Once Upon a Texas Train (1988) (TV)

Director:

Burt Kennedy

Writer:

Burt Kennedy (written by)

Release Date:

3 January 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Romance | Western

Plot:

Captain Hayes of the mighty law enforcement squad named the Texas Rangers reached the pinnacle of his career when he captured the notorious John Henry...

Plot Keywords:

Outlaws | Train | Target Shooting | Love | Barroom Brawl

Cast

Willie Nelson	...	John Henry Lee
Richard Widmark	...	Captain Owen Hayes
Shaun Cassidy	...	Cotton
Chuck Connors	...	Nash Crawford
Ken Curtis	...	Kelly Sutton
Royal Dano	...	Nitro Jones
Jack Elam	...	Jason Fitch
Gene Evans	...	Fargo Parker
Kevin McCarthy	...	The Govenor
Dub Taylor	...	Charlie Lee
Stuart Whitman	...	George Asque
Angie Dickinson	...	Maggie Hayes
Jeb Stuart Adams	...	Billy Bates
Clare Carey	...	Meg Boley
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Herald Fitch (as Harry Carey)

Also Known As:

Texas Guns

Runtime:

Germany:87 min (TV) | USA:96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:U | Iceland:L | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Mescal, Arizona, USA

Company:

Brigade Productions

Goofs:

Errors in geography: There is no saguaro cactus in, or anywhere near, Texas.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Captain Owen Hayes: Put the gun down John Henry.

Movie Connections:

Follows The Over-the-Hill Gang (1969) (TV)

Will That John Henry Lee Ever Reform?

Director Burt Kennedy took the same foursome of Texas Rangers from the Over The Hill Gang of 1969 and now has given them a new quest. Captain Richard Widmark is on the trail of Willie Nelson, an old war buddy from the Confederate Army and now a bank robber, who's back to his old tricks again. Only this time some young guns led by former teen bubble gum idol Shaun Cassidy have stolen the loot that Nelson and his gang had stolen from the gang in Del Rio.

Widmark and his cronies, Chuck Connors, Jack Elam, and Stuart Whitman turn out to have a lot more in common with the old outlaws, Nelson, Dub Taylor, Ken Curtis, Royal Dano, and Gene Evans than they think.

This group of old character actors were what made the movies so enjoyable back then. They had faces and identities you couldn't miss. We should all thank Burt Kennedy for assembling this whole crew for a last roundup.

As Willie Nelson says they may be old, but they are professionals and that's what counts when the chips are down.

There's a romantic subplot here. Widmark has always suspected his wife Angie Dickinson of having a yen for Nelson back in the day. That's a good deal of the reason he's pursuing Nelson with such vehemence.

It's a treat to see all these old timers again and the film is worth seeing just to see Jack Elam trade in his horse for a bicycle to keep up with the times.