Edgar Allan Pooh . . . THE BODY SNATCHER well knows, the going rate for a corpse in 1831 Scotland was "ten pounds" ( or $30.11 U.S.). Adjusted for inflation, that amounts to around $41.27 during 1868, when THE NAKED SPUR takes place. So as you watch Brig. Gen. Jimmy burying Bob's "five thousand buck corpse" toward the end of THE NAKED SPUR, you can figure that's an exaggeration of well over $4,900 (or $1.4 million, in 2018 dollars). If anyone is sporting a body to rival Esther Williams' famed MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID among the cast of THE NAKED SPUR, it's surely FREAKY FRIDAY's mom (whose closest thing to a shower scene comes when she plays musical cans in a cave with Gen. Jimmy). The best thing about soggy "Ben's" burial on the not-so-lone prairie (presumably he has "Jesse" for a grave-mate) is that it saves "Lena" and "Howie" the ordeal of a trip back to Kansas. As any survivor of even ONE trek to the Bun Flour State can tell you, the punch line to all the best jokes is "I have a feeling that we're not in Kansas any more!"

Wuchak Released in 1953 and directed by Anthony Mann, "The Naked Spur" is a Western starring James Stewart as an embittered rancher-turned-bounty-hunter named Kemp. He seeks a killer (Robert Ryan) in the mountains of SW Colorado and enlists the aid of an aging prospector (Millard Mitchell) and a dishonored officer (Ralph Meeker). Janet Leigh plays the outlaw's aid. The ordeal becomes a survival situation as the outlaw implements psychological tactics to turn the wannabe bounty hunters against themselves.This was the third Mann/Stewart teaming and it's good, but overrated in some circles. I've heard it put on the level of another 1953 Western, "Shane," but this simply ain't so. "The Naked Spur" lacks the epic nature of "Shane" and is just all-around one-dimensional, which isn't necessarily a bad thing; but it's marred by glaring flaws, which don't make for great movies.Concerning the former, the entire film takes place in the wilderness of the high country and the cast is limited to the five noted above with the exception of several Natives who appear for a brief, but exciting confrontation. This scene features a horse spill where the horse topples over sideways, rolls over the rider (!) and stands up straddling him. It's a wild unplanned stunt. Unfortunately, the sequence is marred by the way the Indians can't hit a target and foolishly ride in the open to be hit by a single bullet.I favor survival situations with a handful of actors; 1965's "Sands of the Kalahari" comes to mind. The way the killer works his captor's psychologies against each other is well done. But the story isn't as compelling as it could've been and some of the acting is corny by today's standards. Plus, as noted above, there are some obvious and baffling plot holes: After the officer sets the group up for the Native confrontation why do they so nonchalantly accept it? Weren't they almost unnecessarily killed and one person permanently injured, not to mention several needlessly dead Indians? Then there's the sequence where the thug pushes Kemp off his horse and down a cliff where Kemp just climbs back up the hill, gets on his horse and no one says or does anything to the killer. Really? And how is Kemp able to climb the cliff at the end with a leg that has a bullet wound from a day or two before? Did the eye-rolling 'naked spur' really assist him that much? Why sure!If you can ignore such stupid flaws "The Naked Spur" is a worthwhile early-50's Western with James Stewart.The movie runs 91 minutes and was shot in Durango & the San Juan Mountains in Colorado, and Lone Pine, California.GRADE: B- or C+ (5.5/10 Stars)

JohnHowardReid The photography is a standout. In fact, "The Naked Spur" looks like a 3-D film, complete with lots of deep focus compositions and even objects thrown at the camera! The natural locations are surely mighty impressive, although location movie-making does have its disadvantages -- such as the necessity to post-sync dialogue. Millard Mitchell's timing is way out of sync, but fortunately his role is not all that large. Stewart delivers a characteristic performance in his tailor-made role; Robert Ryan excels as usual; Ralph Meeker and Janet Leigh are competent enough to get by. Anthony Mann's astute direction keeps his audience on a knife edge. His action scenes pack a wallop. The screenplay comes across as tautly suspenseful, characters are skilfully delineated and the plot builds to a stunning climax. Admittedly, I can think of a more powerful ending. The one we actually have is a bit too conventional. Kaper's music score is one of his best.

writers_reign By the 1950s the Western was evolving from the simplistic John Ford/John Wayne fables to a more in-depth approach that would culminate in the 'psychological' westerns of the sixties. Henry King kick-started both the genre and the decade with The Gunfighter which removed the Roy Rogers glamorous wardrobe and guitar and showed a much more realistic West. Ironically Anthony Mann's The Naked Spur was released the same year as George Steven's all-time Great Shane which managed to combine the best of both worlds via Alan Ladd's light-coloured 'glamorous' shirt with the harshness of life on the open range. Naked Spur is definitely in the vanguard of 'psychological' Westerns and cunningly contrives a chamber piece - only five characters - set in wide open spaces to appear claustrophobic via the close-knit tensions between the five. Initially each one is out for himself with only the weakest link, Janet Leigh, ostensibly united with Robert Ryan but inevitably the balance shifts so that what began as Stewart, Mitchell, Meeker, three single units united uneasily against Ryan and Leigh, evolves into sole survivors Stewart and Leigh forming a new alliance. Ryan, of course, excelled in this kind of role which he could do standing on his head, Mitchell and Meeker lend sterling support and if Leigh is the weakest link it is Stewart who actually gets to extend his range, leaving behind the gauche, Gary Cooper-lite bashful nice guy and exploring a much darker side of his personality. On TV recently it held up well after 57 years.