Arizona Bushwhackers

1968 "A Johnny Reb dons a damn yankee uniform to pull the most daring plot of the war in The West"
5| 1h27m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 01 March 1968 Released
Producted By: Paramount
Country:
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

During the Civil War, a Confederate spy takes a job as marshal of a small western town as a cover for his espionage activities. However, he soon finds out that a local businessman is selling weapons to a band of rampaging Indians.

Genre

Western

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Director

Lesley Selander

Production Companies

Paramount

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Arizona Bushwhackers Audience Reviews

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.
SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.
SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."
InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
HotToastyRag There's a reason why the western genre has, on the whole, died out. They were made ad nauseum from the 1940s-1970s and there were infinitely more "typical westerns" than good ones, so the public got tired of them. Yours truly is not a fan of westerns. They have to be really exciting-or have a serious amount of eye candy-for me to enjoy watching them. Therefore, you understand why I took a chance on Arizona Bushwackers, a western starring the hunky Howard Keel. Unless you're desperately in love with him, you'll probably want to skip this one. John Ireland was supposed to be a one-armed sheriff, but he just had the end of his sleeve sewn into his trouser pocket, and both sturdy shoulders were clearly visible. Yvonne De Carlo tried to give a Jane Russell impression, and Marilyn Maxwell tried to give an Yvonne De Carlo impression. The townsmen with only one or two lines seemed like they either weren't actors or had gone to the John Wayne school of acting. Howard Keel seemed to be mirroring the audience's thoughts, wondering why he was stuck in such a bad movie when he was once king of the 1950s musical genre. Plus, I know the title had an actual meaning at the time, but nowadays, it's way too dated to take seriously.
flora68 I saw this as a "sneak preview" before "The Odd Couple". Although there were several decent actors in it, "Arizona Bushwhackers" was so laughably awful that it got almost as many laughs as the main feature.It wasn't intended to be funny.I admit I don't remember much about it in specific except that there was a character who was supposed to have only one arm, but you could VERY clearly see his supposedly missing limb under his sleeve.I really wouldn't suggest seeing this at all, much less sober, unless you're putting on a Worst Films Ever Festival. Seriously, this movie stinks on ice.
MartinHafer Despite the title, this is not a porno film but a geezer western produced by A.C. Lyles--a man who is today nearing his 100th birthday. I say geezer western because Lyles created a niche for himself during the 1960 making a long string of lower-budget westerns that all starred folks who had once been stars. Now, well past their peak, these folks and their very aged co-stars made some decent films. Few were standouts but most were entertaining and offered a last chance to see film favorites. In this case, the three main stars are actually a bit younger than the typical Lyles film of the day, with Howard Keel (49), Yvonne DeCarlo (46) and John Ireland (53). In supporting roles are Brian Donlevy (67), Marilyn Maxwell (48), Barton MacLane (66) and James Cagney (69) narrating. Oddly, some of the usual supporting characters from Lyles' westerns (such as Lon Chaney Junior and Richard Arlen) are absent in this movie.The film begins by explaining that during the Civil War, Confederate soldiers were sometimes offered a chance to enlist in the Union army and were sent out west to protect the settlers. Whether this is actually true, I have no idea--perhaps it's all fabricated or it really occurred--all I know is that if true, this is a rather obscure notion. In the film, naturally, the residents of a small western town are dubious about having a 'Reb' appointed sheriff in their town--after all, would be really care about protecting a bunch of Yankees?! All I know is that the current sheriff (MacLane) sure looks awfully old to be protecting anyone (by the way, in real life, MacLane was dying from cancer and this tended to make him look a lot older).Soon, the Confederate sheriff (Keel) arrives--and is nearly bushwhacked in the process (in other words, some baddies tried to ambush him as he neared the town). The owner of the local saloon sent the men to kill the sheriff--so you know there will be a final showdown between them. In addition, the deputy (Ireland) is very antagnoistic towards his new boss, as he hates Southerners. For a while, it looks like Keel is a needed force for justice. However, you soon discover that he is actually a spy--working for the Confederacy!! What's next? See the film yourself.Overall, this is a decent film but nothing more. Compared to other Lyles westerns, this one is slightly below average--worth seeing but no more. The stars give it a good try but the script isn't all that convincing--nor is the ending. Adequate.By the way, one of the baddies killed was called Ike Clanton. THE Ike Clanton was at the O.K. Corral and actually died in the late 1880s--not during the Civil War.
BrianG This is one of a string of cheap westerns ground out by producer A.C. Lyles in the mid- to late '60s. The only thing they were notable for was that they gave work to faded stars who were otherwise unemployable. Everything about these films was second-rate--the stories were recycled (most of them were written by the same man, Steve Fisher), the photography was usually washed out and at times unsteady (Lyles was not a believer in shooting more than one take) and they looked rushed, which is what they were--they were usually shot in two weeks or less. This one is no different. The only advantage it has over Lyles' other pictures is that the beginning of it is narrated by none other than James Cagney, who did it as a favor to Lyles, a longtime friend. Other than that, this film has absolutely nothing going for it. It's tough to swallow even for diehard western fans like myself. Avoid it.