"The Man from Galveston"
Movie Review

Reviewed by: Ed G. Lousararian

1963: Directed by William Conrad; Color.  Jeffrey Hunter, Preston Foster, James Coburn, Joanna Moore, Edward Andrews, Kevin Hagen, Martin West, Ed Nelson Karl Swenson, Grace Lee Whitney, Claude Stroud, Marjorie Bennett, Sherwood Price, Arthur Malet.

   Marked by an efficient group of artists both in front of the camera and behind it (William Conrad was the film's director and Jack Webb its executive producer), this pilot film for the sadly short-lived Temple Houston television series (again starring Jeffrey Hunter) is not all that memorable and entertaining at best.

    The Man from Galveston was adapted from a story by Philip Lonergan, entitled Galahad of Cactus City.  The central plot involves a woman (Joanna Moore) who is falsely accused of murder, with zestful Texas attorney and ex-beau Hunter defending her in a court of law.  The end result is the revelation on Hunter's part of the actual assassin, and the exoneration of Moore.

    Paled by a thin plot, this film contains a fairly good balance between action and drama, making the character-driven story a pleasant enough adventure.  The cast includes the ever-talented James Coburn, Preston Foster, Ed Nelson, Little House on the Prairie alumnae Kevin Hagen and Karl Swenson, and Star Trek's comely Grace Lee Whitney in a rare Western appearance as Texas Rose.