The Left Handed Gun
Encyclopedia
The Left Handed Gun is a 1958 American western film
and the film directorial debut of Arthur Penn
, starring Paul Newman
as Billy the Kid
and John Dehner
as Pat Garrett
. The screenplay was written by Leslie Stevens
from a teleplay
by Gore Vidal
, which he wrote for the television series The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse 1955 episode The Death of Billy the Kid, in which Newman also played the title character. Vidal revisited and revised the material in 1989
with a TV-movie entitled Billy the Kid
.
The title refers to the belief that Billy the Kid was left handed, and he shoots left handed in the film, though it is possible that this was a false conclusion drawn from a reversed photograph.
), known as 'Billy the Kid' befriends a man known as 'The Englishman'. His friend is murdered by corrupt businessmen. Bonney's plan for revenge, hunting down and killing all responsible, endangers not only his surviving friends, but the territorial peace set up for the entire territory.
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
and the film directorial debut of Arthur Penn
Arthur Penn
Arthur Hiller Penn was an American film director and producer with a career as a theater director as well. Penn amassed a critically acclaimed body of work throughout the 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:...
, starring Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
as Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid
William H. Bonney William H. Bonney William H. Bonney (born William Henry McCarty, Jr. est. November 23, 1859 – c. July 14, 1881, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier...
and John Dehner
John Dehner
John Dehner was an American actor in radio, television, and films, playing countless roles, often as a droll villain. Between 1941 and 1988, he appeared in over 260 films and television programs. Prior to acting, Dehner had worked as an animator at Walt Disney Studios, and later became a radio...
as Pat Garrett
Pat Garrett
Patrick Floyd "Pat" Garrett was an American Old West lawman, bartender, and customs agent who was best known for killing Billy the Kid...
. The screenplay was written by Leslie Stevens
Leslie Stevens
Leslie Clark Stevens III was the creator of the cult TV series The Outer Limits and director of the cult horror film Incubus , starring William Shatner. He wrote an early work of New Age philosophy, Est: The Steersman Handbook .-Early life and career:Leslie Stevens was born in Washington, D.C...
from a teleplay
Teleplay
A teleplay is a television play, a comedy or drama written or adapted for television. The term surfaced during the 1950s with wide usage to distinguish a television plays from stage plays for the theater and screenplays written for films...
by Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
, which he wrote for the television series The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse 1955 episode The Death of Billy the Kid, in which Newman also played the title character. Vidal revisited and revised the material in 1989
1989 in film
-Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...
with a TV-movie entitled Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid (1989 film)
Gore Vidal's Billy the Kid, also known as Billy the Kid, is a 1989 American western film about famed gunman Billy the Kid.One of many depicting the events surrounding the outlaw during his participation in the Lincoln County War, this film, though little known, has routinely been described as the...
.
The title refers to the belief that Billy the Kid was left handed, and he shoots left handed in the film, though it is possible that this was a false conclusion drawn from a reversed photograph.
Plot
William Bonney (Paul NewmanPaul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
), known as 'Billy the Kid' befriends a man known as 'The Englishman'. His friend is murdered by corrupt businessmen. Bonney's plan for revenge, hunting down and killing all responsible, endangers not only his surviving friends, but the territorial peace set up for the entire territory.
Cast
- Paul NewmanPaul NewmanPaul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
as Billy The KidBilly the KidWilliam H. Bonney William H. Bonney William H. Bonney (born William Henry McCarty, Jr. est. November 23, 1859 – c. July 14, 1881, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier... - Lita Milan as Celsa
- John DehnerJohn DehnerJohn Dehner was an American actor in radio, television, and films, playing countless roles, often as a droll villain. Between 1941 and 1988, he appeared in over 260 films and television programs. Prior to acting, Dehner had worked as an animator at Walt Disney Studios, and later became a radio...
as Pat GarrettPat GarrettPatrick Floyd "Pat" Garrett was an American Old West lawman, bartender, and customs agent who was best known for killing Billy the Kid... - Hurd HatfieldHurd HatfieldWilliam Rukard Hurd Hatfield was an American actor.-Biography:The son of William Henry Hatfield , an attorney who served as deputy attorney general for New York, and his wife, the former Adele Steele, Hatfield was born in New York City, and was educated at Columbia University before travelling to...
as Moultrie - James Congdon as Charlie Boudre
- James BestJames BestJames Best is an American actor best known for his role as bumbling Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in the CBS television series The Dukes of Hazzard. He has also worked as an acting coach, artist, and musician.-Early years:...
as Tom Folliard - Colin Keith-JohnstonColin Keith-JohnstonColin Keith-Johnston was a British actor. As well as film appearances, he appeared onstage as Stanhope in the first production of Journey's End in the United States.-Partial filmography:* Somehow Good...
as Tunstall - John Dierkes as McSween
- Robert Anderson as Hill (as Bob Anderson)
- Wally Brown as Deputy Moon
- Ainslie Pryor as Joe Grant
- Martin GarralagaMartin GarralagaMartin Garralaga was a Spanish-born film and television actor who portrayed more than 200 roles in film and television....
as Saval - Denver PyleDenver PyleDenver Dell Pyle was an American film and television actor. He is best remembered for playing Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard .-Early life:...
as Ollinger - Paul Smith as Smith
- Nestor Paiva as Pete Maxwell
- Jo Summers as Bride
- Robert Foulk as Sheriff Brady
- Anne Barton as Mrs. Hill
- George Bell as Deputy
- Joe Bell as Peddler
- Orlando Beltran as Mexican Farmer
- George Berkeley
- Lane ChandlerLane ChandlerLane Chandler was an American actor specializing in Westerns.-Early life:He was born as Robert Chandler Oakes on a ranch near Culbertson, Montana, the son of a horse rancher. At an early age, the family relocated to Helena, Montana, where he graduated from high school...
as Townsman on Street with Mason - Mary Lou Clifford as Gypsy woman
- Stephen Coit as Alexander Ganz, Photographer
- Cecil Combs as Deputy
- Jess Franco as Young Gypsy Man
- Terry FrostTerry Frost (actor)Terry Frost was an American actor who appeared in dozens of Western films during the 1940s and 1950s.-Biography:...
as Angry Townsman - Robert Griffin as Morton
- Norman Leavitt as General Store Clerk
- Eve McVeagh as Mrs. McSween
- Tina Menard as Mexican Woman
- Boyd 'Red' Morgan as Soldier
- Tessie Murray as Gypsy Woman
- Joseph V. PerryJoseph V. PerryJoseph V. Perry was an American actor possibly best known for his role as Nemo in Everybody Loves Raymond.-Career:...
as Clerk - Stephanie Pond-Smith
- Henry RowlandHenry Rowland (actor)Henry Rowland was an American film actor.-Biography:Rowland had heavily Teutonic facial features, making him an invaluable commodity in wartime films, even though he was born in the American Midwest. Rowland "heiled" and "achtunged" his way through films ranging such as Casablanca to Russ Meyer's...
as Man on Street with Deputy - Oreste Seragnoli as Priest
- Morgan Shaan as Man in Crowd
- Dan Sheridan as Bucky
- Fred Sherman as Clerk
- Jorge Treviño as Ramírez
- Glen Turnbull as Sergeant
- Ernesto Zambrano as Old Gypsy Man