Arizona Bushwhackers (1968)

You won't be disappointed!

the audience applauded

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

There's a reason why the western genre has, on the whole, died out. They were made ad nauseum from the 1940s-1970s and there were infinitely more "typical westerns" than good ones, so the public got tired of them. Yours truly is not a fan of westerns. They have to be really exciting-or have a serious amount of eye candy-for me to enjoy watching them. Therefore, you understand why I took a chance on Arizona Bushwackers, a western starring the hunky Howard Keel. Unless you're desperately in love with him, you'll probably want to skip this one. John Ireland was supposed to be a one-armed sheriff, but he just had the end of his sleeve sewn into his trouser pocket, and both sturdy shoulders were clearly visible. Yvonne De Carlo tried to give a Jane Russell impression, and Marilyn Maxwell tried to give an Yvonne De Carlo impression. The townsmen with only one or two lines seemed like they either weren't actors or had gone to the John Wayne school of acting. Howard Keel seemed to be mirroring the audience's thoughts, wondering why he was stuck in such a bad movie when he was once king of the 1950s musical genre. Plus, I know the title had an actual meaning at the time, but nowadays, it's way too dated to take seriously.

Actually, wearing a blindfold during a sitting for this movie seems like a pretty good idea given how lifeless it is. When you see it's produced by A.C. Lyles then realistic expectations are needed, his low budget Westerns grabbed the aged coat tails of a genre that had moved onto a different plain than the one Lyles now traversed. Lyles was astute enough to fill out these Oaters with names familiar to genre fans, regardless of the advent of time or box office appeal, so some interest in the said picture was there from the off. Some of these Westerns rose above their budget limitations to be better than average, the likes of Johnny Reno, Waco and Stage to Thunder Rock, while not essential Western viewings, are good time wasters for the undemanding fan. The trouble with Arizona Bushwhackers is that it promises so much more than it can ever deliver. Proudly it tells us that it's in Technicolor and Techniscope, and it stars Howard Keel, Yvonne De Carlo, John Ireland, Marilyn Maxwell, Scott Brady, Brian Donlevy, Barton MacLane and James Craig. Hell! The opening narration is even by one James Cagney. And with a plot involving spies and gun runners in the town of Colton, where Union and Confederate operatives dwell, it's all in place for some solid "B" entertainment. Unfortunately it's a lame duck once Caggers has finished his narration.Story limps on as the various citizens of Colton potter around wondering about who is trustworthy? Who will get caught out? Who will survive? And isn't it about time the Indians showed up? The actors, bless em', give it a good go, shuffling about in some sort of one- take wonderland, while director Lesley Selander tries hard to beef up the plot with the odd action scene; including a fight between two one armed men that I'm pretty sure isn't meant to be funny. It all builds to a hopelessly weak finale where the Indians do indeed turn up and they file in for cannon fodder duties. The colour photography is washed out, the scenic locations barely realised, and the musical score is 101 rank and file. Lifeless all told and only fans of the fading stars should seek this out so as to tick off of their completist lists. 3/10

I saw this as a "sneak preview" before "The Odd Couple". Although there were several decent actors in it, "Arizona Bushwhackers" was so laughably awful that it got almost as many laughs as the main feature.It wasn't intended to be funny.I admit I don't remember much about it in specific except that there was a character who was supposed to have only one arm, but you could VERY clearly see his supposedly missing limb under his sleeve.I really wouldn't suggest seeing this at all, much less sober, unless you're putting on a Worst Films Ever Festival. Seriously, this movie stinks on ice.

Arizona Bushwackers was the last of three B westerns that Howard Keel made during the Sixties. He also did Waco and Red Tomahawk. He also appeared in support of John Wayne and Kirk Douglas in the acclaimed War Wagon. This film ain't no war wagon.It's not horribly bad film, Arizona Bushwackers, it's just a very tired one. A lot of hackneyed clichés jammed into the 90+ minutes of the running time. Howard Keel plays a former Confederate who earns a pardon from the Union Army and an out from a federal prison by agreeing to join the Union Army, but serve in the western frontier as opposed to the war in the east.Keel even rates a special job as sheriff of a lawless Arizona town called Colton after mayor Brian Donlevy calls for help. Saloon owner Scott Brady and partner Marilyn Maxwell like the wide open town that Colton is and don't cotton to no law and order.In fact Keel himself has never really forgotten his rebel roots and has been biding for time to pull something off.All these plot strands get themselves resolved in one of the dumbest Indian attacks I've ever seen staged on film. The once popular players set themselves all around with various weaponry on either side of the main street and the Indians ride by and just keep getting picked off.Others in Arizona Bushwackers include Barton MacLane, Yvonne DeCarlo, James Craig, and John Ireland. It's a regular convention of movie names who hit their peaks during the forties and fifties. It's also the farewell film of director Lesley Selander who did just about a gazillion B westerns in his day.No matter how dumb the film, it's nice to see all these stars together in one film. And the opening narration is given by a bigger movie name than all of these who did the off camera speech as a favor to his friend, producer A.C. Lyles.For nostalgia fans only.