BrianRxm Coins in Movies 246/387
One Foot in Hell (1960)
Western saloon has real US Morgan Silver Dollars and imitation gold coins
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The 1960 film "One Foot in Hell" is a Western film about a man who gets revenge on a cattle town by robbing the local bank of $100,000 in gold.
 
Mitch Barrett (Alan Ladd), a former Confederate soldier, rides into the town with his pregnant sick wife. A hotel keeper, a store owner pharmacist, and the town sheriff delay him in obtaining medicine and the wife dies, for which Mitch blames the town.
 
Mitch hides his feelings about the town and becomes a deputy sheriff and then the sheriff. He recruits three men and one woman to assist him in robbing the bank.
 
One Foot in Hell
1. Mitch checks into hotel
The hotel keeper George Caldwell wants $2.00 in advance which Mitch pays him in coins. The coins appear to be small silver coins or imitations.
 
After Mitch becomes sheriff he arrests a local drunk Dan Keats (Don Murray), another former Confederate soldier and artist. Mitch recruits him into his gang.
 
One Foot in Hell
2. A local man pulls out a money pouch
A saloon woman and Harry Ivers watch the man spill some coins onto the bar.
 
One Foot in Hell
3. Silver and gold coins on the bar
The coins are real US Morgan silver dollars and imitation US gold coins.
 
One Foot in Hell
4. A closer look at the coins
The US Treasury Department regulation prohibiting showing real US coins and currency had recently been repealed in 1960.
 
One Foot in Hell
5. Mitch recruits Harry
The local man accuses Harry of stealing his pouch and Mitch defuses the situation by picking Harry's pocket and handing the pouch to the man. Mitch then recruits Harry into his gang.
 
Mitch, Harry, and Dan travel to another town where Mitch recruits a gunman Stu Christian, and a saloon girl Julie Reynolds (Dolores Michaels).
 
The gang uses "liquid fire" to distract the townspeople and rob the bank. Mitch keeps the money and eliminates two accomplices, Harry and Stu. Later Mitch tries to eliminate Dan and Julie but Julie manages to shoot Mitch.
 
One Foot in Hell
6. Julie and Dan
Dan and Julie become lovers and return the gold to the first town's doctor. The doctor tells the pair that they may get some leniency from a court trial.
Cast, Directors, Writers:
 
Alan Ladd as Mitch Barrett
Henry Norell as George Caldwell
Don Murray as Dan Keats
Dan O'Herlihy as Harry Ivers
Barry Coe as Stu Christian
Dolores Michaels as Julie Reynolds
 
Director: James B. Clark
Writers: Aaron Spelling, Sydney Boehm
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