Search - Legendary Westerns: Ultimate Collection on DVD

The wild, public-domain West. Here are the 19 films on the s

Douglas S. Vandiver | California | 10/02/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I provide this information in the absence of a listing on Amazon or on the website of the publisher (St. Clair Entertainment).



The rankings are not mine, but are taken from user ratings on the Internet Move Database. I hope this info is helpful for fellow

customers. :)



Disc 1 of 6

- The Grand Duel

1973, color

Director: Giancarlo Santi

Lee Van Cleef, Horst Frank.

A grizzled ex-sheriff helps a man framed for murder.

rated 6.1 of 10 stars

- This Man Can't Die

1968, color

Dir: Gianfranco Baldanello

Guy Madison, Lucienne Bridou

Cowboy seeks revenge against the men who killed his parents.

rated 4.6 of 10

- It Can Be Done, Amigo

1971, color

Dir: Maurizio Lucidi

Jack Palance, Bud Spencer

A drifter with fast fists and a gunfighter- pimp with fast guns help a child to claim his inheritance.

rated 5.2 of 10



Disc 2 of 6

- Minnesota Clay

1965, color

Dir: Sergio Corbucci

Cameron Mitchell, Georges Riviere

Minnesota Clay seeks revenge on the man who withheld evidence at his trial.

rated 5.8 of 10

- Johnny Yuma

1967, color

Dir: Romolo Guerrieri

Mark Damon, Lawrence Dobkin

A widow and her lover try to keep Johnny from getting his inheritance.

rated 6.4 of 10

- Any Gun Can Play

1969, color

Dir: Enzo G. Castellari

Gilbert Roland, Edd Byrnes

Protagonists clash over gold.

rated 5.9 of 10



Disc 3 of 6

- Death Rides a Horse

1984, color

Dir: Giulio Petroni

Lee Van Cleef, John Phillip Law

Gunfighter wants revenge on the robbers who murdered his family years before.

rated 7.0 of 10

- The Hellbenders

1967, color

Dir: Sergio Corbucci

Joseph Cotten, Norma Bengell

A family plans to use stolen money as a way to revive the Confederacy.

rated 6.8 of 10

- White Comanche

1968, color

Dir: José Briz Méndez

Joseph Cotten, William Shatner

Two half-brothers (William Shatner and William Shatner) reunite after leading different lives.

rated 3.9 of 10



Disc 4 of 6

- The Big Trees

1952, B&W

Dir: Felix E. Feist

Kirk Douglas, Eve Miller

A Quaker colony tries to save giant sequoias from a timber baron.

rated 5.7 of 10

- Santa Fe Trail

1940, B&W

Dir: Michael Curtiz

Ronald Reagan, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland

Jeb Stuart's adventures just prior to the Civil War involve General Custer, Kit Carson, and abolitionist John Brown.

rated 6.2 of 10

- Vengeance Valley

1951, B&W

Dir: Richard Thorpe

Burt Lancaster, Robert Walker

A rancher baron's adopted son and biological son clash.

rated 5.7 of 10



Disc 5 of 6

- The Outlaw

1943, B&W

Dir: Howard Hughes

Jane Russell, Walter Huston

Doc Holliday and his girlfriend meet Billy the Kid.

rated 5.6 of 10

- Rage at Dawn

1955, color

Dir: Tim Whelan

Randolph Scott, Forrest Tucker

To catch the outlaw Reno brothers, a Federal Agent goes undercover as a train robber.

rated 5.9 of 10

- Abilene Town

1946, B&W

Dir: Edwin L. Marin

Randolph Scott, Ann Dvorak, Lloyd Bridges

A Sheriff deals with homesteader conflicts in a growing town following the Civil War.

rated 6.5 of 10



Disc 6 of 6

- Blue Steel

1934, B&W

Dir: Robert N. Bradbury

John Wayne, Gabby Hayes

A U.S. Marshal, investigating a robbery, discovers a larger, dastardly scheme.

rated 5.6 of 10

- The Painted Desert

1931, B&W

Dir: Howard Higgin

Clark Gable, Bill Boyd

Friends turn into enemies over a baby boy they find in the desert.

rated 5.5 of 10

- Sing Cowboy Sing

1937, B&W

Dir: Robert N. Bradbury

Tex Ritter, Louise Stanley

A corrupt judge is challenged by two cowboys riding into town.

rated 4.9 of 10

- My Pal Trigger

1946, B&W

Dir: Frank McDonald

Dale Evans, Roy Rogers, Trigger

Trigger's origin story.

rated 6.4 of 10



So, what we have here, as you can tell from a glance at the directors' names and release dates, is a set half of which is Spaghetti Westerns from guys who'll never be as well known and well regarded as Sergio Leone, and half of which comes from Hollywood in the Golden Age of the Western, but is really strictly programmers. The well-known actors that appear on this set once or twice have done better work in other movies. You'll find nothing from John Ford, nothing starring Clint Eastwood. In other words, by no means is this an "ultimate collection" of "legendary westerns."



But that's OK, because I assume everyone knows this sort of public-domain film set will usually have a grandiose-sounding title, and so we don't begrudge St. Clair Entertainment for naming it thus. (Imagine a set titled "Average Westerns, the Adequate Collection"!) These films ARE average. Therefore, consider buying this box set if you feel that average Westerns can have a place on your shelf alongside the truly legendary ones you presumably already have.



Need an added incentive? How about the bonus features St. Clair includes? Yes, each disc has something as a bonus, as follows:

Disc 1: Showdowns

Disc 2: Edd Byrnes Bio

Disc 3: Spaghetti Westerns trailers

Disc 4: Rare radio episode and photo gallery of "The Lone Ranger"

Disc 5: Stories of the Century presents: Billy the Kid

Disc 6: Rare classic Western trailers, including "The Westerner," "The Magnificent Seven," "Shane," and more



Picture and sound quality? Just fine. I say this with the confession that so far, I have seen only "The Outlaw" on disc 5 and the bonus included on that disc (Which is a 26-minute television episode, an action-packed detective/Western drama starring no actors you probably know, but entertaining nonetheless). Picture quality was about comparable to VHS, and scratchy in places as befitting its age. Sound had some hiss. But these minor quibbles did not interfere with enjoyment of the movie. I assume the same (more or less) can be said about the other movies here. I'll also note that there is no watermarking (company logos on screen) during the movie, as some public domain outfits persist in using.



To sum up: Know what you're getting, and if these films seem like they're up your alley, go for it. But steer clear of this product if you cannot imagine yourself sitting down to enjoy 26 hours and 19 minutes of Western cinema from the wonderful average land of the public domain."