Panhandle (1948)
Director:
Lesley Selander
Writers:
John C. Champion (story), Blake Edwards (story)Stars:
Rod Cameron, Cathy Downs, Reed HadleyRegarded by some film buffs as the best of director Leslie Selander's many westerns, Panhandle stars Rod Cameron as an ex-lawman turned gunslinger. He hopes to bury his past and homestead in Texas, but his plans change when his newspaper-reporter brother (John Champion) is killed. Reluctantly, Cameron buckles on his gun belt and heads out for retribution against crooked gambler Reed Hadley. Making his screenwriting debut, Blake Edwards (who also coproduced the film and played a small supporting role) does his best to steer free of cliches, structuring his script in the manner of the detective stories Edwards had been churning out for radio. No mere B picture, Panhandle was permitted to unspool at an "A" length of 84 minutes. To further assure audience approval, Blake Edwards rewrote the ending, in which hero Rod Cameron had originally been killed off.
