The Man From Galveston (1963)

A lawyer (Jeffrey Hunter) for the roving circuit courts finds himself defending an old flame (Joanna Moore) on a murder charge. Directed by actor turned director William Conrad (BRAINSTORM). This originally was a television pilot for the series that eventually became TEMPLE HOUSTON which lasted one season. The pilot differs somewhat from the TV series including changing the name of the lead character from Timothy Higgins to Temple Houston. The pilot was never aired so Warner Brothers decided to play it in movie theatres. As a film, it plays like an hour long episode of a TV series. It's moderately enjoyable if predictable if you like westerns but you can see why the TV show failed. It can't seem to make up its mind if it wants to be a comedy western or a dramatic western and the two elements never quite jell. With James Coburn, Preston Foster, Ed Nelson, Edward Andrews, Martin West and Grace Lee Whitney.