kevin olzak 1956's "Tension at Table Rock" was one of the last gasps for ailing studio RKO, soon to become Desilu under the new ownership of Lucy and Desi. Truly enhanced by its color photography, telling a Frank Gerber story that seemed mighty familiar to 50s audiences, but done so well by such an expert cast that the many episodic pieces just seem to effortlessly fall into place. Richard Egan is well cast as laconic gunman Wes Tancred, whose troubles begin when he rebuffs the advances of the wife (Angie Dickinson) of his best friend and former boss (Paul Richards), who tries to shoot Wes in the back, but is slower on the draw (a clear act of self defense, pardoned by the Governor). The woman scorned makes out that her husband was shot in the back and didn't have a chance, with the stain following Wes from town to town, even to a song depicting the lurid, and phony, details, so he must take up a new name by the time he enters the lives of Sheriff Fred Miller (Cameron Mitchell), his wife Lorna (Dorothy Malone), and adoring nephew Jody (Billy Chapin), echoes of "Shane" that need not have been present. Among the townspeople are smooth villain Edward Andrews and crusading newspaperman Royal Dano, who fears the upcoming cattle drive, and the vicious trail herders that come with it (led by John Dehner). No one knows the newcomer's true identity of Wes Tancred, and the final showdown with hired killer DeForest Kelley finds him already friends with Wes, and one of the few who know the truth about what really happened (as if their dead boss was supposed to be 'Santa Claus'). Cameron Mitchell probably has the toughest role, playing a sheriff who commands little respect because he seeks an easy way out instead of a real solution, due to a beating he once took that left him full of fear (reuniting with Royal Dano just two years later in "Face of Fire"). Richard Egan, from Presley's forthcoming debut "Love Me Tender," never reached true stardom but here enjoys his finest showcase.

Tweekums When I started watching this the only thing I knew about it was that it was a western; I didn't even know who was in it. That didn't matter as the opening scenes had me hooked; Wes Tancred, the films protagonist, has decided to go his own way because his one time friend is now just a murderer, the man's wife asks to come with him but is rebuffed so when the two men get into a gunfight she says Wes shot her unarmed husband in the back; it is a lie of course, in fact he drew first. By the time Wes is released from jail and given the reward for killing a wanted man he is famed as 'the man who shot his friend in the back'; there is even a song being sung about his cowardice. With nothing else to do he heads out of town and when he gets to a remote outpost takes on the name John Bailey. He isn't there long before a group of bandits turn up and kill the man running it; Wes manages to shoot them but is left looking after the man's son. He takes the boy on to the town of Table Rock as his uncle is the sheriff there. It seems a nice enough town but the people are scared because a cattle drive is on its way though and this has led to trouble in previous years. The sheriff, keen to avoid trouble, lets the drovers come into town on the condition that they don't cause any trouble... they do and a farmer is killed. The sheriff has to decide whether to stand up to the killers or accept their story that it was a fair fight when he knows it wasn't. His ultimate decision will lead to him facing personal demons to protect the town and Wes admitting who he really is and having to face another old friend in a gun fight.I was surprised how much I enjoyed this considering that there was only one actor I'd heard of in the film and he only had a small role. Richard Egan did a good enough job as Wes Tancred although I thought Cameron Mitchell was better as the sheriff doing his best despite being terrified of the drovers after an incident where he was severely beaten by some in a previous year. DeForest 'Dr McCoy' Kelley buts in a nice turn as the gunslinger who shoots it out with Wes at the end but unfortunately his role was fairly small. The action was good enough although people more familiar with modern films may be surprised that nobody sheds a drop of blood even when fatally shot! I'm not sure I'd recommend going out of your way to see this but if it is on television is passes an hour and a half well enough if you enjoy westerns.

bkoganbing Tension At Table Rock casts Richard Egan as a misunderstood gunman who gets a phony reputation as a backshooting coward because he outdrew the wanted Paul Richards and Richard's girlfriend Angie Dickinson who was the only witness told a false tale.Now having to operate under an assumed name, Egan falls in with orphan Billy Chapin after he eliminates those who killed Chapin's father Joe DeSantis and made him an orphan. He delivers young Billy to the town of Table Rock where his aunt and uncle live and uncle Cameron Mitchell is a much put upon sheriff.After this the film does run along the established plot lines of Shane somewhat. Mitchell makes a Faustian bargain with trail boss John Dehner to not tear up the town too much mainly because he got beaten really badly by a whole bunch of Dehner's trailhands on the previous drive. But when one of them shoots down an unarmed farmer and then tries to get away with it Egan gets into action.Dorothy Malone is in Tension At Table Rock as well. 1956 was the same year Malone got her career Oscar winning role for Written On The Wind. The sexual tension between the stranger Egan and her is unmistakable and it's where people draw comparisons between Tension At Table Rock and Shane.Though she's on only briefly in the beginning Angie Dickinson really does shine in the part of a woman who gets vengeance for her man. Another really good performance is that of Edward Andrews the saloon owner who could care less if the drunken trailhands shoot up the town and kill a few people as long as they drink in his saloon and his profits don't get cut into.Towards the end of that studio's existence RKO was getting into some serious adult B westerns as was its competitor Republic, the stuff that would later be a staple for fifties and sixties television. Tension At Table Rock is a good example of the adult type westerns that would later be found on television.

Neil Doyle RICHARD EGAN is the gunman who has killed his best friend and must live with the consequences of a town that has turned against him with a legendary song (by Dimitri Tiomkin) that paints him as a coward. He flees to another town and assumes a new identity, but his past catches up with him before the tale is over.As the scorned outlaw who decides to help weak-minded sheriff CAMERON MITCHELL keep order in a tough "Dodge City" sort of town, Egan is solidly cast as the sturdy anti-hero who rises to the occasion whenever gunfights break out. He wins the admiration of Mitchell's pretty wife, DOROTHY MALONE and their young son, BILLY CHAPIN (from "Night of the Hunter"). Therein, the story bears elements of "Shane" and other similar westerns.Egan's quiet underplaying of the conflicted gunman is effective and most of the performances are fine. Dorothy Malone looks out of place as a frontier lady, her make-up and costuming making her look like a modern 1950s woman rather than the good wife she was portraying.The dialogue is full of the usual western clichés. A line at the end of the film, after law and order has finally been restored by Egan, is a summary of the plot's conclusion. "These boys just got their town back," drawls one of the townsmen. And in time for the final reel, the sheriff gets his courage back too.