The Dirty Five Out West

In the final days of the U.S. Civil War, the Confederate Army needs to stop a stagecoach carrying an enemy spy from reaching Washington, D.C. With soldiers in short supply, the Confederates pardon five convicts whose "skills"--they're all killers--make them uniquely qualified to accomplish the mission. In addition to capturing or killing the spy, the ruthless ex-cons are tasked with retrieving $30,000 for the South's coffers.

The quintet consists of: a gambler (Mike "Touch" Connors); a sociopath and his older brother (Jonathan Haze and R. Wright Campbell); a cattleman (Paul Birch); and an outlaw (John Lund), who becomes the group's de facto leader. Amid much bickering, alliances are secretly forged among the men as they make their way to a stagecoach station near an abandoned mining town. Once there, they encounter a young attractive woman (Dorothy Malone), who runs the station with her boozing uncle. Jealously quickly pits the killers against each other as they await the stage.

Made in 1955 for a paltry $60,000, Five Guns West marked the directorial debut of maverick filmmaker Roger Corman. The former Stanford University-educated engineer wasn't new to the film business. By the mid-1950s, Corman had produced three films and decided he could save money by directing his own movies. 

Five Guns West is a textbook example of how to make a film on a shoestring budget. Other than a few extras, there are only seven characters--limiting the costs of cast salaries. Most of the action takes place outdoors, so few sets were required. The Indians, mentioned several times as a threat to the mission, appear only via stock footage.

Dorothy Malone.

The only two "stars" in Five Guns West are John Lund and Dorothy Malone. After some lead roles in "A" films such as The Mating Season (1952), Lund's career had already begun a slow decline. In contrast, Dorothy Malone had forged a solid career, though she was unhappy with her parts. Corman once said that he was only able to hire her because she fired her agent and took a reduced salary. Determined to change her image, Malone died her hair blonde and sought more challenging roles. The year following Five Guns West, she co-starred in Written on the Wind (1956)--and won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Paul Birch and Mike Connors.

Despite their star status in Five Guns West, Lund and Malone fail to generate much drama on the screen. Supporting player Mike Connors--billed as Touch Connors--steals the film as a charismatic gambler more interested in the $30,000 than Malone's fetching heroine. Veteran actor Paul Birch is also convincing in his few scenes as one of the five. Birch appeared in several Corman films and later had a recurring role on The Fugitive TV series as Captain Carpenter, Lieutenant's Gerard's superior in the police department.

Given its budget limitations, Five Guns West is a watchable Western reminiscent of the later fact-based blockbuster The Dirty Dozen (1967). The opening scenes on the trail are well-written and hint of a tight drama of internal friction. However, that initial promise gives way to a conventional tale once the five reach the stagecoach station. Still, it gets bonus points for an imaginative shoot-out between Lund and Wright in the crawl space of the station's house.

The Case of the Perry Mason Substitutes

With 271 cases over nine seasons, it’s safe to say that Perry Mason was television’s most successful attorney. I’m not even counting Perry’s court appearances in the “revival” made-for-TV movies nor the 1973-74  New Perry Mason TV series (with Monte Markham taking over for Raymond Burr). Yet, out of those 271 cases on the original series, six of them were won by lawyers other than Perry!

Raymond Burr did not appear in four consecutive episodes in the 1962-63 season and was missing in two more during the 1964-65 season. (Note that some of these episodes included brief scenes of Perry talking with other lawyers from his hospital bed—scenes that Burr filmed before his hiatus.) The reason given for his first absence was “minor surgery.” Some sources, such as Raymond Burr: A Film, Radio, and Television Biography, state that the surgery was to remove intestinal polyps. Other sources (e.g., Encyclopedia of Television Law Shows) maintain that this explanation has never been confirmed. Burr’s absences during the 1964-65 season were attributed to infected teeth (according to Associated Press columnist Cynthia Lowry) and an unspecified illness. Fatigue may have played a role as well, since Burr averaged almost 30 episodes during each of the show’s nine years. A full season order these days for a prime time series is 24 episodes.

Here are the six Perry Mason episodes without Raymond Burr:

Bette Davis visits a client.

The Case of Constant Doyle (Season 6 Episode 16)– Bette Davis plays Constant (not Constance) Doyle, a recently widowed attorney who defends a young man (Michael Parks) accused of breaking into a factory and assaulting a night watchman.

The Case of the Libelous Locket (S6 E17) – Law school professor Edward Lindley (Michael Rennie) takes on the case of student Janie Norland (Patricia Manning), who thinks she killed someone, gets blackmailed, and then is arrested for a real murder. Professor Lindley’s attitude toward trial attorneys must have amused Perry: “Someone once said, if you could cross a parrot with a jackass, you’d have the perfect trial lawyer.” This episode also guest-starred Patrice Wymore, Errol Flynn’s widow.

Hugh O'Brian knew about the law...
from his days as TV's Wyatt Earp.

The Case of the Two-Faced Turn-a-bout (S6 E18)- Hugh O'Brian stars as playboy lawyer Bruce Jason, who defends a political refugee in a homicide case brimming with international intrigue. Interestingly, O’Brien also plays another character in this episode (no spoilers here!).

The Case of the Surplus Suitor (S6 E19) – Corporate lawyer Sherman Hatfield (Walter Pidgeon) defends an indecisive young woman (Joyce Bulifant), who is accused of murdering her wealthy uncle. Alas, this subpar outing wastes Pidgeon’s talents.

Mike Connors a few years later as Mannix.

The Case of the Bullied Bowler (S8 E7)- Paul Drake takes a (well-earned) vacation and visits the town of Tesoro with attorney friend Joe Kelly (Mike Connors). A powerful woman tries to close the bowling alley owned by Paul’s friend Bill Jaris. When a health inspector is murdered, Bill becomes the prime suspect. The Perry Mason producers were impressed with Connors. When Raymond Burr hesitated on returning for season 9, Connors was allegedly considered as a replacement attorney. Of course, he later found TV fame in his own long-running private eye series Mannix (1967-75).

The Case of the Thermal Thief (S8 E16) -  Only recently returning to law practice, Ken Kramer (Barry Sullivan) gets involved in a complex case involving a stolen necklace and the death of a wealthy yachtsman four years earlier. Sullivan does a fine job in an above-average episode—he should have gotten his own lawyer show! It’s interesting to note that Kramer doesn't get a courtroom confession at the episode’s climax; it takes place offscreen.