Black Patch

Santa Rita’s stoic lawman wears a patch over his war-wounded right eye - and that’s not all that’s covered up. A newly arrived stranger is an old pal-turned-robber whom the marshal must arrest. His friend’s wife is the lawman’s old flame - and the townsfolk are all-too willing to believe the worst about the man sworn to protect them. Called “a Westerner to the core” by The New York Times, George Montgomery stars in this gripping mash-up of traditional oater and psychological character study. It delivers on both counts due to a solid supporting cast: Diane Brewster (conwoman Samantha Crawford on TV’s Maverick), Leo Gordon (who also wrote the script), Sebastian Cabot, Strother Martin and Tom Pittman as a sensitive teen who becomes a hard-drinking gunslinger. Black Patch also launched another legendary career: Jerry Goldsmith’s first film score - in its variety and invention - foreshadows his nearly six-decade career as a master of movie music.