Russell Rouse directed this black and white Western, starring Glenn Ford, Jeanne Crain, and Broderick Crawford.
The tale, penned by Rouse and Frank Gilroy, was based on the March 30, 1954 episode of “The United States Steel Hour,” directed by Alex Segal starring Harry Bellaver and Royal Dano.
Ford plays George Kelby Jr., son of a notorious fast-drawing sheriff, who alongside with his wife Dora (Crain) settle down in the town of Cross Creek as the owner of a general store under assumed identities to avoid having to face men out to become famous for shooting down the “fastest gun alive.”
Now known as George Temple, he becomes a mild-mannered teetotalling shopkeeper, little respected by the other townsfolk, who perceive him as a “ribbon clerk.”
Crawford plays outlaw Vinnie Harold, rumored to have gunned down Clint Fallon (Walter Coy), the “fastest draw in the west.” George listens quietly to the townsmen talk about Wyatt Earp, Wes Hardin, and other “fast guns.”