The 40+ Best Rory Calhoun Movies & Westerns
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- 1Rory CalhounRed Sundown is a 1956 film directed by Jack Arnold.
- 2Yvonne De Carlo, John Gavin, Mara CordayRaw Edge is a 1956 western film written by Harry Essex and Robert Hill and directed by John Sherwood.
- 3Robert Mitchum, Marilyn Monroe, Rory CalhounAfter serving a prison sentence, farmer Matt Calder (Robert Mitchum) returns to his 19th-century Pacific Northwest gold rush town and retrieves his adolescent son, Mark (Tommy Rettig). Meanwhile, goodhearted barroom singer Kay (Marilyn Monroe) is heading downriver with her boyfriend, Harry (Rory Calhoun), to explore a potential gold claim. When their raft sinks, Harry robs Matt of his gun and horse to continue without Kay on land. Sailing downriver toward the claim, the trio plan their revenge.
- 4Rory Calhoun, John Dehner, Leo GordonApache Territory is a 1958 Western film released by Columbia Pictures, directed by Ray Nazarro and produced by and starring Rory Calhoun. The story is based on the novel Last Stand at Papago Wells by Louis L'Amour. It was Calhoun's last film before moving to television as The Texan on CBS. It was also the final film in the career of co-star Barbara Bates. The film was shot on location at Red Rock Canyon, California.
- 5
The Saga of Hemp Brown
Rory Calhoun, Beverly Garland, John LarchA U.S. cavalry officer, Hemp Brown (Rory Calhoun), runs into some serious trouble when the party of civilians and troops he's bringing to a nearby Army fort is ambushed. A woman is killed during the gunfight, and money is stolen by the bandits. The leader of the gang, Jed Givens (John Larch), is an acquaintance of Brown, who implicates the fugitive during the subsequent trial. But Brown is court-martialed and booted from the Army. Brown tracks down Givens to restore honor to his name. - 6Anne Baxter, Rory Calhoun, Jeff ChandlerThe Spoilers is a 1955 film directed by Jesse Hibbs, adapted to screen by Oscar Brodney and Charles Hoffman from the novel and play by Rex Beach. The movie is set in Nome, Alaska during the 1898 Gold Rush, with Anne Baxter as Cherry Malotte, Rory Calhoun as Alexander McNamara, and Jeff Chandler as Roy Glennister. The film culminates in a spectacular saloon fistfight between Glennister and McNamara. Film versions also appeared in 1914, 1923, 1930, and 1942. The 1930 and 1942 versions were the only instances of Gary Cooper and John Wayne playing the same role in the same story in two different films; Jeff Chandler portrays the part in this version.
- 7Shelley Winters, Gilbert Roland, Rory CalhounThe Treasure of Pancho Villa is a 1955 western film directed by George Sherman and starring Rory Calhoun, Shelley Winters and Gilbert Roland. The film was shot on location in Mexico.
- 8Rory Calhoun, Nancy Parsons, Paul LinkeVincent Smith (Rory Calhoun) and his sister Ida (Nancy Parsons) run a rural hotel, but they earn most of their cash operating a food stand that specializes in world-famous sausages. After years of success, however, the duo's upstanding brother, Sheriff Bruce (Paul Linke), eventually discovers the grotesque details of his siblings' booming business: Vincent and Ida are actually plumping up their hotel patrons, killing and dismembering them and then grinding them into frankfurters.More Motel Hell
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- 9George Strait, Lesley Ann Warren, Isabel GlasserOne of the biggest stars in country music, Dusty Wyatt Chandler (George Strait) grows disillusioned with the hollow performances and overly produced arena shows he's contractually obligated to play. In an effort to become grounded, Chandler walks away from the spotlight and goes back to the country town of his youth. After finding work at a ranch, he falls for the owner's daughter, Lula Rogers (Lesley Ann Warren). However, his manager (Isabel Glasser) is determined to keep the show going.More Pure Country
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- 10Gene Tierney, Rory Calhoun, Richard BooneWay of a Gaucho is a 1952 American western film directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Gene Tierney, Rory Calhoun and Richard Boone. It was based on a novel by Herbert Childs. The film failed to make a profit on its release. The film portrays the adventures of an Argentine Gaucho, the South American version of the cowboy.
- 11Edward G. Robinson, Lon McCallister, Judith AndersonMeg (Allene Roberts) lives with her adoptive parents, Pete (Edward G. Robinson) and Ellen Morgan (Judith Anderson). When Nath (Lon McCallister), a classmate of Meg's, comes to help on their farm, Pete repeatedly tells Meg and Nath to stay out of the surrounding woods. Out of curiosity, they disobey, and Pete is irate, subsequently hiring Teller (Rory Calhoun) to guard the woods. As Pete's rage devolves into madness, the kids start to discover the dark secrets that are buried in the nearby land.
- 12Rory Calhoun, Lea Massari, George RigaudIl Colosso di Rodi is a 1961 Italian sword and sandal film directed by Sergio Leone. Starring Rory Calhoun, it is a fictional account of the island of Rhodes during its Classical period in the late third century before coming under Roman control, using the Colossus of Rhodes as a backdrop for the story of a war hero who becomes involved in two different plots to overthrow a tyrannical king: one by Rhodian patriots and the other by Phoenician agents. The film was Leone's first work as a credited director, in a genre where he already had worked before. It is perhaps the least known of the eight films he directed, and is notable for being one of only two of these films without an Ennio Morricone score. The film is also notable for its unusual time period: The time following Alexander the Great’s death but before the rise of the Roman empire, known as the Hellenistic era. Most sword-and-sandal epics of the 1950s and 1960s were set in either the earlier Greek empire or the later Roman period. The only other films made during the peplum era to use a Hellenistic setting are Hannibal, Revak the Rebel and Siege of Syracuse.
- 13Dan Dailey, Anne Baxter, Rory CalhounThe daughter of a railroad executive, Kit Dodge Jr. (Anne Baxter) is a no-nonsense gunslinger, but she finds that she could use a little help when she has to compete with Dakota (Rory Calhoun), the ruthless representative of a stagecoach company. Handsome and smooth-talking traveling salesman Johnny Behind-the-Deuces (Dan Dailey) turns out to be just the ally that she needs, as she attempts to defeat Dakota in a race that pits train against stagecoach.
- 14
Apache Uprising
DeForest Kelley, Lon Chaney, Jr.Apache Uprising is a 1965 western film written by Max Lamb and Harry Sanford and directed by R.G. Springsteen. - 15Walter Brennan, Jay Silverheels, Rory CalhounFour Guns to the Border is a 1954 western film directed by Richard Carlson.
- 16Susan Hayward, William Lundigan, Rory CalhounMethodist minister William Thompson (William Lundigan) moves to a rural town in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia with his wife, Mary Elizabeth (Susan Hayward). The townspeople are skeptical about the new preacher, and Mary Elizabeth has a difficult time adjusting to life in the mountains after growing up in the city. But as William helps his congregation through difficult times, including a deadly epidemic, he proves himself to be a passionate and reliable pastor.
- 17
The Big Caper
Rory Calhoun, James Gregory, Mary CostaThe Big Caper is a 1957 film noir movie based on the 1955 pulp novel of the same name by Lionel White. It was directed by Robert Stevens and stars Rory Calhoun, Mary Costa and James Gregory - 18
Black Spurs
DeForest Kelley, Linda Darnell, Lon ChaneyBlack Spurs is a 1965 western film written by Steve Fisher and directed by R.G. Springsteen. - 19Betty Grable, Macdonald Carey, Rory CalhounFrustrated by the perception that her producer husband, Jeff Ames (Macdonald Carey), is solely responsible for her success, Broadway star Delilah Lee (Betty Grable) is further infuriated when Jeff agrees with the assessment. Antagonized to also learn that sexy Gloria Carstairs (Lois Andrews) is backing their new show, Delilah accuses Jeff of infidelity and files for divorce. The couple continue quarreling after the decree is issued -- until Delilah is struck by a strange case of amnesia.
- 20Rhonda Fleming, Alan Napier, Rory CalhounAdventure Island is a 1947 American South Seas action/adventure film shot in Cinecolor and directed by Sam Newfield for Paramount Pictures' Pine-Thomas Productions--one of the few times director Newfield worked for a major studio--and starring Rory Calhoun and Rhonda Fleming. This film is a remake of the silent film Ebb Tide and the film Ebb Tide, all based on the novel of the same name by Robert Louis Stevenson and his stepson Lloyd Osbourne.
- 21Susan Hayward, Rory Calhoun, David WayneAfter landing a job singing on the radio, Jane Froman (Susan Hayward) marries musical accompanist Don Ross (David Wayne). Under Don's management, Jane rises to stardom and is invited to perform for the troops during World War II. En route, her plane goes down, leaving Jane with serious leg injuries. While on the mend, Jane begins a romance with John Burn (Rory Calhoun), a wounded military pilot. She intends to return to singing, but with two men in her heart, life is ever more complicated.
- 22
The Looters
Rory Calhoun, John Stephenson, Bess FlowersThe Looters is a 1955 adventure film written by Paul Schneider and directed by Abner Biberman. - 23
Flight to Hong Kong
Dolores Donlon, Rory Calhoun, Werner KlempererFlight to Hong Kong is a 1956 film directed by Joseph M. Newman. - 24
Smokey and the Judge
Rory Calhoun, Wayde Preston, Darrow IgusSmokey and the Judge is a 1980 action and comedy film written by Harry Hope, Dan Seeger and Stanley E. Foster and directed by Dan Seeger. - 25Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall, Betty GrableSchatze Page, Loco Dempsey and Pola Debevoise (Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe) are three women on a mission: They all want to marry a millionaire. To accomplish this task, they move into a fancy New York City apartment and begin courting the city's elite. They have no problem meeting rich men, but unfortunately most of them turn out to be creeps or cons. Eventually they must decide: Is a life of luxury more important to them than finding true love?
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- 26Betsy Russell, Ossie Davis, Ross HagenAvenging Angel is a 1985 film directed by Robert Vincent O'Neill and written by Robert Vincent O'Neill with Joseph Michael Cala. The movie is a sequel to 1984's Angel and was followed by the 1988 film Angel III: The Final Chapter and Angel 4: Undercover. It was a box-office failure, as were the other two. Rory Calhoun claimed Donna Wilkes did not reprise the role she had originated because the producers refused to pay her the salary she wanted. The film is rated R in U.S. for adult language, violence, and nudity.
- 27Lon Chaney, Jr., Virginia MayoYoung Fury is a 1965 American Western film directed by Christian Nyby and written by Steve Fisher. The film stars Rory Calhoun, Virginia Mayo, William Bendix, Lon Chaney Jr., Richard Arlen and John Agar. The film was released in February 1965, by Paramount Pictures.
- 28Stuart Whitman, Janet Leigh, Rory CalhounArizona rancher Cole Hillman (Rory Calhoun), dealing with massive rabbit overpopulation on his land, calls on a local college president, Elgin Clark (DeForest Kelley), to help him. In order to humanely resolve the matter, Elgin brings in researchers Roy (Stuart Whitman) and Gerry Bennett (Janet Leigh), who inject the rabbits with chemicals. However, they fail to anticipate the consequences of their actions. A breed of giant mutant rabbits emerges and starts killing every human in sight.More Night of the Lepus
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- 29Roddy Piper, William Smith, Rory CalhounHell Comes to Frogtown is a 1987 cult film that was created by Donald G. Jackson. The screenplay for this film was written by Jackson and Randall Frakes. The film was directed by Jackson and R. J. Kizer, and stars the professional wrestler Roddy Piper.
- 30John Ratzenberger, Rory Calhoun, Roberts BlossomDeranged is a Canadian-American horror film made in 1974 and directed by Alan Ormsby and Jeff Gillen. It is also known by the title Deranged: The Confessions of a Necrophile in the USA. It is a low-budget movie that has since become something of a cult film and is based on the life of Ed Gein. The title is, however, misleading since Ed Gein never experimented with necrophilia; although a necrophile is also defined as "an obsessive fascination with death and corpses."