Is it a TCM premiere

TCM is running The Gunfighter tonight at 8:00 PM. I'm not certain, but I think it's a TCM premiere. Gregory Peck plays the titular gunfighter who would like to settle down and live a quiet life not having to be a gunfighter any longer, but finds that his reputation precedes him wherever he goes. I blogged about the movie back in November 2011, and find the more I think about it that this isn't an uncommon theme in the movies.

Glenn Ford played a similar character in The Fastest Gun Alive, although here the gunfighter character had already been able to settle down for a couple of years before somebody spills the beans. And thankfully, The Gunfighter doesn't have a dance scene with Russ Tamblyn. I thikn The Gunfighter also has a better ending than The Fastest Gun Alive.

John Wayne wants to settle down in The Shootist, but that's because his character is terminally ill. He's going to be settling down soon regardless of what happens.

Feel free to discuss other westerns about gunfighters wanting to settle down in the comments.

Colin over at Riding the High Country just wrote a lengthier post on The Gunfighter the other day, and as one of the bloggers who specifically likes westers, his is a much better post than mine and well worth reading.