It’s not getting easier, watching the A.C.Lyles 1960s westerns. Despite the good casts, the scripts continue to let them down.
In HOSTILE GUNS, George Montgomery is Gid McCool , a sheriff who is collecting and transporting prisoners to prison in Huntsville.
Having got a local carpenter to build a special rig, and having hired Mike Reno (Tab Hunter) , McCool picks up the first prisoners from Marshal Willett (Brian Donlevy) .
George Montgomery,Brian Donlevy.
The prisoners include Angel (Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez) – who has stolen some goats. Angel is upbeat about going to prison. He wants to learn to be a cook there.
Hank Pleasant (Leo Gordon) isn’t looking forward to the trip – he is due to hang.
Tab Hunter, Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez,Richard Arlen, George Montgomery.
George Montgomery , Tab Hunter
It’s half an hour into the trip before Yvonne de Carlo appears, as another prisoner who has been convicted of murder.
The prison wagon.
Leo Gordon, Tab Hunter, Yvonne De Carlo
Yvonne de Carlo, Tab Hunter.
John Russell plays Leo Gordon’s brother , who, with James Craig, aims to free Gordon.
It’s sad to see Richard Arlen get only one short scene. Brian Donlevy’s role amounts to a couple of scenes near the start of the film.
Emile Meyer and Don Barry also gets one scene and are then never seen again.
The number of fights reached a new level in this film – I counted 4. They felt as if they were just part of filling the time. I don’t know why these obvious ‘B’ westerns had to run 90 minutes.
Yvonne de Carlo is completely wasted. Montgomery and Hunter have the main roles and perform well. Leo Gordon is always good.
i would have preferred a plot with Brian Donlevy and Richard Arlen in the leads! Two older lawmen struggling to get their prisoners delivered to prison.
Vienna's Classic Hollywood 
Stretching out material to fill artificially inflated running times is never a good idea. A decade earlier filmmakers had no issues with producing hour and quarter long movies when the occasion demanded it.
I still applaud A.C.Lyles for employing so many veteran performers, but you’re right, the running times are inflated.
Maybe the production timetables didn’t allow for more time for the writers to come up with better stories. Or, it could be argued, Mr. Lyles didn’t worry too much about the quality .
Nice write up and photo gallery,better than the
film deserves,actually.
I love your Donlevy/Arlen idea-could have worked but
possibly more of a comedy.
Thank God Lyles never persuaded his friend Joel McCrea
to appear in one of these things.
Of the veteran Western stars around at the time only Rod Cameron
and Jock Mahoney seem absent from the Lyles films.
Guy Madison and Lex Barker,of course, were making a small
fortune churning out Euro Westerns (among other genres)
at the time.
I’d have preferred Mahoney or Cameron to using Howard Keel three times.
I wholeheartedly agree with your above comment. I saw most of these A.C. Lyles westerns for the screen presence of these veteran idols who were past their prime. Best regards.
Glad you agree. I missed Lon Chaney in this one.