Summaries

Synopsis

CANON CITY chronicles the sensational 1927 prison break from the Colorado Territorial Prison ("Old Max"), filmed in and around the prison, Canon City, and the Royal Gorge area, with many of the extras played by locals who remembered the actual break. Twelve desperate criminals overpower guards to make their way up the Arkansas River Valley into the Royal Gorge. Weather soon plays the major antagonist as a fierce blizzard prevents the cons from getting any further than a few miles from town. In a contrived but dramatic Hollywood moment, one of the cons climbs high upon the Royal Gorge Bridge in order to escape his pursuers, only to be shot down, falling more than a thousand feet to his death at the bottom of the gorge.The blood-crazed ringleader of this chainfree chain-gang is James Sherbondy (played by Scott Brady), who shouts, "If they get me, they get me dead!" as he escapes. He was indeed the last one caught, but in reality, the real Sherbondy, exhausted, frostbitten and injured, meekly surrendered when finally cornered.Noteworthy is the fact that Warden Roy Best, who was quite a notorious character in his own right for more than three decades, plays himself. Ironically, when Best is notified of the prison break, he is playing poker in the back of a speak-easy, showing that Roy Best made no bones about his under-the-table dealings. Also noteworthy is that the cast includes young Deforest Kelley (who went on to become Dr. McCoy on 'Star Trek'), and James Arnes (Matt Dillon on TV's 'Gunsmoke'). It was also reported in 1987 by the Canon City Daily Record that a young unknown by the name of Charles Bronson was in the movie, although he doesn't appear to be on the cast list.Less than 24 hours after the break, two prisoners were dead, five were in the penitentiary infirmary with frostbite and injuries, and four were back in solitary confinement.