , Jay C.
Atmospheric and evocative musical score by Daniel Amfitheatroph .This well-paced in cracking style flick was stunningly directed by Henry Hathaway and usually works very well , being capable handled in spectacular photography , adding gorgeous outdoors from Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, Iverson Ranch , Chatsworth, Los Angeles, Bishop, and Death Valley, California .
Henry Hathaway does the human touch and full of insight that accompanied him during most of his films and the story develops pleasantly in large frames with an interesting plot and fully adjusted to the requirements of the action .
His fetish actor was John Wayne , both of whom collaborated in various sincere Westerns , they included ¨North to Alaska¨ , ¨The sons of Katie Elder¨ and Wayne's Academy Award-winning ¨True grit¨, among others .
Hathaway himself was only even nominated for an Oscar , but his movies themselves are testimony to his skills to heighten narrative tension and shoot action so exhilarating it made adrenalin run .
Henry was a craftsman who had a long career from the 30s with successful films , and especially Westerns , as ¨Brigham Young¨ and ¨Raw Hide¨ .
He was an expert on Western genre as he proved in ¨True grit¨ , ¨Five card stud¨ , ¨Nevada Smith¨ , ¨How the West was won¨ , ¨Rawhide¨ , ¨Brigham Young¨ , ¨Buffalo Stampede¨, ¨Garden of evil¨ , ¨The sons of Katie Elder¨ and , of course this , ¨From Hell to Texas¨ .
It came out the same time as Bonanza did on TV and yes there is a patriarchical family here too with such as John Larch as the eldest son and Dennis Hopper as the youngest.
I switched on the TV today and accidentally caught this movie (having missed the first 8 mins) on (Freeview) FilmFour (UK) digital TV channel.The "info" panel said it was first released in 1958 and directed by Henry Hathaway - a name I recognised from all those movie history books.All the other reviewers have told all you need to know about the plot.
Henry Hathaway's westerns are more ambitious than  simple action films,their high moral standards favorably compare to  those of John Ford ,Henry King or Delmer Dames.At first sight,"from hell to Texas " seems a plea against violence ,but it's not only that.Although a sharpshooter ,Don Murray's character is nothing more than a child who is clueless.The scenes by the river are revealing:he's a shy prudish lad ,whose only guide is his bible and his mother's photograph .In fact,he's desperately searching for a father.On his way,he will meet two older,wiser men for whom he's only a kid .
It's really amazing how much these characters feel the hero's weakness and how they want to protect him.Another father is his fiercest enemy because this man thinks he's responsible for his son's death.The screenplay smartly avoids the events that led to the chase.On one hand,a young man trying to find a place he can call home (you do not like solitude,don't you,he says to a horse ),on another a blind father who destroys his family because of a false revenge.The rebuilding of a family,with ,in parallel ,the nearly destruction of another one..
A good cast in a fine Western.
There's plenty of action and the story moves along at a quick pace, however it cannot compare to the novel(The Hell Bent Kid)by Charles O.
The strong point was R G Armstrong's patriarchal father with a curious sense of justice; having caught up with the fugitive Murray, he gives him a horse to replace the one his son had shot and then gives him a headstart before renewing the chase.
The worst part was the cloying, instant romance between Murray and tomboy Varsi.Incidentally, previous commentator edk313 reckons he spotted "Jack Elam's inimitable face with a look of horror on it because he is a cowboy in the path of the stampede!
I'd love to know the story on that scene." In the version I've just seen on British TV I didn't spot Elam, the only casualty of the stampede being one of Armstrong's sons.
Interesting western story of misguided revenge..
The stars, Murray & Varsi, are good if a little bland.
The old-timers, Wills & Armstrong, steal the show & give the movie some extra flavor.
Hopper plays the role of "the youngest son" with the usual angst we have come to expect from him.
It is very hard to define when somebody is a good person, and Tod Lohman (Don Murray) in this western is certainly one.
At a certain moment R.G.Armstrong (Hunter Boyd) asks the priest: Why are people so willing to help this man who they hardly know?
And this excellent western takes us on the journey of a man hunted because he unwillingly was responsible for the death of someone who wanted to kill him.
Everson one of the great authorities in Westerns considers this film the best western from 1950 to 1962, between "Wagon Master" and "Ride the High Country".
"But in "From Hell to Texas" he (Hathaway) seems to have combined the sentiment and austerity of Hart and the slickness and spectacle of Ford" (A Pictorial History of the Western Film, page 221).
Great action scenes, great cinematography, great Henry Hathaway...
If you have an all-region DVD player, which costs less than $100, you may order a very fine anamorphic widescreen copy of this film from Amazon Italy.Don Murray, on the run after an accidental killing, eludes R.G. Armstrong and a very young Dennis Hopper in this stark western from Henry Hathaway.
I just watched From Hell To Texas on You Tube, and if you like westerns it should be a must see.
One thing I do not agree with are the comments that along with Shane, this is the best western of the 1950's.
From Hell To Texas is not even the best Don Murray western: Bus Stop was his best.
If anyone wants to great westerns from that era, should instead put on movies starring Gary Cooper, Randolph Scott, Richard Widmark, John Wayne, Gregory Peck, James Stewart or Alan Ladd ( including One Foot In Hell co-starring: Yes: Don Murray)).
Mostly.for the scenery and supporting actors RG Armstrong and Chill Wills..
crammed within the "chase" formula of this western are delightful surprises a pacifist cowboy hero who - nevertheless - is wickedly good with a rifle the chasers aren't villains - they are men whose actions are made understandable - if not condonable good lead actor - Don Murray - whose real life pacifism seems to find perfect expression in this film good supporting actors - Chill Wills - R G Armstrong - J C Flippen - Dennis Hopper - Margofine direction by Henry Hathaway - with shots that seemed to presage Hathaway's TRUE GRIT and most delightful of all - Diane Varsi - in my favorite film of hers.
Despite the directorial reins of Hathaway, there is nothing on show here to lift 'From Hell to Texas' above the multitude of Western fodder released in the 1950's.
Murray plays a young man who is on the run from the Boyd family who think that he murdered one of their brothers.
On the way he runs into the kindly father-figure of Amos Bradley and his fiery daughter, Juanita,  who take him under their wing.The main character of Tod Lohman isn't particularly interesting - he has a bible in his backpack so we know he's really a good kid - and he is developed along the lines of a Billy the Kid-type misunderstood youth who only needs a bit of parental care to become a model citizen.
By midway the film has played all of its cards and can only manage a low pair, as the story wanders towards a conclusion which offers no surprises.
When even Dennis Hopper comes across as square you know you're not in for an edge of your seat ride.
A film of interest to anyone studying Western themes and trends, but for the mainstream fan this is inoffensive but very forgettable..
From Hell To Texas as cattle baron R.G. Armstrong on a mission.
Armstrong has all his men out hunting Don Murray the young cowboy who was brawling with his son.For a guy who says he has scruples about killing people Murray does a pretty good job of taking care of business.
Murray starts a horse stampede to elude Armstrong's men and another of his sons Ken Scott is killed.
In fact all kinds of people help in Murray's flight including Indian trader Jay C.
Flippen and rancher Chill Wills who has six daughters at home with oldest Diane Varsi giving Murray the once over.Henry Hathaway directed this and keeps action and the interest going.
From Hell To Texas is a good A budget western even without any really big western names in the cast.
A good one for western fans..
The character Tod is virtuous as are the characters of Chill Wills and his family.
The western vistas are captured well by the photographer Dennis Hopper, known in more modern times for non-western roles plays a spoiled and insecure youngest son of the antagonist a role similar to his in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.I always enjoy Chill Wills.
He is a kind, upstanding, generous family man with a lovely daughter.Just all in all an enjoyable movie.
I would rather have the movie 15 minutes longer and develop the good guys after the villains are gone..
Riveting Western Film.
I've seen a lot of westerns and just discovered this gripping film packed with everything one would expect from the genre of a excellent western.
We follow Tod Lohman ( Don Murray ) an innocent cowpoke trying to escape being hunted like a animal by the ruthless land baron, Hunter Boyd ( R.
G. Armstrong ) who will not except the fact that his son died by accident and is bent on killing Tod for a crime he did not commit.
I cannot give a synopsis for this film, as it would spoil it for the reader if they are able to have a chance to view this underrated western gem.
I will say it is a story filled with an excellent cast which includes Dennis Hopper in the role of Tom Boyd, the clumsy son, Chills Wills with the beautiful Diane Varsi playing his daughter Juanita and eventual love interest of Don Murray who gives a superb performance playing the hunted Tod Lohman.
Add in other great character actors and magnificent cinematography along with a perfectly paced story line, packed full of riveting action and you have an above average man on the run western film.
I was lucky to come across this little known film and highly urge the reader to seek this one out if you are a fan of films made during the heyday of Hollywood's western ride..
A standard western, in which Don Murray plays Tod, who is wandering around looking for his long lost father, who abandoned him and his mother.
He has recently gotten into trouble with local cattle baron Hunter Boyd(R.G. Armstrong), being blamed for killing his son Shorty.
Apparently, they were fighting over something, we are never told what.Hunter and a posse of some of his hands plus his 2 remaining sons have been trailing Tod, who has stopped at a stream to check on his horse's leg.
Fortunately, he comes upon an elderly man(Chill Wills, as Amos Bradley) and his adopted daughter Juanita(Diane Varsi), by a stream with a hot spring nearby.
Later, while Tod is sleeping, she sneaks over and kisses him, before quickly disappearing under her blanket...Just then, Hunter shows up with his gang, with an extra horse, saying Boyds don't shoot men's horses.
Tod has a gun battle in the rocks with one of Hunter's men, then encounters a grizzled trader(Jay Flippen, as Jake), who invites him to ride inside his wagon, after hearing his story.
Tod stops at several other places, looking for his father.
Juanita had told her father about her feeling for Tod, thus the idea is to have them get to know one another better.
Amos suggests Tod might like to stay on and help run the ranch.
Tod accepts provisionally, but says he has to keep running from Hunter's bunch in the meanwhile....
Diane Varsi, as Juanita, and Don Murray, as Tod, seem to have difficulty expressing their attraction verbally.
It's the standard formula: boy meets girl, girl hates boy initially, girl gradually warms up to boy, girl madly in love with boy.It's usually a treat to have Chill Wills and Jay Flippen play major secondary characters, and this film is no exception..
U.K. and Australian release title: MAN HUNT (up to 150 feet censored).SYNOPSIS: Tod Lohman (Don Murray), a peace-loving man, is pursued across the New Mexico wastelands by Tom Boyd (Dennis Hopper), his brother Otis (Ken Scott), and a small posse who wish to believe Tod had murdered another brother when actually the brother had accidentally fallen on Tod's knife during a fight.
Tod meets Amos Bradley (Chill Wills), a rancher, and his daughter, Nita (Diane Varsi).
Amos knows the Boyds are after Tod but he himself has no love for any of them.NOTES: One of the two best westerns of the 1950s, according to William K.
True also that the heavy is an appropriately strong, interesting character — "a powerful wicked man but with a peculiar sense of justice all his own" — forcefully played by R.
And alas they are just as insipidly played by folk like Chill Wills and Diane Varsi.