The first bullet hits

Movie
German title	The first bullet hits
Original title	The Fastest Gun Alive
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	1956
length	89 minutes
Age rating	FSK 12
Rod
Director	Russell Rouse
script	Frank D. Gilroy Russell Rouse
production	Clarence Greene
music	André Previn
camera	George J. Folsey
cut	Harry V. Knapp Ferris Webster
occupation
Glenn Ford : George Temple / George Kelby, Jr. Jeanne Crain : Dora Temple Broderick Crawford : Vinnie Harold Russ Tamblyn : Eric Doolittle Allyn Joslyn : Harvey Maxwell Leif Erickson : Lou Glover John Dehner : Taylor Swope Noah Beery Jr .: Dink Wells JM Kerrigan : Kevin McGovern Rhys Williams : Brian Tibbs Virginia Gregg : Rose Tibbs Chubby Johnson : Frank Stringer John Doucette : Ben Buddy William 'Bill' Phillips : Lars Toomey Christopher Olsen : Bobby Tibbs Paul Birch : Sheriff Bill Toledo Florence Ames : Lars Toomey Joseph Sweeney : Reverend Dub Taylor : Nolan Brown

The first bullet hits (Original title: The Fastest Gun Alive ) is an American western directed by Russell Rouse for the MGM production company from 1956 with Glenn Ford , Jeanne Crain and Broderick Crawford in the lead roles. The film is based on a story by Frank D. Gilroy , who also worked on the script.

action

Winnie Harold wanders the Midwest, waiting for someone to challenge his reputation as the fastest shot; someone like that answers, then he defends his reputation. Winnie used to be a peaceable man, but since his wife ran away with a gunslinger, he's been down. One day he comes to Cross Creek. A man with a different quirk lives here. George Temple, the owner of the drug store, suffers from depression that sometimes leads to terrible outbursts of anger.

In one of these fits, he gets drunk insanely and then claims to be the fastest shot in the west. He even proves it with a revolver that he has previously hidden and which has six notches on the handle. George's quirk comes from the fact that he never avenged the murder of his father, a sheriff. He used to be the fastest gunslinger in the Wild West, but was tired of this life and wanted to finally lead a completely normal, peaceful life without being recognized. He solemnly vowed never to attack his gun again and led a leisurely life as a businessman. But after he has revealed in his drunkenness that he is the fastest, the past catches up with him again and, no matter how much he regrets everything and no matter how much he curses the gun, he has to face Winnie, who came to Cross Creek because he had heard that there is a better marksman here than himself. At first George is covered by his fellow citizens, but when Winnie threatens to set fire to the whole town if he does not come to his duel, they change their minds and put massive pressure on George from facing the duel. Under this pressure, George breaks his vow, he puts on the revolver belt, there is an exciting showdown and many shots are fired. Abrupt change of scene. You can now see the tombstone of George Temple, as if it had lost the duel. But then the camera pans to George Temple, who is standing in front of his own grave and you now know that from now on, that he has officially died, he will never again be sought by ambitious gunslingers who want to be faster than the fastest shooter therefore the normal life that is always so much desired is allowed to live with his family.

Reviews

"A little western that breaks the mold with psychologically exact character drawings and good actors."

- Lexicon of international film

"Psychologically sophisticated, carefully staged and peppered with small, amusing surprises (the bizarre dance performance!)."

- Cinema

Production notes

The buildings are by Cedric Gibbons and Merrill Pye . William Tuttle was responsible as a makeup artist, the sets were provided by Fred M. MacLean and Edwin B. Willis . The film was set in Red Rock Canyon State Park - Highway 14, Cantil, California in the USA .

Soundtrack

• André Previn : The Fastest Gun Alive Soundtrack on CD, released by the Film Score Monthly label FSMCD as FSMCD Vol. 7 No. 7 - released June 2004

Web links

• The Fastest Gun Alive in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• The first bullet hits in: Cinema

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The first bullet hits in: Joe Hembus : Das Western-Lexikon - 1567 films from 1894 to today. Wilhelm Heyne Publishing House. Munich. 3rd edition 1995. ISBN 3-453-08121-8 . P. 37
2. ↑ The first bullet hits. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .  
3. ↑ The first bullet hits in: Cinema
4. ↑ The Fastest Gun Alive by André Previn on Soundtrackcollector