Black Patch (1957)

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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.