Terror in a Texas Town (1958)

INFORMATION FROM IMDb

Plot Summary
Sven Hanson is one of a number of farmers whom Ed McNeil wants to run off their land (because he knows there's oil on it). When Hanson is murdered by McNeil's gunman, Johnny Crale, Hanson's friend Pepe Mirada hides his knowledge of the murderer's identity in order to protect his family. When Hanson's son George arrives and takes up his father's cause, not only Mirada but also Johnny Crale begin to reevaluate their attitudes.
Written by Jim Beaver

Cast
Sterling Hayden ... George Hansen
Sebastian Cabot ... McNeil
Carol Kelly ... Molly
Eugene Mazzola ... Pepe (as Eugene Martin)
Nedrick Young ... Crale (as Ned Young)
Victor Millan ... Mirada
Frank Ferguson ... Deacon Matt Holmes
Marilee Earle ... Mona Stacey
Sheb Wooley ... Baxter (uncredited)
and many more...

Directed
Joseph H. Lewis

Writing Credits
Dalton Trumbo ... (written by) (front Ben Perry)
Ben Perry ... (front for Dalton Trumbo) (as Ben L. Perry)

Produced
Carrol Sax ... associate producer
Frank N. Seltzer ... producer

Music
Gerald Fried

Cinematography
Ray Rennahan ... director of photography

Trivia
Nedrick Young, who plays Johnny Crale, actually wrote much of the script, but because he had been blacklisted as a "subversive" during the McCarthy Red Scare period, he was not credited for it.

This was the final feature film for director Joseph H. Lewis. He would spend much of the next decade directing television episodes before retiring from the industry.

Opening credits: The characters and incidents portrayed and the names used herein are fictitious and any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is purely accidental and

Goofs
unknown

Filming Locations
Santa Clarita, California, USA
California, USA
Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
(studio) (studio: produced at Hal Roach Studios)
Melody Ranch - 24715 Oak Creek Avenue, Newhall, California, USA

Watch the Movie

[extendedmedia]

Terror in a Texas Town is a 1958 American Western film directed by
Joseph Lewis starring Sterling Hayden.

The script of Terror in a Texas Town was written by Dalton Trumbo.
Due to Trumbo's status on the Hollywood Blacklist, Ben Perry initially received screenwriting credit.

Director Lewis was set to retire when his friend, the actor Nedrick Young, handed him the script.
Young had been blacklisted and this picture was his chance to get back into the business.
Excited by the script, Lewis agreed to do it because he had nothing to fear
from working with blacklisted artists as this was going to be his last film anyway

User Review

Worth it for the shoot-out
7 March 1999 | by anonymous (Istanbul)

Quote from any

This is the last film from western and crime movie specialist, Lewis. It`s the complete opposite of what you would expect from the title, a slow and character-driven film, beautifully shot in high contrast black and white. Cabot is especially good as a complex and troubled baddie.

#The final shootout comes as a complete surprise (I won`t tell you.) Recommended to Western fans.