bkoganbing There seems to be a lot of the same kind of people that inhabit the town that Hugh O'Brian is the sheriff of as there were in High Noon where Gary Cooper was the law. O'Brian gets about the same amount and kind of support that Cooper did.The Brass Legend has Sheriff O'Brian getting a tip from young Donald MacDonald that notorious outlaw Raymond Burr is in the area and keeping company with a lewd saloon woman Rebecca Welles. Before they get down to business O'Brian has the drop on Burr.Well by God this is not according to the code of the west where you're supposed to face the bad guy down and maybe get killed. Bad enough that Welles believes it and makes no secret about it, but half the town thinks like she does and thinks that Burr got a raw deal. Further they don't like that O'Brian tried to keep young MacDonald's name out of it thinking that one of Burr's friends might want to shoot the snitch even if he's 12 years old. Sure enough a particular low life specimen does.O'Brian is a stalwart hero in the mold of Wyatt Earp whom he just started playing on television. Burr is always an interesting villain and Welles as the vengeful saloon woman is fascinating.The Brass Legend a good B western, fans of O'Brian and Burr will not be disappointed.

gdonner The only person who should have been shot in this movie is the writer. From a sheriff who sends a murderer to town under the auspices of his girl friend, to a father who has no regard for the safety of his son, this movie is ripe for some very rotten tomatoes.The dialog adds nothing, and the actors can't save the plot and keep the viewer's interest.By comparison, "Plan 9 from Outer Space" is at least humorous and entertaining. Would love to see this served on a platter to Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo.Don't waste your time on this when there are good westerns out there worth watching.

classicsoncall With Raymond Burr forever etched in the minds of TV watchers as lawyer Perry Mason, it's somewhat uncharacteristic to see him toting a handgun as the main heavy in a sagebrush yarn like "The Brass Legend". He looks the part too, all gruff and unruly, and perhaps with a girth I hadn't noticed before. Hugh O'Brian looks just right for the part of a sheriff, whether here as Wade Addams, or as the lead character in "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp". Can you believe that series is over fifty years old?For a Western that follows a fairly standard formula, director Gerd Oswald provides some interesting scenes that were never staples of the genre. Like young Tom Gipson (Robert Burton) getting shot off his horse, or how about that fancy showdown in the saloon when the Sheriff takes out all three Barlow brothers? That scene came off as totally realistic, vindicating Addams' tarnished reputation in bringing outlaw Tris Hatten (Burr) to justice in the first place. Even the ending was done differently, instead of your standard showdown in the middle of a dusty street, you have both antagonists riding toward each other like jousting knights, but with guns blazing instead. There seemed to be just the right amount of satisfaction in Hatten's dying breath as he figures he outlived the hangman.But you know, I keep wondering about one scene. How many takes do you think it required for Burr to find his mark when he threw his holstered gun against the wall?

bux O'Brian is the town sheriff (just like on TV) attempting to keep peace, and in so doing, must remove Burr. Good cast in a better-than-average plot bring this picture to an exciting duel on horseback. Burr's death scene is memorable.