mark.waltz Wanted: Butch Cassidy. These signs are all over the wild west and of course, they pop up in Wyoming where ex-con Philip Carey is preparing to return to his hometown to reconnect with his old love Martha Hyer and make a new life while proving he's changed. That won't be easy with Butch and his gang casing the town bank and before the gang is even out of town after the robbery, Carey is being excommunicated once again. Determined to clear his name, Carey infiltrates the gang once again, aiding them in a train robbery which Hyer just happens to be on. Tension between Butch (Gene Evans) and his gang arise over both Carey and Hyer's presence which aids Carey in his efforts to bring the gang down.Easy on the eye and fast moving, this ain't no "High Noon", but Carey is a likable hero. "One Life to Live" fans will delight in seeing the future "Asa Buchannan" (daytime's answer to J.R. Ewing) in the lead role. Of course, the legend of Butch and Sundance (played here by William Bishop) has been told in a far more detailed and better film. There's a great show-down late in the film where the women of the town get together and prove that they are capable of more than just washing the laundry by hand, cooking for their roughneck men and becoming the mothers of future cowboys.

classicsoncall The legend of Butch and Sundance wouldn't have gotten very far if their adventures ended in Broken Bow. Sometimes it would be better if film makers kept the legendary names out of the story and just made up different ones.You had to figure Charlie Veer (Douglas Kennedy) was up to something the first time he showed up in the story. If you've seen enough of these B Westerns, you figure there's some kind of set up along the way to keep the good guy, this time Brady Sutton (Phil Carey), off kilter long enough for the story to play itself out.Here's the question I need answered - when Brady recognized Sundance at the Broken Bow bank and warned Sheriff McVey (Roy Roberts), why would they then move the strongbox with the bank's money over to the jail for safekeeping, only to leave it in an unlocked cell? That just didn't make any sense to me.The story plays out typically enough, as we learn that Veer's a Pinkerton agent, the conflicted Brady remains a good guy (with some coaxing), and the Hole in the Wall Gang really have a Hole in the Wall hideout - at both ends! The biggest surprise of the picture for me however, and I never would have known it if I hadn't checked the full cast and crew credits, was the identity of the simpleton in Cassidy's gang who hid the gold and liked birds. That was Aaron Spelling!! - probably realizing he had a better future on the other side of the camera.

Spikeopath Brady Sutton {Phil Carey}, once a member of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch gang, returns home to Broken Bow after serving three years in jail. Wanting a fresh start, he finds the town are unwilling to believe he has gone straight; only his girlfriend, Nancy Warren, and a stranger, Charlie Veer, are prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. Things turn bad when Cassidy and mob turn up to rob the town bank and Brady is believed to have been part of a set up. Forced to go on the run with Charlie, can Brady clear his name? Or is he destined to forever be an outlaw as part of Cassidy's crew?Directed by Fred F. Sears {Earth vs. the Flying Saucers}, Wyoming Renegades has no stars of note, no real pedigree and a pretty mundane script. It is however enjoyable enough if one can get past the bad acting and the suspend disbelief ending. The story, although a familiar one of a bad guy trying to go good, is just about interesting enough to hold the viewer for the short running time of just under 75 minutes. Putting yet another spin on the Butch Cassidy {Gene Evans, great voice, bad actor} story, the film is at least offering up insight into a gang dynamic. And of course there's a little romantic angle {Martha Hyler solid enough and with nice hair} to keep things spicy in the last quarter. Decent enough location work comes from Iverson Ranch in California and Douglas Kennedy {The Last Wagon} as Veer earns his wages. 5/10

revdrcac This unassuming western tale from 1954 concerns an ex-con who once rode the outlaw trail with Butch Cassidy & the Wild Bunch. Blamed for a new series of crimes, Phil Carey must fight to clear his name and put an end to Cassidy's rash of robberies.Phil Carey has had a long career, starting out in program Westerns after WWII. He is very good in this one, but the script is not especially believable--- sometimes seeming a little too predictable. Veteran character actor Gene Evans hams it up as a greedy Butch Cassidy.This film is routine, with little to recommend it. The casting was interesting, but the finished film fails to blaze any new trails about the legend of Butch Cassidy.