Waco

In this movie Keel is NOT a unloving-turned-loving Adam Ponifee nor a kind Wild Bill Hickok. Rather, he is about the meanest man anybody can find anywhere. He knows no bounds to treating people mean. Of course, in this particular movie he is the sheriff of a wild town which tries to be run by vengeful outlaws, outlaws who meet their match with him. The beautiful Jane Russell is superb as his love interest, but even she sometimes is frustrated with him. He is excellent in this role as the mean, no-nonsense marshal. A great acting feat for him. But I would hate to think for the people that knew him that he was ever this cold, hard, and mean!

WACO is the name of the character who is the stereotypical Western hero in Hollywood Westerns. He's fast on the draw, tough, and an outlaw in the beginning, which is standard for Western heroes.of that would be okay, except we never really care for this Waco guy played by Howard Keel. Don't expect the joy ride of THE WAR WAGON. This is strictly Hollywood hate formula. Waco has absolutely no credible motivation. Keel comes across a bit like Joe Don playing Buford, but without the incentive. Absolutely none. Motivation has to be a key, but in the sixties, Hollywood would have none of that. For about three decades, they threw characters who were spoiled brats with unrelenting and unprovoked hatred at us, expecting us to empathize with them. Well, only the sickest and most demon possessed were able to do that, and they were generally the control freaks who decided what the rest of us had to watch. This is a perfect example of what was wrong with the Hollywood era of mid sixties to mid eighties All of that is made worse by the big names being wasted here. As in the hero, motivation is suspect, although Waco is the worst written character perhaps in any Western. That takes away any thrills, and makes this all ho hum, no matter how many horses you see, no matter how many gunshots are fired.

A.C. Lyles turned out another good geezer western with Waco starring Howard Keel a recently released outlaw from prison who's been hired to clean up a really bad town run by saloon owner John Smith and his hired gun DeForest Kelley. Keel is kind of hoping to take things up where they left off with Jane Russell, but turns out she's gone and married preacher Wendell Corey. That sort of disillusions him as he wavers back and forth between doing the job he was hired or resuming his old outlaw ways.

If it's action you want than Waco will not disappoint. Keel in the title role and we never do learn his real name because he probably was not born with that name, has a number of nasty fights and shootings. Besides Smith and Kelley, he's also got the Jenner family to contend with he killed one of them years ago. Willard Parker and Reg Parton are the remaining Jenner brothers and there's Anne Seymour, Ma Barker of the old west. In many ways, she's the one you'll remember from this film.

Waco's also a pretty adult western with such themes as infidelity lightly touched upon and rape of Tracy Olsen an integral part of the story. The final shootout in the town involves just about every member of the cast.

If you like western action you can't go wrong with Waco.

If you decide to sit down and watch Waco, you'll probably think it belongs to the genre of western spoofs. I considered the possibility, but as the movie dragged on and didn't contain any actual jokes or banana peel pratfalls, I realized it was an actual western.

Jane Russell is married to Wendell Corey, a preacher, but her ex-sweetie-pie Howard Keel has just gotten released from prison and is travelling to their town to take over as sheriff. The only trouble is, he doesn't know Jane's married, and Jane still has feelings for him. Plus, the town is desperately in need of proper law and order, and when Howard shows up and causes a stir, it turns into a shooting free-for-all.

Yes, Waco is a ridiculously cheesy western, but it's the acting that really places it in terrible movie territory. Jane Russell was the main one who made me think the movie was a spoof, because almost all her lines were delivered like she thought the cameras were off and she wanted to make fun of the terrible lines she was given. Wendell Corey gives his best John Wayne impression, but it just doesn't work to see him as a preacher, since he's usually very unlikable bad guys. This movie just isn't worth watching, unless you're die-hard fans of the cast and insist on watching every movie your favorite actor or actress made.

You might be surprised when you hear the film's title song as it's performed by Lorne Greene. Greene's style was odd--talking the lines more than singing them. But it was also very effective and he made some very well-selling albums during this era.

Like other A.C. Lyles productions during the 1960s, it's a 'geezer western'--a film starring lots of actors who were well past their prime--thus, inexpensive to cast. Few of these films were brilliant but they were consistently entertaining. In the case of "Waco", it features Richard Arlen (67), John Agar (45), Brian Donlevy (65), Howard Keel (47), Jane Russell (45), Wendell Corey (52), DeForrest Kelley (46), Gene Evans (44) and Terry Moore (37). Several of these folks were in MANY of Lyles' films (Arlen was in almost every one), as he seemed quite loyal to these actors.

The film begins in a town that's become more and more lawless. In reaction, Waco is sent there--even though he's a violent man with an awful reputation. I guess the thinking is that with the town in trouble, they have nothing to lose! Naturally, the evil element in town isn't about to fall into line with the arrival of this gunman. However, at each turn, Waco is able to get the better of the baddies. Will he continue to be THAT lucky throughout the film--especially when three groups of evil jerks band together to off the new sheriff? Throughout the entire film, Waco snarls and acts constipated--all the result of him learning that his girlfriend has married. At first you can understand that but after a while it became a bit tiresome and one-note. Even when the townsfolk offer to help him in his ultimate battle with the baddies, he's STILL a snarly jerk! It made little sense and got old. I also thought it strange that although Waco is supposed to be so tough, every time he beat up a baddie, he did NOT arrest them or hang them! What gives?! Some tough guy! It's a shame, as some of the other characters in the film were pretty interesting--such as the preacher, the deputy and that crazy lady with a shotgun! Not a terrible film but it sure could stand room for improvement! The best thing about the film? Greene's singing.