Believe it or not, Dean Martin plays the villain in "Glory Guys" director Arnold Laven's above-average western "Rough Night in Jericho," while George Peppard stands on the side of law & order. This Universal Pictures release qualifies as Laven's best frontier fracas. The cast is robust, specially Don Galloway as a beleaguered lawman and Slim Pickens and Steve Sandor as two Martin's slimy henchmen with a sadistic urge to inflict as much pain as possible on our heroes. Basically , Dean runs the town, the same town he saved from chaos initially when he tamed it and then crowned himself top dog with all the advantages that come with it. Jean Simmons is fed up with Dean's tyranny and summons crusty old Marshal Hickman (John McIntire of TV's "Wagon Train") and his deputy Dolan (George Peppard of "Tobruk") to straight things out. It is fun to watch Martin as Alex Flood play such an unsavory character. Not only does he bushwhack Hickman and Dolan on the trail as they head to Jericho, but also he orchestrates the hanging of a merchant who accidentally killed of his ruffians. At the same time, Flood fires the stubborn lawman Jace (Don Galloway of "Gunfight in Abilene") who refused to promptly hand the innocent store keeper over to an unruly mob. Literally, Jace has no choice but to turn him over to Flood's deputies because they threaten to drop a bundle of explosives down the smokestack of the jail and blast him out.
George Peppard packs two six-guns in shoulder holsters like Tyrone Power did in the original "Jesse James," and his man-in-black outfit with matching hat give him an intimidating allure. Since Universal Pictures released this sagebrusher, all the town scenes were staged on the studio's venerable backlot where Gary Cooper version of "The Virginian" was lensed. "Rough Night in Jericho" has some humorous moments, such as when Dolan and Molly Lang (Jean Simmons of "Elmer Gantry") drink themselves into a stupor. Otherwise, it is largely a straightforward oater that.
George Peppard packs two six-guns in shoulder holsters like Tyrone Power did in the original "Jesse James," and his man-in-black outfit with matching hat give him an intimidating allure. Since Universal Pictures released this sagebrusher, all the town scenes were staged on the studio's venerable backlot where Gary Cooper version of "The Virginian" was lensed. "Rough Night in Jericho" has some humorous moments, such as when Dolan and Molly Lang (Jean Simmons of "Elmer Gantry") drink themselves into a stupor. Otherwise, it is largely a straightforward oater that.