The Hired Gun (1957)

A Texas woman (Anne Francis) accused of murdering her husband escapes from jail with the help of a family friend (Chuck Connors) to New Mexico. When New Mexico refuses to extradite her, the murdered man's father (John Litel) hires a gunslinger (Rory Calhoun) to bring her back. Directed by Ray Nazarro, this economical B&W western shot in CinemaScope is a programmer that has the feel of an episode from a western TV series. It's padded out to feature length with superfluous things like an Indian attack but it's a moderately enjoyable mid range western that turned a modest profit when released 60 years ago. Surprisingly, the film doesn't attempt a romance between Calhoun and Francis. Instead it concentrates on the gunslinger letting his guard down and open to a human connection instead of acting the professional mercenary. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone except western buffs. With Vince Edwards and Robert Burton.