Flesh and the Spur (1956)

At the opening credits the viewer knew that this was going to be a low-budget film as the people appearing in flick came onto the screen in large case letters as if written on a neighbors typewriter. But even with the minimal action and the hefty dialog, this movie did provide a small amount of entertainment. So what if the acting was rough and the film appeared to be aimed at the adolescent male, the story was interesting and the twist at the end made for a compelling tale.The story began with a prison break where a stripped-clothed male has escaped. The male, which we will learn was part of the Checker Gang, then kills a rancher in order to get the rancher's gun and horse. Now the brother of the rancher, Luke Random, vows to track down the convict and take his revenge.Along the way Luke runs in to a man, Stacy Doggett, that is also looking for the Checker Gang, an Indian female that has been rejected from her tribe and an older traveling elixir man that has a daughter. These characters will ride together into situation that contain danger and death. All trying, in their own way, of getting at least one of the Checker Gang members.As with this drive-in feature type movie of this generation, there are cowboys, Indians, villains and pretty girls with all having a share of some action. From a spur fight to a chick being tied up supposedly naked to a post, the teenage target group was pleased. But for the rest of us, it was a cheaply made movie that did its best to succeeded. And for the ending alone, they got all from the money spent.NOTE- This movie was supposedly film in Pathecolor (unclear of the process of that system). The film I saw was in black and white plus was somewhat rough with many splices.

One of the infamous Checker gang escapes from prison and on the run shoots John Agar down and takes his weapon with him. As Agar's dad had two long barreled weapons made he gave one each to his twin sons. And it's John Agar out looking for the guy who killed his brother John Agar.During his search for the Checker gang Agar collects a curious crew around him. Michael Connors a wanted outlaw with an edge to him, talkative trick shot artist Raymond Hatton, and exiled Indian princess Marla English.Flesh And The Spur was strictly for the drive-in trade. Those matched long barreled pistols that are harped on have a homoerotic twist to them that you couldn't miss. Sometimes you think Agar is more interested in that matched set than in getting his father's killer. All these folks have done better work, especially Hatton whose credits go back to the earliest of silent films.

John Agar searches for the man who gunned down his brother, with a discarded gun his only clue. Along the way he hooks up with macho Mike Conners, an exiled Indian woman, and a snake oil salesman.The characters spend way too much time talking and not enough time doing the things that make a western good! It picks up near the end but it's too late by then to salvage the picture.The best thing about Flesh And The Spur, besides the title, is the saloon brawl between a cowpoke and Conners, in which they use spurs as weapons.John Agar was a talented actor. This just comes to show how far his career had descended since being declared persona non-grata by Hollywood for his drinking and hell-raising.Co-writer Charles B. Griffith was responsible for some of the best of Roger Corman's micro-budget films (The Little Shop Of Horrors, A Bucket Of Blood, Attack Of The Crab Monsters) and one of his most successful, Deathrace 2000. It's too bad he couldn't breath much life in this script.The featured song, "My Brother And I" is by Ross Bagdasarian, who a year or so later bought a multiple speed recording device, adopted the stage name David Seville, and invented The Chipmunks!

Although highly talky and doesn't really have a lot of action, I sort of liked this movie mainly because it immediately puts you into some kind of low-budget independent cinema right from the start.. I mean, look at how the titles are set up! Although John Agar isn't my favorite actor (and hey! Neither is Touch Connors!) I sort of liked their on and off relationship with each other (admiring their guns wink wink) and there's some female candy to look at. But other than that, the plot is pretty straightforward and nothing you've seen before (eg brother tries to get revenge for his other brother's killing) and there's a lot of stretches of winded talking and talking, and it REALLY gets monotonous during the middle. So I would proceed at your own risk.