A Man Called Gannon (1968)

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

a western. with the ambition to be more than one of ordinaries examples of genre. and this desire is far to be extravagant. because it propose a seductive story of lost, friendship, form of fatherhood and spirit of youth. and the great surprise remains Anthony Franciosa who has the best occasion to do a role in which the nuances are real important. Michael Sarrazin gives , more than a credible character, a lovely portrait of an age. it is a special story. about success and grow up, about love and seduction, about illusions and lost causes, about heroism and about ...women and the force who defines the words. short, more than a good western. because the classic story has deep roots. and an inspired director.

James Goldstone made several big-screen movies and none of them seemed to connect. He also made a number of made-for-television movies. Who knows why he decided to remake King Vidor's "Man without a Star" with Kirk Douglas as a guitar-strumming cowpoke. Incredibly, "A Man Called Gannon" is as good as the Vidor film. The only objectionable element is the vocals that add nothing to this atmospheric oater about a veteran ranch hand and a tenderfoot from Philadelphia. The supporting cast is as strong as the two leads, Anthony Anthony Franciosa and Michael Sarrazin (two actors that I have never cared for), and John Anderson, Gavin MacLeod, James Westerfield, Eddie Firestone, David Sheiner, and let's not forget the gals: Judi West as a love-starved ranch owner and Susan Oliver as a soiled dove saloon prostitute. This is a beautifully lensed sagebrusher that doesn't appear to rely on previous shot footage, which Universal Studios had a nasty habit of falling back on in a pinch. First and foremost, "A Man Called Gannon" is a horse opera about cattlemen, barbed wire, and morality. This isn't a snappy Spaghetti western with a catchy title tune, gunplay galore, and men wearing six-gun every conceivable way on their hips, legs, armpits, bellies, etc. This is a believable, low-key, oater that draws on the strongest element in any movie or novel—solid characterization.

I suppose somewhere there's someone who could tell your fortune by the way the spaghetti lays on your plate. Personally, I'd rather just eat the stuff. This is a western about water rights, barbed wire, cowhands and people who want to be cowhands, and women who want to love them, use them, or leave them. It was made during the V. Nam War and some would read into it more than is there. It's a western; I've seen better, I've seen worse. This ones not bad. Tony Francioso (Gannon) is awakened by a telegraph crew running the wire through his camp, and rides off as the credits roll to Dave Gruisins score and a song I haven't been able to get out of my head in 45 yrs, "A Smile, a Memory, and One Spare Shirt." Francioso and Sarrazin play master and pupil, and this rehashed horse opera moves along with a cast of familiar faces who do a yeoman job of one more western. Having seen the original, "Man Without a Star", I think Kirk Douglas overplays the part and Tony gives a more suitable, understated performance. It will surprise some and disappoint others, depends on your tastes and if its raining or not. But if it comes up on the tube, its worth a look. Either it catches you or it doesn't. I found it oddly compelling. The tune has stayed in my head a long time.

A watered- down remake of 1955's "Man Without a Star." And this one lacks the 'star' power (Kirk Douglas) of the original. The routine stroy of mentor and young tender-foot seems just that-routine. Franciosa lacks the 'chutzpa' to bring this one off...watch the original instead.