ROOTS of Country Music

Hidden Guns (1956)

Cast: Bruce Bennett, Richard Arlen, John Carradine, Faron Young, Lloyd Corrigan, Angie Dickinson & Guinn "Big Boy" Williams

Director: Al Gannaway

Hidden Guns is not so much a western as a suspense melodrama. A murderous outlaw has the town so intimidated that no one dares to speak out against him.

Bruce Bennett plays Stragg, a mean-spirited cardsharp with friends in high places. Ruthless gambler Stragg guns down a man who catches him cheating at cards, but the only witness willing to talk is the victim's brother. Though he has ordered the killing of a rival, Stragg is able to escape prosecution by greasing a few local palms.

Sheriff Ward Young has 48 hours to bring the killer to justice, or the corrupt city council will take his badge away. The fearless lawman plans to see Stragg hang before those two days are up, but a hired killer shoots down the eyewitness. Despite the sheriff's well-deserved reputation for being quick on the draw, the gunman targets him as the next victim.

Great performances by Bruce Bennett and Richard Arlen propel this taut and exciting sagebrush thriller. Hidden Guns also boasts veteran character actor John Carradine as a viciously wicked villain and beautiful Angie Dickinson in one of her earliest roles. Faron Young, America's No.1 western recording star, makes a rare screen appearance here as the sheriff's son.