More Dead Than Alive (1969)
101 mins | Western | 15 January 1969
Director:
Robert SparrWriter:
George SchenckProducer:
Hal KleinCinematographer:
Jack MarquetteEditor:
John SchreyerProduction Designer:
J. Arthur LoelProduction Company:
Aubrey Schenck EnterprisesPrincipal photography began 3 Jun 1968, according to a 7 Jun 1968 DV production chart. Three days into filming, U.S. senator and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy died after being shot by an assassin at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. A news brief in the 12 Jun 1968 DV revealed that lead actress Anne Francis was despondent over the event, but still reported for work to play a scene in which her character’s husband was killed in a similar manner. The 19 Jun 1968 issue described another sequence, filmed over a two-day period, in which actors Clint Walker and Mike Henry engaged in a staged fight using fists, pitchforks, and pump handles, while crashing through “railings, doors, windows and assorted props,” a stark contrast to the current trend toward reducing screen violence.
Also among the cast were Harry Lauter (18 Jun 1968 DV), Wayne Taylor, and Ron Heller (28 Jun 1968 DV). The 11 Jun 1968 issue noted that 300 background actors were required for a “prison-break sequence.” According to the 5 Jun 1968 DV, the film marked the motion picture singing debut of former exotic dancer Beverly Powers.
The 8 Jul 1968 DV noted that filming was completed three days earlier.
More Dead than Alive opened 15 Jan 1969 in Los Angeles, and on 30 Apr 1969 in New York City. Reviews were lukewarm, with the 15 Jan 1969 LAT and 1 May 1969 NYT highlighting co-star Paul Hampton’s awkward performance as a major weakness. ...
Principal photography began 3 Jun 1968, according to a 7 Jun 1968 DV production chart. Three days into filming, U.S. senator and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy died after being shot by an assassin at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. A news brief in the 12 Jun 1968 DV revealed that lead actress Anne Francis was despondent over the event, but still reported for work to play a scene in which her character’s husband was killed in a similar manner. The 19 Jun 1968 issue described another sequence, filmed over a two-day period, in which actors Clint Walker and Mike Henry engaged in a staged fight using fists, pitchforks, and pump handles, while crashing through “railings, doors, windows and assorted props,” a stark contrast to the current trend toward reducing screen violence.
Also among the cast were Harry Lauter (18 Jun 1968 DV), Wayne Taylor, and Ron Heller (28 Jun 1968 DV). The 11 Jun 1968 issue noted that 300 background actors were required for a “prison-break sequence.” According to the 5 Jun 1968 DV, the film marked the motion picture singing debut of former exotic dancer Beverly Powers.
The 8 Jul 1968 DV noted that filming was completed three days earlier.
More Dead than Alive opened 15 Jan 1969 in Los Angeles, and on 30 Apr 1969 in New York City. Reviews were lukewarm, with the 15 Jan 1969 LAT and 1 May 1969 NYT highlighting co-star Paul Hampton’s awkward performance as a major weakness. The picture received an “M” rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), and an “A-3” rating from the Legion of Decency.
Sources claim that some location scenes filmed at Vasquez Rocks in Agua Dulce, CA.
In the 1890's four desperadoes headed by Luke Santee attempt to free Luke's younger brother from the Arizona Territorial Prison. When the break is thwarted by Cain, a man serving 18 years for the killing of a marshal, Luke vows revenge on Cain. After his release from prison, Cain finds that there is no place in the new, less violent West for professional gunfighters. Refusing an offer to appear as a sharpshooter in a traveling sideshow owned by Ruffalo, Cain takes a job driving a supply wagon but is ambushed by the Santee gang, beaten up, and left for dead in a ghost town. After being nursed back to health by Monica Alton, an artist from the East, he reluctantly signs on with Ruffalo and is billed as "Killer" Cain, the outlaw with 12 notches in his gun. Now he finds that he has incurred the angry jealousy of young Billy Eager, the former star of the show. Bothered by Billy's attempts to provoke a gunfight and annoyed when his old enemy Linus Carson tries to make him draw his gun, Cain leaves the show, encounters Monica at a rundown ranch, and stays to help her fix up the place. Meanwhile, Billy Eager goes berserk and murders Ruffalo but is himself killed by Luke Santee. After aiding in the apprehension of Luke, Cain marries Monica and settles down to raise cattle on their ranch. A short time later, lawyer Rafe Karma appears, opens a briefcase, pulls out a gun and kills Cain, claiming that, years before, Cain had killed his ...
In the 1890's four desperadoes headed by Luke Santee attempt to free Luke's younger brother from the Arizona Territorial Prison. When the break is thwarted by Cain, a man serving 18 years for the killing of a marshal, Luke vows revenge on Cain. After his release from prison, Cain finds that there is no place in the new, less violent West for professional gunfighters. Refusing an offer to appear as a sharpshooter in a traveling sideshow owned by Ruffalo, Cain takes a job driving a supply wagon but is ambushed by the Santee gang, beaten up, and left for dead in a ghost town. After being nursed back to health by Monica Alton, an artist from the East, he reluctantly signs on with Ruffalo and is billed as "Killer" Cain, the outlaw with 12 notches in his gun. Now he finds that he has incurred the angry jealousy of young Billy Eager, the former star of the show. Bothered by Billy's attempts to provoke a gunfight and annoyed when his old enemy Linus Carson tries to make him draw his gun, Cain leaves the show, encounters Monica at a rundown ranch, and stays to help her fix up the place. Meanwhile, Billy Eager goes berserk and murders Ruffalo but is himself killed by Luke Santee. After aiding in the apprehension of Luke, Cain marries Monica and settles down to raise cattle on their ranch. A short time later, lawyer Rafe Karma appears, opens a briefcase, pulls out a gun and kills Cain, claiming that, years before, Cain had killed his father.
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