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"Gary Cooper Series ... Dallas (1950) ... Warner Bros."

J. Lovins | Missouri-USA | 10/09/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Warner Bros. presents "DALLAS" (30 December 1950) (94 mins/Color) (Dolby digitally remastered) -- Our story line and plot, A throwback to the "old fashioned" Westerns of the 30s and 40s such as DODGE CITY (1939) --- DALLAS has a number of things going for it: Gary Cooper at his coolest, blazing Technicolor photography by Ernest Haller "GONE WITH THE WIND" (1939) and a pulse-pounding score by Max Steiner the composer of "PAINTED DESERT" (1938), "KING KONG" (1933), "GWTW" (1939), "DODGE CITY" (1939) and so many other scores for Warner Bros --- In addition, there is a masquerade, mistaken identity, a faked death and more hair-breath escapes than a Republic serial --- As always, Cooper defines what it is to be a man under pressure --- this is pure entertainment! --- Some interesting cast members with Reed Hadley playing Wild Bill Hickok, Buddy Roosevelt an old time B-Western star during the '20s & '30s, Leif Erickson as U.S. Marshal Martin Weatherby, Fred Graham the great stuntman from so many action serials and western films, the beautiful Barbara Payton whose life away from the screen was even more interesting --- Gary Cooper's laconic performance holds the audience's interest throughout.

Under the production staff of:
Stuart Heisler - Director
Anthony Veiller - Producer
Derek N. Twist - Screenwriter
John Twist - Screenwriter
Ernest Haller - Cinematographer
Max Steiner - Composer (Music Score)
Clarence Kolster - Editor
Douglas Bacon - Art Director
George James Hopkins - Set Designer
Marjorie Best - Costume Designer
Oliver S. Garretson - Sound/Sound Designer
Albert S. Greenway - Makeup
Fred Phillips - Makeup
Chuck Hansen - First Assistant Director

SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIOS:
1. Gary Cooper (aka: Frank James Cooper)
Date of Birth: 7 May 1901 - Helena, Montana
Date of Death: 13 May 1961 - Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California

2. Ruth Roman
Date of Birth: 22 December 1922 - Lynn, Massachusetts
Date of Death: 9 September 1999 - Laguna Beach, California

3. Steve Cochran
Date of Birth: 25 May 1917 - Eureka, California
Date of Death: 15 June 1965 - Pacific Ocean (acute infectious edema)

4. Raymond Massey
Date of Birth: 30 August 1896 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date of Death: 29 July 1983 - Los Angeles, California

the cast includes:
Gary Cooper ... Blayde Hollister
Ruth Roman ... Tonia Robles
Steve Cochran ... Bryant Marlow
Raymond Massey ... Will Marlow
Barbara Payton ... Flo
Leif Erickson ... U.S. Marshal Martin Weatherby
Antonio Moreno ... Don Felipe Robles
Jerome Cowan ... Matt Coulter
Reed Hadley ... Wild Bill Hickok
Gil Donaldson ... Luis Robles
Monte Blue ... Tarrant County Sheriff
Roy Bucko ... Prisoner
Ben Corbett ... Bystander
Gene Evans ... Drunk in Saloon
Al Ferguson ... Springfield Citizen
Fred Graham ... Tough in Saloon
Cactus Mack ... Dallas Citizen
Zon Murray ... Longfellow Cullen Marlow
Buddy Roosevelt ... Springfield Citizen

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc) and Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- If you're into the memories of B-Westerns with high drama, this is the one you've been anxiously waiting for --- please stand up and take a bow Western Classics --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 94 mins on DVD ~ Warner Bros. ~ (5/13/2003)"