Movies about the Civil War era usually stick to a script. You’ve got the brave soldiers, the dusty trails, and the inevitable showdown. But 1971's The Gatling Gun—originally titled King Gun—is a weird beast. It’s a low-budget indie Western that somehow managed to wrangle a surprisingly recognizable group of actors just as the genre was starting to fade into the sunset. When people search for the Gatling Gun movie cast, they aren't looking for a blockbuster list. They’re looking for that specific intersection of "hey, I know that guy" and "wait, he was in this?"
It’s gritty. It’s messy. It’s very much a product of its time.
The film follows a group of cavalrymen and civilians trying to transport a stolen Gatling gun through territory held by hostile Apache forces. It’s a classic MacGuffin setup. The gun is the star, but the people holding it are who make the movie watchable today. You have to remember that by 1971, the Western was evolving. We were moving away from the squeaky-clean John Wayne era and into something more cynical and violent. This cast reflects that shift perfectly.
Who Was Actually in the Gatling Gun Movie Cast?
The leading man here is Guy Stockwell. If the name sounds familiar but you can't place the face, you’re probably thinking of his brother, Dean Stockwell, of Quantum Leap fame. Guy plays Lieutenant Jim Boland. He’s the stoic center of the film. Stockwell had this rugged, old-school leading man energy that worked well in the 60s and 70s, though he never quite hit the A-list stratosphere. In this film, he’s basically the glue holding a disintegrating mission together.
Then you’ve got Robert Fuller. Fans of classic TV know him immediately from Emergency! or Laramie. Fuller plays Private Sneed. He brings a certain edge to the screen. Unlike the polished heroes of the 1950s, Fuller’s characters often felt like they had actually slept in the dirt.
But honestly? The real reason many people revisit this movie is for the supporting players.
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- Woody Strode plays Runner. Strode is a legitimate legend. He was a decathlete and a pro football pioneer before becoming one of the most striking Black actors in Hollywood history. Seeing him in a 1971 Western is a reminder of his incredible screen presence. He doesn't need many lines; he just owns the frame.
- Patrick Wayne shows up as Jim Murphy. Yes, that’s John Wayne’s son. Having a Wayne in your Western in 1971 was like a seal of authenticity, even if the movie was a smaller production.
- John Carradine makes an appearance as Reverend Riley. Carradine was the king of "I’ll show up, deliver a creepy or profound monologue, and leave." He did hundreds of movies. Here, he adds that touch of eccentric gravitas that only a Carradine can provide.
Why This Specific Cast Matters for the Genre
The chemistry of the Gatling Gun movie cast is strange because it feels like a passing of the torch. You have the old guard (Carradine), the established TV stars (Fuller), and the legacy players (Wayne). It was filmed in New Mexico, and you can tell. The environment looks harsh. The actors look sweaty. It lacks the backlot polish of a MGM production, and that’s arguably its biggest strength.
Director Robert Gordon didn’t have a massive budget. He had to rely on these actors to convey the tension of being trapped. When the Gatling gun—the actual weapon—finally gets unleashed, the reaction of the cast is what sells it. It’s not just a prop; it’s a terrifying new piece of technology that changes the stakes of the conflict.
Patty Duke (credited as Patty Duke Astin at the time) plays Cassie Riordan. This was a bit of a departure for her. After winning an Oscar for The Miracle Worker and starring in her own sitcom, seeing her in a gritty, violent Western was a shock to audiences. She plays a woman caught in the middle of the desert chaos, and she brings way more emotional depth to the role than the script probably deserved.
A Messy Production History
You can't talk about the actors without talking about how the movie almost didn't happen. It sat on a shelf for a couple of years. It was filmed around 1969 but didn't see a wide release until 1971 or 1973 in some regions. That’s usually a death sentence for a film.
The cast likely moved on to three other projects before this even hit theaters. Because it was an independent production, the distribution was spotty. Yet, because of the star power of people like Robert Fuller and Woody Strode, it found a second life on late-night television and eventually on budget DVD sets. It’s the kind of movie you find in a "50 Classic Westerns" pack at a truck stop, yet when you watch it, you realize the acting is actually quite solid.
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Identifying the Roles
If you’re trying to keep everyone straight while watching, here’s a quick breakdown of who’s who in the desert:
The Soldiers and Leads
Guy Stockwell is the Lieutenant. He’s the one trying to keep the mission on track. Robert Fuller is the gritty Private Sneed. Patrick Wayne is the young, somewhat idealistic Murphy.
The Civilians and Outcasts
Patty Duke is the female lead, Cassie. John Carradine is the preacher, who provides the moral (or sometimes immoral) commentary on the violence. Woody Strode is the scout/runner who actually knows how to survive the terrain.
The Antagonists
The film portrays the Apache forces as the primary threat, which was standard for the era, though the movie attempts to add layers by showing the desperation of the stolen gun plot. Carlos Rivas plays Two-Knives. Rivas was a staple in Westerns and adventure films, often playing indigenous or Latino characters with a fierce intensity.
The Technical Star: The Model 1862
Let’s be real. The "cast" includes the gun. The Gatling gun used in the film is treated like a character. The actors interact with it with a mix of awe and fear. In 1862, Richard Gatling patented this thing to "supersede the necessity of large armies." Instead, it just made killing more efficient.
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In the film, the way the actors handle the weapon is relatively historically accurate. They show the cranking mechanism, the gravity-fed magazine, and the sheer weight of the brass beast. It wasn’t a "point and click" weapon. It required a crew. Watching Stockwell and Fuller coordinate around the gun gives the movie a tactical feel that many other Westerns lacked.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Film
A lot of people confuse this movie with The Mercenary or other Spaghetti Westerns of the same era. While it shares some DNA with the Italian style—mainly the violence and the cynical tone—it’s a purely American production. It doesn't have the operatic music of Ennio Morricone or the extreme close-ups of Sergio Leone. It’s more workmanlike.
Another misconception is that it was a "John Wayne movie" because Patrick Wayne was in it. It definitely wasn't. It’s much darker. The ending doesn't leave you feeling particularly heroic. It leaves you feeling tired, which is exactly how the characters feel.
Final Thoughts on the Ensemble
The Gatling Gun movie cast represents a specific moment in Hollywood history. It was a time when TV cowboys were trying to prove they could handle "adult" Westerns and child stars like Patty Duke were trying to transition into grittier roles.
It’s not a perfect movie. The pacing can be a bit sluggish in the middle. But the performances—especially from Woody Strode and Robert Fuller—elevate it above your standard B-movie fare. If you’re a fan of the genre, it’s worth a watch just to see these disparate stars clashing in the New Mexico heat.
How to Explore Further
If you want to get the most out of this movie, don't just watch it as a standalone piece. Context is everything.
- Watch Robert Fuller in Emergency! afterward. The contrast between his role as Dr. Kelly Brackett and his role as Private Sneed is a great lesson in 70s acting range.
- Look for the Woody Strode biography. Reading about his life as a trailblazer in sports and film makes his performance in any Western much more impactful. He was a man who lived through real history while filming Hollywood's version of it.
- Check out the filming locations. The area around Santa Fe, New Mexico, hasn't changed much. You can still see the same horizons the cast looked at in 1969.
- Compare it to The Wild Bunch. Released just a couple of years earlier, The Wild Bunch also featured a Gatling gun in a pivotal role. Comparing how the two films use the weapon tells you a lot about the difference between a big-studio masterpiece and a gritty independent flick.
The film is currently available on various streaming services that specialize in "classic" or "cult" cinema. It’s a 90-minute window into a time when Westerns were becoming something more dangerous and less predictable.