Watch how good James Garner spins a gun here while doing a whole monologue at the same time. This is my favorite gun twirling by an actor because there's some very complicated spins going on here.

The only "Gun Twirler" I enjoy more than James Garner, is Terrance Hill!

Ivan

Actually I think Sammy Davis Jr was more noted for his gun handling and quick draw than James Garner

Great post and scene. I recognized one of the actors standing next to him as well-(white shirt) Gregory Walcott.

One of my favorites caused this to happen to Duke:





Unrelated but cool anyway:





And the rest is history:

I've always enjoyed this!.....

Wonder how Mark woulda liked that "circus act" if, when going in the barn that night, he found his horse dead. That trick shot with the knife on the barn wall. Bullet'd go through several inches of pine boards. Easily go through the board and across the barn, to hit the horse in his stall.

If you haven't seen this,

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

Every time I see that great scene with Sammy Davis Jr. in the Rifleman I think the same thing. There must have been dozens of colatoral damage in town considering all the gunfights McCain had.
The reason James Garner stands out to me is, he has many spins that keep the gun airborn then catches it, unlike the other guys mentioned here. Robert Culp is pretty good here in "The Rifleman", but of course (SPOILER ALERT!!) Lucas McCain kills 'im twenty minutes later.

I miss those guys.

screenshot on pc

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

I never cared for "Sugarfoot".

Kinda swishy

John Wayne was quite good at twirling his six guns, he does it in just about every western he ever made. Notice the revolver falls right into his holster when he's through, The Duke never looks to see where the holster is, the mark of someone knowing how to do it.

Dobe Carey said that between scenes of the movie, Big Jake, he found a bored Wayne twirling his Colt to pass the time. Surprised at Wayne's proficiency in twirling the gun, Dobe said, "Duke, I never knew you could handle a Colt like that," to which Wayne replied, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"

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LIVE FROM THE DAWGHOUSE

From what little gun twirling I ever tried on my own the long barrel revolver twirling is most impressive. A good balanced short barrel, almost twirls itself.

Of course the throwing them in air, catching them, reverse spins and all the other tricks speaks to a lot of practice in front of a mirror over a soft surface, or they didn't care about the iron if it hit the ground.

In regards to Val Kilmer, the man is very dexterously gifted. He seems to be spinning something in almost all of the films I have seen him in, from a pen in Top Gun to the sword in Willow.

Which network were these guys on? I used to watch all of their shows. I think John Russell as The Lawman, was probably the most credible. I liked him on, Soldier of Fortune, too.


Who's the man between Garner and Jack Kelly?


Note that only the actor who played Chris Colt used either a nickeled gun or a 7.5 inch barrel. I don't like nickel, but do like the longer barrel for added range and power. My favorite SAA bbl. length is 4.75 inches. For some reason I can't define, I've never especially liked the 5.5 inch barrel on the SAA, but prefer it on the later DA New Service.


I liked these Westerns and the PI shows better than most now shown. Even then, they often conveyed a liberal message, and it's just gotten worse as Hollywood tries to generate sympathy for certain agendas.


I initially liked Garner as Maverick, but he later generated an anti hero attitude that I disliked. I think the actor was strongly anti-gun, too.

Photo of all the Warner Brothers Studio television western stars who had programs on ABC. From left: Will Hutchins ("Sugarfoot" Brewster-Sugarfoot), Peter Brown (Johnny McKay-Lawman), Jack Kelly (Bart Maverick-Maverick), Ty Hardin (Bronco Laine-Bronco), James Garner (Bret Maverick-Maverick), Wayde Preston (Christopher Colt-Colt .45), John Russell (Dan Troop-Lawman).

The above is 100% true too. Duke also was proficient at twirling a rifle and hitting the bullseye of a target one-handed.

All of them are on dvd now in one format or another.

Wyatt:

Thanks for another great thread. I used to love to watch these talented guys, and spent many hours trying (more or less unsuccessfully) to emulate them.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

I cant believe that nobody (till now) has rated this thread!

See that short guy standing to the far right? I believe that is Thell Reed Jr., who was and is renowned for his single action handling skills. He used to shoot with Jeff Cooper at the old Leatherslap competitions with Jack Weaver and others at Big Bear Lake in California. I suspect he's the one who coached Jim Garner.

Here's a shot of the old Leatherslap bunch: Ray Chapman, Elden Carl, Thell Reed, Jeff Cooper and Jack Weaver.



Here, he's appearing on the Ed Sullivan show in 1966.

John

GunFighter Gulch Video Gallery - Gunfighter Gulch

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

well, they look good, and they had a fast draw, but in anything other than a competition, they'd all be crawlin' around in the dark, trying to find the guns that fell out of those competition holsters while chasing thugs down alleys.

Only the Colt Single Action Army is so well-balanced and proportioned to make this type gun handling possible. To the same extent, it simply can't be done with any other handgun.

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~ S&W aficionado in training ~

Here's some of the actors Mark "Thell" Reed coached in later years. I think Russell Crowe's little routine is the best here.

The guy that Gene Hackman shot--looks like Snubbyfan (Wayne)

you notice that these guys are wearing drop holsters?
according to the internet, the drop is historically inaccurate.
thing is, the concept is not hard to figure out n if my life depended on fast access to my gun, i'd have invented it myself.
the drop holster is clearly superior to a belt holster, so i suspect it was in use back then.

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susie

If you look at period photos, most westerners wore their revolvers rather high. Ir you are on horseback with a drop leg holster, pretty soon your pistol has fallen out. Hollywood invented the drop leg.

Tell that to Commodore Perry Owen, 1852 to 1919.

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I always take precautions

Nobody ever won a gunfight by putting their gun away.

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Freedom isn't free.

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Freedom isn't free.

Please identify the specific "Maverick" episode where this scene occurs.

I'd hate to be in the shoes of anyone dumb enough to tell him he needs a haircut--or trim in the least. Unless--im backed up by a full troop of Cavalry.

I have to shake my head. Most of us stand, take aim, then shoot a paper pie plate size target. But many as seen here are quick draw free handed waist shooting a target the size of a quarter. That Bob Munden is unreal.
I always wondered in westerns quick draw stand offs how many hit their adversary while shooting from the waist and no sights aiming.

well, gman, i can tell you that after 16 months of hard work, there's no way i'm gonna miss a center of mass hit at 12 yards shooting from the hip,in half a second.
15 yards is still a bit iffy.
the reason some folks think it's not possible is that it's harder to learn than bulls eye at 25 n 50 yards.
point shooting is precision shooting. it's just a different kind of precision.

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susie

...or by spinning it.

As a sprout, I and nearly all my friends had a cap pistol and a cheap plastic or cloth holster.

Our gun handlin' skills sure were important to us.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan