The 1951 Rawhide (no relation to the later TV series) is a trim, satisfying Henry Hathaway picture that blends the leathery trappings of the Western with the claustrophobic atmosphere and intensity of a noir suspense film. At a remote swing station for the transcontinental stagecoach, several no-goods aim to help themselves to a gold shipment. But the next coach isn't carrying gold, so the intruders hold the stationmasters (Tyrone Power and Edgar Buchanan) and some stranded passengers captive while they wait. Power and Susan Hayward handle the heroics without larger-than-life posturing; Dean Jagger, Hugh Marlowe, and George Tobias relish the rare opportunity to play villainous or ambiguous types; and Jack Elam is, well, Jack Elam, reliably oozing viciousness from every pore. Screenwriter Dudley Nichols knew the territory, having scripted John Ford's Stagecoach thirteen years earlier. Hathaway also directed Garden of Evil (1954), Fox's first Western in the new CinemaScope process. (Very wiiiiide CinemaScope--the DVD preserves the 2.55:1 format, which was later modified to 2.35:1.) The story involves several fortune-seeking Americanos accidentally thrown together in Mexico and enlisted to help rescue a fellow countryman injured at his remote gold mine. Much of the film unreels as a journey Western exploring tensions among the strangers, especially those inspired by dreaming of gold and the man's redheaded wife (Susan Hayward). The dialogue reaches for profundity and comes up short, but Richard Widmark as a self-designated "poet" and Gary Cooper as a retired lawman give satisfaction as they one-up each other. The movie's distinction lies in Hathaway's no-sweat adaptation to the widescreen format, the awe-inspiring Mexican settings--a deserted village, a valley of black sand, a mountain town buried under volcanic ash--and the only music score ever composed for a feature Western by Bernard Herrmann.

Herrmann is just about the only thing the four commentators on Garden of Evil talk about (there's also a separate "making of" featurette). Nobody does commentary on The Gunfighter or Rawhide, but the disc for the former includes a featurette on master cameraman Arthur Miller, while a Rawhide addendum highlights the oft-used movie location of Lone Pine, Calif., and another pays tribute to gutsy leading lady Susan Hayward. Talking heads include some half-dozen film historians (e.g., David Biographical Dictionary of Film Thomson) plus Henry Hathaway's son and Gary Cooper's daughter. --Richard T. Jameson

Fox Western Classics (Rawhide / The Gunfighter / Garden of Evil)

• Man of the West
• The Westerner
• The Man with the Gun
• The Day of the Outlaw
• Only the Valiant
• The Big Trail (Two-Disc Special Edition)
• The Fall Of The Roman Empire (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (The Miriam Collection)
• El Cid (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (The Miriam Collection)
• Warner Home Video Western Classics Collection (Escape from Fort Bravo / Many Rivers to Cross / Cimarron 1960 / The Law and Jake Wade / Saddle the Wind / The Stalking Moon)
• The Gunfight at Dodge City

Mitchell wants Peck to leave town, but he won't go until Westcott agrees to meet him. Power knows that, once the outlaws have the gold, they will kill their captives, so he and Hayward desperately devise a plan to thwart their intentions. The sheriff of the town happens to be Millard Mitchell, an old friend and former gunslinger. - Michael B. DVD extras include featurettes on Ms. Hayward and on Lone Pine, where RAWHIDE, THE GUNFIGHTER and many other classic westerns were shot. Shot in CinemaScope and color, the movie features some gorgeous and interesting Mexican scenery and boasts a cast that also includes Gary Cooper, Richard Widmark, Cameron Mitchell and (briefly) Rita Moreno. Druxman, author of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (available December 2008)

Shadow Watcher. Almost as good as THE GUNFIGHTER is RAWHIDE (1951), another beautifully-photographed black-and-white western, directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Tyrone Power, Susan Hayward and Hugh Marlowe. Currently, he's being pursued by the three brothers of a braggart he killed in self defense, but he stops off in the small town where his estranged wife (Helen Wescott) lives, hoping for a reconciliation. Marlowe and his band of ruthless outlaws (Jack Elam, Dean Jagger, George Tobias), all escaped convicts, take control of a desert stagecoach station, run by Edgar Buchanan and his tenderfoot assistant (Power). .

Cooper, Widmark and Mitchell play three Americans on their way to the California Gold Rush by ship, who get stranded in a small Mexican coastal town and are hired by Hayward to help free her husband (Marlowe) from a mine cave-in. Karl Malden and Jean Parker co-star. The problem is that the mine is located deep in the mountains in Apache territory. Directed by Henry King in glorious black-and-white, THE GUNFIGHTER is almost a Shakespearean tragedy, and is considered to be the first adult western, predating better known films like HIGH NOON and SHANE. DVD extras include a retrospective "Making of" featurette and a mini-documentary on director Hathaway.

THE GUNFIGHTER may not contain a lot of shoot-'em-up action, but it's filled with a HIGH NOON-like suspense and colorful, multi-dimensional characters. RAWHIDE is another suspense-filled western, containing a fair share of surprise plot twists. DVD extras include a featurette on cinematographer Arthur Miller, an artist with black-and-white, and a retrospective "Making of" mini-documentary. In the meantime, the three brothers are getting closer and, if that's not bad enough, there's a young hothead in town (Skip Homeier) who thinks he's a faster draw than the legendary Jimmy Ringo. Nobody Drowns in Mineral Lake.

Peck plays Jimmy Ringo, a notorious gunfighter who would like to bury his reputation, but is forced to keep on the run because young punks keep forcing him to draw. Hathaway, Hayward and Marlowe are also involved in GARDEN OF EVIL (1954), the one disappointing film in this box set. The problem with GARDEN OF EVIL is the very talky script, which has its characters doing things that make little or no sense. Fox has released a terrific 3-disc box set, THE WESTERN CLASSICS, in which we're finally getting a DVD version of one of the most revered westerns ever produced, THE GUNFIGHTER (1950) starring Gregory Peck. Cheyenne Warrior: The Original Screenplay with Author Commentary.

They kill Buchanan, then hold Power and stage passenger Hayward (and her baby niece) hostage, waiting for a gold shipment to arrive by coach the next day.

Doesn't make sense. This is Indian territory. Nice locations with interesting plot. No attack at the mine itself, but on the way back.there are the Indians attacking like nobody's business.

Not your usual cowboys and Indians. GUNFIGHTER is the best with Greg Peck at is best. Short run time, nice and tight, with a neat ending. Other than that, good film and music score. Susan Hayward does her usual Susan Hayward. How is it they didn't attack when she went for help or on to the mine, just on the way back. You know from the start who will survive and who gets who.

GARDEN OF EVIL is wonderfully filmed and the only color one in the lot. Small cast with Tyrone Power a little old for his role. RAWHIDE is a better than average suspense type of western. Too bad they have to be purchased to see as they are not leasing these titiles to Netflix or Blockbuster for rentals. Each movie has much to recomend.

One illogical plot device is that Susan Hayward, again doing her Susan Hayward, rides to a nearby town to get the help of men to help her husband who has been wounded in a gold mine. No Indians bothered her when she rode to the town, no attack when the team of men and her ride back to the mine. Price was right so I went ahead and bought them thru Amazon. Fox has done a good job with this package of Westerns. Characters are almost by the numbers.

A must have for every serious classic westerns collector. An excellent price/value combination, with three rare titles of good, solid westerns, never before published in America on DVD and with such high video technical quality. The extras are relatively abundant and very interesting.

Enjoy y'all. Actually the other two films were "A" class as well, especially "Rawhide". As the title stated, I've been waiting for the Gunfighter for a long time (on DVD) and I'm well pleased. I'm a big western fan and I have many westerns on DVD but I just know there are other gems out there waiting for me to obtain.

Though Garden of Evil is a good western, it's the weakest of the three. Elam's role was one of his biggest in the early part of his career. Zimmerman (Hugh Marlowe) arrives posing as a sheriff on the prowl for the gang. This set also has an excellent price which makes it more than a bargain; three quality westerns for much less than $20.

Much of the dialog is ambiguous: It's more in what they don't say or hint at. She initially refuses to meet with him but is finally convinced to meet with him. His destination is the small town where his wife & son live though no one knows who they are except for Sheriff Mark Strett (Millard Mitchell) who at one time was in Ringo's gang. Garden of Evil was released in 1954. They talk & finally agree if Ringo can stay out of trouble for a year then she will reconsider the situation. There is much distrust between the characters; Daly, in particular, is troublesome & headstrong. In truth, he's the leader of the outlaw gang; they take over the station, killing Todd, to wait for the next stage that has a large gold shipment. (Gilligan's Island) in a small role.

It's also presented in the full screen format (1.33:1). Zimmerman thinks that Owens & Holt are married so he spares them & the child. It's presented in the widescreen format (2.55:1). The discs are all in the slim-case format. The scenes are tense, in particular the ones where Tevis (Jack Elam) is constantly being out of control & blood thirsty.

It's presented in the full screen format (1.33:1). Because there's an outlaw gang on the loose Holt & the baby are forced off the stage remaining at the station. She leads them to a remote location where her husband, John Fuller (Hugh Marlowe), has been. Bonus features include "Susan Hayward: Hollywood's Straight Shooter" & "Shoot It in Lone Pine." among others. Garden of Evil is the most action packed of the three movies & is the widest in scope in the amount of territory it covers. They're not your typical chase 'em down, shoot 'em up westerns, they're much more character driven than action driven. Hooker (Gary Cooper), Fiske (Richard Widmark) & Daly (Cameron Mitchell) are three cowboys who get stranded in Mexico because the steamship they were on needs repairs.

Bonus features include "Arthur Miller: Painter With Light", "The Western Genre Grows Up" among others. Vicente (Victor Manuel Mendoza), a Mexican, also gets hired to accompany them. The problem with this is that the town has its own young gunny, Hunt Bromley (Skip Homeier), looking to make a reputation. Along the way the band of men realize that they are going to have to deal with the Apache before they can return to Puerto Miguel.

It's in black & white, directed by Henry Hathaway. Rawhide is remake, of sorts, of the 1936 crime drama, Show Them No Mercy. Ringo wants to settle down, he wants to reunite with his wife & family. The final scene is one of Hollywood's most heart touching ever. Rawhide takes place almost entirely at a stagecoach station. Bonus features include "Travels of a Gunslinger: The Making of the Garden of Evil", "Henry Hathaway: When the Going Gets Tough." among others. Ringo, after killing a young gunny wanting to make a name for himself, is forced to go on the run. Jimmy Ringo (Gregory Peck) is a gunfighter in his mid-thirties who's ready to give up the way he lives.

It stars Gregory Peck with a great supporting cast that includes: Helen Westcott, Millard Mitchell, Jean Parker, Karl Malden, Skip Homeier, Richard Jaeckel & Alan Hale, Jr. It stars Tyrone Power & Susan Hayward; the supporting cast includes: Hugh Marlowe, Dean Jagger, Edgar Buchanan (Petticoat Junction) & Jack Elam. It's in color, directed by Henry Hathaway. Sam Todd (Edgar Buchanan) is the stationmaster & Tom Owens (Tyrone Power) is his young assistant. Rawhide was released in 1951. The Gunfighter was released in 1950 & probably the most critically acclaimed of the three in this set. The Gunfighter is much like a stage play in the way that it's presented. It stars Gary Cooper & Susan Hayward; the supporting cast includes Richard Widmark, Hugh Marlowe, Cameron Mitchell, Rita Moreno & Victor Manuel Mendoza.

They get hired by Leah Fuller (Susan Hayward) at $2,000 apiece to rescue her husband who's trapped in a gold mine. It's in black & white, directed by Henry King. Anyone who is a fan of the serious/adult western needs to check this set out. Vinnie Holt (Susan Hayward) arrives on the stage with her baby niece.