| Cahill U.S. Marshal | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| Written by | Barney Slater (story) |
| Screenplay by | Harry Julian Fink Rita M. Fink |
| Produced by | Michael Wayne |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Joseph F. Biroc |
| Edited by | Robert L. Simpson |
| Music by | Elmer Bernstein |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $3,100,000 (US/ Canada rentals)[1] |
Cahill U.S. Marshal is a 1973 AmericanWestern film inTechnicolor[2] starringJohn Wayne as a driven lawman in a black hat. The film was directed byAndrew V. McLaglen[3][4] and filmed on location inDurango, Mexico. The supporting cast featuresGeorge Kennedy,Neville Brand,Marie Windsor,Royal Dano,Denver Pyle,Jackie Coogan,Harry Carey Jr.,Paul Fix andHank Worden.
While J. D. Cahill, a widower andU.S. Marshal, is away from home, his two sons Danny and Billy aid Abe Fraser and his gang to escape temporarily from jail and to rob a bank. The town's sheriff is shot and killed and another townsfolk is knifed and killed during the robbery. Billy hides the stolen money while his brother and the rest of the gang return to their jail cells as an alibi.
When Cahill returns, he and Danny look for the perpetrators with the help of half-Comanche tracker Lightfoot. Cahill arrests four suspects and although they are innocent of the town bank robbery, they are found guilty and scheduled to be hanged. While on the trail of the kids, Cahill and Lightfoot are ambushed by Brownie.
Lightfoot hurts Brownie but is eventually killed. Cahill's sons try to give the gang's share of the money to Fraser, Fraser however wants all the money and prepares to kill them when he is shot by Cahill who used his sons to lure Fraser out into the open. The Cahills reconcile and leave for town to stop the hangings of the initial suspects.
The film was produced by John Wayne's production companyBatjac Productions and shot on location inDurango, Mexico.[5]
In a 1975 interview with writer Tony Macklin forFilm Heritage, Wayne said the film had "a good theme" but "wasn't a well-done picture" because it "needed better writing" and "a little more care in the making."[6]