Wizard-8 It quickly becomes clear that the Aaron Spelling made for TV movie "Yuma" was really a disguised pilot for a prospective television series. The movie never lead to a series, maybe because westerns around this time were starting to die out, but more likely because this pilot simply isn't that good. The biggest problem with the entire movie is that it is really bland in several key areas. Clint Walker doesn't seem very enthusiastic, maybe because his character is written to reveal very little about him. He is more or less a stock character, which goes for most of the other characters in the movie. The story is pretty boring, with most of the movie devoted to characters speaking and very little in the way of action (and what action there is is not the least bit exceptional.) While this movie is easy to find thanks to its copyright not being renewed, leading to many DVD labels devoted to public domain movies putting it out, even westerns addicts should turn down the opportunity to see it.

Uriah43 Having just arrived into the town of Yuma, Arizona, "Marshall Dave Harmon" (Clint Walker) tries to arrest two rowdy cowboys who happen to be brothers. One is killed in a shootout and the other is taken to jail. That night the cowboy is killed for mysterious reasons. A third brother named "Arch King" (Morgan Woodward), who is in charge of a cattle drive headed to Yuma, thinks the Marshall did it and he comes into town to exact justice. But there is more to the story and rather than spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it, I will just say that it has several interesting subplots which play out rather well. It has cowboys, Indians, the cavalry, a savvy marshal and a pretty gal named "Julie Williams" (Kathryn Hays) to boot. What more could you ask for? About the only criticism I have is that it is a made-for-television movie and as a result it is a bit tame in order to satisfy a general audience. Likewise, the length of the film is slightly abbreviated to fit within a certain time allocation. It could easily have gone on longer and would have probably been much better if it had. Even so, it was still enjoyable and I recommend it for anybody who likes this particular genre.

FightingWesterner Yuma is passable enough entertainment but something directed by Ted Post (Hang 'Em High) and produced by Aaron Spelling (who made some of the best low budget TV movies of the seventies) should have been a bit better. This seems like a television pilot that never materialized into a series.Clint Walker, the new Marshall of Yuma is forced to deal with the two brothers of a powerful cattleman, shooting one in self defense and jailing the other. Later, two mystery men break him out and shoot him in the back, framing Walker for the death and leading to a confrontation with the cattleman and the uncovering of a larger conspiracy.Some familiar stars and a good bit of intrigue make this worth watching if not a must-see.

rixrex This was an obvious series pilot TV movie that wasn't picked up, most likely due to the fact that there were already Western series on TV and this one did not stand out as particularly unique in comparison. Plus TV westerns were on the way down, being replaced by cops and robbers action series, and such. As a TV movie, this is slightly above average than most, and entirely enjoyable and fairly fast-paced, especially if you like Clint Walker. The other actors are more than adequate for their parts, nothing awe-inspiring, and that's how it's supposed to be in these projects. Nobody shows up the lead. There is little on screen violence, as should be expected for a TV movie from 1971, and the "Indians" are once again pretty stereotypical, and reduced to welfare status as they wait for their dole of cattle from the Army. This part was probably pretty true. One thing that's nice is to see Edgar Buchanan as a weasel get taken down, like I wished he had been on the series Petticoat Junction, where he also played a weasel.