Fais ta prière, Tom Dooley

The popularity of The Kingston Trio's record of the song guaranteed The Legend Of Tom Dooley a built in audience. As a lad I remember going to see this film as the second feature of a double bill at the old Nostrand Theater in Brooklyn. I also remember for months during 1958 you could not avoid hearing the title song over the radio.

Before he was Little Joe Cartwright Michael Landon plays the title role in this film. Tom is a part of Mosby's raiders along with his two fellow soldiers Dee Pollock and Richard Rust and they do all kinds of guerrilla type action behind enemy lines like holding up the stagecoach you see in this film. The problem here is that after killing three Union soldiers acting as escort they find out the war is over. Worse than that Landon is from the area and the passengers recognize him.

Here's where common sense departs and the male member takes over. It would be the reasonable course of action to flee immediately, but Pollock is wounded and Landon wants to see the girl he left behind Jo Morrow. He was of Confederate persuasion in a Union area and they remember. And Morrow has Jack Hogan looking to move in on Landon's claim.

The Legend Of Tom Dooley is a cheaply made quickie by Columbia to take advantage of the song's popularity. Still I have to say that Landon and Morrow are a pair of winning young lovers who deliver sincere performances and that helps put the film over.

Not great, but a decent film and Michael Landon's fans should love it. He's even got the left handed draw that Little Joe Cartwright had.