Product Details

• Actors: Rock Hudson, Julie Adams, Mary Castle, John McIntire, Hugh O'Brian
• Directors: Raoul Walsh
• Writers: William Alland, Bernard Gordon, John Wesley Hardin
• Producers: Raoul Walsh, William Alland
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: June 9, 1998
• Run Time: 83 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0783227213
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #264,047 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good B Western with Good Cast, June 12, 2011

By 

Dr. James Gardner (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lawless Breed [VHS] (VHS Tape)

John Wesley Hardin (1853-95) was an outlaw and a gunfighter in the Old West, operating mostly in Texas. In his time he was as famous as Billy the Kid, although history has favored the Kid in terms of the number of books and films. Hardin was played in films by John Dehner ("The Texas Rangers", 1951), Jack Elam ("Dirty Dingus Magee", 1970) and occasionally shows up in a TV show, even played by Clint Eastwood in a 1959 episode of "Maverick".

Time: 1870s. Place: Texas

Here in 1952 he is portrayed by Rock Hudson. Pretty boy Hudson (1925-85) was the world's favorite male actor from 1959 through 1963 and was nominated for an Oscar for his role in "Giant" (1956). He made more than 50 films then transitioned to TV where he appeared on "McMillan & Wife" (1971-7) and "Dynasty" (1984-5). This was Hudson's first film as the star and he does a good job, although the makeup doesn't age him as well as it should, and the much older Hardin doesn't seem to be any less a hunk than the teenage Hardin.

FWIW - Director Raoul Walsh gave Hudson his first screen role in "Fighter Squadron" (1948).

Beautiful yet vulnerable Julia Adams (1926) appeared in a few dozen films, usually westerns, then transitioned to TV in the 50s. She had recurring roles in "Murder She Wrote" (1987-93) as Eve Simpson. She does her usual excellent job, in this case as a salon girl in love with Hardin.

John McIntire (1907-91) had the unique distinction of filling in for an actor who died in the middle of his series (Ward Bond in "Wagon Train"). In a career from 1947 to 1989 he made nearly 100 films and appeared in many TV shows and movies. Although he usually appeared in westerns, I remember him best for his TV series "Naked City" (1958). He was usually a good guy, but could also play the bad guy (e.g., "Winchester 73", "The Far Country"). McIntire plays Hudson's preacher father (bad guy) and also appears as Hudson's uncle (good guy).

Hugh O'Brien, Lee van Cleef, and Glenn Strange play brothers who are hunting Hudson for killing Michael Ansasa, their brother.

Hugh O'Brian (1923) is best remembered for his years on the TV series "Wyatt Earp" (1955-61), but in addition he was a Golden Globe winner as Most Promising Newcomer for his role in "The Man from the Alamo" (1953) and made dozens of films before the TV series hit. He did a great job as Arnold Schwartznegger's father in the 1988 hit "Twins" and pops up occasionally in TV movies, occasionally reprising his role as Earp (e.g., "The Gambler Returns", "Return to Tombstone").

Lee Van Cleef (1925-89) was one of the great film villains or anti-heroes, specializing in westerns like his debut in "High Noon" (1952) and his man in black in "For a Few Dollars More" (1965) and "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" (1966). Cleef was so popular as a cult figure that he spawned his own series of westerns in the late 60s and 70s - "Sabata" (1969), "El Condor" (1970), "The Magnificent Seven Ride" (1972), etc. before transforming himself into a martial arts figure in films like "The Octagon" (1980) and "Wild Geese" (1984).

Michael Ansara (1922) is best known from his years as Cochise on TV's "Broken Arrow" (1956-60) or, to younger viewers, as Kang in 3 different Star Trek series or as Mr. Freeze in the "Batman" series. He plays a gambler killed by Hudson. He barely has a line or two to speak before he's dispatched.

Dennis Weaver (1924-2006) is best known for his years on "Gunsmoke" as Chester and his detective series "McCloud", but he also had a distinguished career in films such as "Touch of Evil" and "Duel" (1971). He received two Emmy nominations for "Gunsmoke" and for "McCloud" and won once (1955). Weaver plays Hudson's cousin. If you sneeze you'll miss him.

Look for Francis Ford (1881-1953) in a small role as a saloon sweeper. Ford was director John Ford's older brother. He was a writer and a director and also an actor, appearing in several films directed by his younger brother - "The Informer" (1935), "Drums Along the Mohawk" (1939), "The Quiet Man" (1952), etc.

The film is directed by Raoul Walsh (1887-1980). Walsh had been an actor appearing as John Wilkes Booth in Griffith's "Birth of a Nation" (1915). He turned to directing in 1930, directing John Wayne in his first film ("The Big Trail"). Walsh directed such notable films as "The Roaring Twenties" (1939), "Dark Command" (1940), "They Drive By Night" (1940), "High Sierra" (1941) and "White Heat" (1949). With Errol Flynn they made 7 films together from 1941 ("They Died with their Boots On") to 1945 ("San Antonio"). Walsh declined notably in the 50s after he left Warner Brothers, but his 50+ year career made him one of Hollywood's most memorable directors. Flynn called him a "great and imaginative" director.

The top grossing films in 1953 were "Peter Pan", "The Robe", "From Here to Eternity", "Shane", and "How to Marry a Millionaire". "From Here to Eternity" won 4 Oscars (Picture, Director, Supporting Actor and Actress) and Bill Holden won best actor for "Stalag 17". Other notable films that year were Brando's "The Wild One" and "Julius Caesar", Vincent Price's 3-D classic "House of Wax", Richard Burton in "The Desert Rats", and Disney's "Peter Pan",

Westerns were popular in 1953. In addition to top 10 grossing films "Shane", "Calamity Jane", and "Hondo", there were "Arrowhead", "The Great Sioux Uprising", "The Mississippi Gambler" "The Naked Spur" and "Pony Express".

Told from the POV of Hardin, this is an interesting film, interspersed at various intervals with newspaper accounts of Hardin's exploits and/or the attempts to capture him. The acting is good, the photography is excellent, the technicolor is vivid, and Walsh keeps the action moving right along. Of course this isn't history, and it isn't even Hardin's account of history, since the ending was changed following negative preview audience reaction. But it is an entertaining B western from the 50s, and it's a chance to see some stars like Weaver, O'Brien, and Van Cleef, during their early years.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Western that has it all!, June 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Lawless Breed [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The Lawless Breed stars the young Rock Hudson who plays Wes Hardin, an outlaw who wrote his own story after he was released from prison. The story spans over 20 years and you see Rock Hudson from a young man aging gracefully. Julia Adams, John McIntire and Hugh O'brian also star in this film. This western tells a true story and shows two sides of every story and how exagerated stories in the west developed. There was romance, struggles with family, families pulling together when needed, courage, and some comical scenes also. A must see for lovers of westerns.

5.0 out of 5 stars "I NEVER KILLED A MAN WHO DIDN'T TRY TO KILL ME FIRST!, January 23, 2011

By 

Teresa "SWEETHEART" (NORTH CAROLINA, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lawless Breed [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This movie is very good! I enjoyed it very much! I loved Rock Hudson and John McIntire in this movie! Alot of good actors are in this movie! (Rock Hudson sure is a beautiful man to me, and he sure looked great in this movie! Rock Hudson as a handsome cowboy, gunslinger type, OH MY!!, How did I miss this movie!) I loved it! I would dearly love to see this movie restored to a high quality DVD!

This is a TRUE STORY about a man named John Wesley Hardin (Rock Hudson), who only wanted to marry his childhood sweetheart, and have a farm of his own and a normal life! But John's fast draw of his gun, and his love of playing poker and gambling, got him into big trouble.

When his father(John McIntire) heard John shooting practice shots in the barn with his gun, his father beat John! John's father was a preacher, and was very strict in his beliefs, and felt John was heading for damnation! John ran away from home and ended up shooting a man, who tried to shoot him first, over a card game! The dead man's three brothers chased after John. John is then forced into the life of a outlaw on the run, (John never shot anybody unless they tried to kill him first.)

John gets help from his Uncle(also played by John McIntire)who is John's father's half-brother) and his cousins, while they go on a cattle drive together! John insists on going back home to marry his childhood sweetheart and evens buys her a $300 wedding dress, and wins and earns enough money for them to have their farm and get married! But trouble waits for John at home, and his life is changed again forever!

This is a very good true story written by the hand of John Wesley Hardin himself in his own words, and if you are a Rock Hudson fan, and love westerns, and romance, and cowboys, then you will love this movie!