50's WESTERNS HONOR ROLL

MY FAVORITE WESTERN FILMS : THE 50’s

                              1950

AMBUSH(1950-Sam Wood) Robert Taylor,Arlene Dahl,John Hodiak

BRANDED(1950-Rudolph Mate) Alan Ladd,Charles Bickford,Mona Freeman

CALIFORNIA PASSAGE(1950-Joseph Kane) Forrest Tucker,Adele Mara,Jim Davis

CALL OF THE KLONDIKE(1950-Frank McDonald) Kirby Grant,Anne Gwynne,Tom Neal

CARIBOO TRAIL,THE(1950-Edwin L. Marin) Randolph Scott,Karin Booth,Dale Robertson

DEVIL’S DOORWAY(1950-Anthony Mann) Robert Taylor,Paula Raymond,Louis Calhern

FRENCHIE(1950-Louis King) Joel McCrea,Shelley Winters,John Russell

FURIES,THE(1950-Anthony Mann) Barbara Stanwyck,Wendell Corey,Walter Huston

GUNFIGHTER, THE(1950-Henry King) Gregory Peck, Millard Mitchell

HOSTILE TERRITORY(1950-Thomas Carr) James Ellison,Russell Hayden,Betty (Julie) Adams
IROQUOIS TRAIL, THE(1950-Phil Karlson) George Montgomery,Glenn Langan
KANSAS RAIDERS(1950-Ray Enright) Audie Murphy,Brian Donlevy,Marguerite Chapman

MARSHAL OF HELDORADO(1950-Thomas Carr) James Ellison,Russell Hayden,Betty (Julie) Adams
NEVADAN, THE(1950-Gordon Douglas) Randolph Scott,Dorothy Malone,Forrest Tucker

RIO GRANDE(1950-John Ford) John Wayne,Maureen O’Hara,Claude Jarman Jr.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN(1950-William Keighley) Errol Flynn,Patrice Wymore,Scott Forbes,Dick Jones

RUSTLERS ON HORSEBACK(1950-Fred C. Brannon) Allan Lane,Eddy Waller,George Nader 

SADDLE TRAMP(1950-Hugo Fregonese) Joel McCrea,Wanda Hendrix

TRAIL OF ROBIN HOOD(1950-William Witney) Roy Rogers,Penny Edwards,Jack Holt

TWILIGHT IN THE SIERRAS(1950-William Witney) Roy Rogers,Dale Evans,Pat Brady

TWO FLAGS WEST(1950-Robert Wise) Joseph Cotten,Linda Darnell,Cornel Wilde

WAGON MASTER(1950-John Ford) Ben Johnson,Joanne Dru,Harry Carey Jr.,Ward Bond

WINCHESTER 73(1950-Anthony Mann) James Stewart,Shelley Winters,Stephen McNally,Dan Duryea

              

                              1951

APACHE DRUMS(1951-Hugo Fregonese) Stephen McNally,Coleen Gray,Willard Parker

CATTLE DRIVE(1951-Kurt Neumann) Joel McCrea,Dean Stockwell,Chill Wills

FORT DEFIANCE(1951-John Rawlins) Dane Clark,Ben Johnson,Peter Graves

LAST OUTPOST,THE(1951-Lewis R. Foster) Ronald Reagan,Rhonda Fleming,Bruce Bennett

LITTLE BIG HORN(1951-Charles Marquis Warren) Lloyd Bridges,John Ireland 

LONGHORN, THE(1951-Lewis Collins) Wild Bill Elliott,Myron Healey

MAN IN THE SADDLE(1951-Andre De Toth) Randolph Scott,Joan Leslie,Ellen Drew 

NIGHT RIDERS OF MONTANA(1951-Fred C. Brannon) Allan "Rocky" Lane,Arthur Space 

PAINTED HILLS, THE(1951-Harold Kress) Bruce Cowling, Gary Gray, Lassie

RAWHIDE(1951-Henry Hathaway) Tyrone Power,Susan Hayward,Hugh Marlowe

SLAUGHTER TRAIL(1951-Irving Allen) Brian Donlevy,Virginia Grey,Gig Young

SOUTH OF CALIENTE(1951-William Witney) Roy Rogers,Dale Evans,Douglas Fowley

SUGARFOOT(1951-Edwin L. Marin)) Randolph Scott,Adele Jergens,Raymond Massey

TEXAS LAWMEN(1951-Lewis Collins) Johnny Mack Brown,James Ellison

THREE DESPERATE MEN(1951-Sam Newfield) Preston Foster,Jim Davis,Virginia Grey

WESTWARD THE WOMEN(1951-William Wellman) Robert Taylor,Denise Darcel
WHEN THE REDSKINS RODE(1951-Lew Landers) Jon Hall,Mary Castle

                              1952

APACHE WAR SMOKE(1952-Harold Kress) Robert Horton,Gilbert Roland,Glenda Farrell

BATTLES OF CHIEF PONTIAC(1952-Felix E. Feist) Lex Barker,Helen Westcott,Lon Chaney Jr

CARSON CITY(1952-Andre De Toth) Randolph Scott,Lucille Norman,Raymond Massey

CATTLE TOWN(1952-Noel Smith) Dennis Morgan,Philip Carey,Amanda Blake,Rita Moreno
CIMARRON KID, THE(1952-Budd Boetticher) Audie Murphy,Yvette Duguay 

COLORADO SUNDOWN(1952-William Witney) Rex Allen,Slim Pickens,June Vincent

DUEL AT SILVER CREEK,THE(1952-Don Siegel) Audie Murphy,Faith Domergue,Stephen McNally

FORT OSAGE(1952-Lesley Selander) Rod Cameron,Jane Nigh,Douglas Kennedy

HANGMAN’S KNOT(1952-Roy Huggins) Randolph Scott,Donna Reed,Claude Jarman Jr.

HIAWATHA(1952-Kurt Neumann) Vince Edwards,Yvette Duguay,Keith Larsen

HIGH NOON(1952-Fred Zinnemann) Gary Cooper,Grace Kelly,Katy Jurado,Lloyd Bridges

INDIAN UPRISING(1952-Ray Nazarro) George Montgomery,Audrey Long,John Baer 

IRON MISTRESS, THE (1952-Gordon Douglas) Alan Ladd,Virginia Mayo

MAVERICK, THE(1952-Thomas Carr) Wild Bill Elliott,Phyllis Coates,Myron Healey

MONTANA INCIDENT(1952-Lewis Collins) Whip Wilson,Rand Brooks,Peggy Stewart

PATHFINDER,THE(1952-Sidney Salkow) George Montgomery,Helena Carter,Steven Bekassy

PONY SOLDIER(1952-Joseph Newman) Tyrone Power,Cameron Michell,Thomas Gomez

RANCHO NOTORIOUS(1952-Fritz Lang) Marlene Dietrich,Arthur Kennedy,Mel Ferrer

RIDE THE MAN DOWN(1952-Joseph Kane) Rod Cameron,Ella Raines 

SAVAGE, THE(1952-George Marshall) Charlton Heston,Susan Morrow

TREASURE OF LOST CANYON, THE(1952-Ted Tetzlaff) William Powell,Tommy Ivo

WAGONS WEST(1952-Ford Beebe) Rod Cameron,Peggie Castle,Michael Chapin

WAY OF A GAUCHO(1952-Jacques Tourneur) Rory Calhoun,Gene Tierney,Richard Boone

WILD NORTH,THE(1952-Andrew Marton) Stewart Granger,Wendell Corey,Cyd Charisse

WILD STALLION(1952-Lewis D. Collins) Ben Johnson,Martha Hyer,Edgar Buchanan,Hugh Beaumont

                   

                              1953

BANDITS OF THE WEST(1953-Harry Keller) Allan "Rocky" Lane,Eddy Waller

CALAMITY JANE(1953-David Butler) Doris Day,Howard Keel,Allyn Ann McLerie

CHARGE AT FEATHER RIVER,THE(1953-Gordon Douglas) Guy Madison,Helen Westcott,Vera Miles

CITY OF BAD MEN(1953-Harmon Jones) Dale Robertson,Jeanne Crain,Richard Boone 

COLUMN SOUTH(1953-Frederick de Cordova) Audie Murphy,Robert Sterling 

CONQUEST OF COCHISE(1953-William Castle) John Hodiak,Robert Stack,Joy Page
GUN FURY(1953-Raoul Walsh) Rock Hudson,Donna Reed,Philip Carey,Leo Gordon 
GUNSMOKE(1953-Nathan Juran) Audie Murphy,Susan Cabot,Charles Drake,Mary Castle 

HOMESTEADERS, THE(1953-Lewis D. Collins) Wild Bill Elliott,Robert Lowery

HONDO(1953-John Farrow) John Wayne,Geraldine Page,Ward Bond

LAW AND ORDER(1953-Nathan Juran) Ronald Reagan,Dorothy Malone,Alex Nicol

PONY EXPRESS(1953-Jerry Hopper) Charlton Heston,Rhonda Fleming

POWDER RIVER(1953-Louis King) Dale Robertson,Cameron Mitchell,Corinne Calvet

SHANE(1953-George Stevens) Alan Ladd,Jean Arthur,Van Heflin,Brandon de Wilde

SILVER WHIP,THE(1953-Harmon Jones) Dale Robertson,Rory Calhoun,Robert Wagner 

SON OF BELLE STARR(1953-Frank McDonald) Keith Larsen,Myron Healey

STRANGER WORE A GUN,THE(1953-Andre De Toth) Randolph Scott,Claire Trevor,Joan Weldon 
TUMBLEWEED(1953-Nathan Juran) Audie Murphy,Lori Nelson,Chill Wills,Lee Van Cleef

VIGILANTE TERROR(1953-Lewis Collins) Wild Bill Elliott,Myron Healey 

WAR ARROW(1953-George Sherman) Jeff Chandler,MaureenO'Hara,Suzan Ball

WINGS OF THE HAWK(1953-Budd Boetticher) Van Heflin,Julie Adams

                              1954

APACHE(1954-Robert Aldrich) Burt Lancaster,Jean Peters,John McIntire

BATTLE OF ROGUE RIVER(1954-William Castle) George Montgomery,Richard Denning

BOUNTY HUNTER, THE(Warner Bros-Andre de Toth) Randolph Scott,Dolores Dorn

COMMAND,THE(1954-David Butler) Guy Madison,Joan Weldon,James Whitmore

DAWN AT SOCORRO(1954-George Sherman) Rory Calhoun,Piper Laurie,Alex Nicol

DESTRY(1954-George Marshall) Audie Murphy,Mari Blanchard,Lyle Bettger,Lori Nelson

DRUMS ACROSS THE RIVER(1954-Nathan Juran) Audie Murphy,Walter Brennan,Lyle Bettger

FOUR GUNS TO THE BORDER(1954-Richard Carlson) Rory Calhoun,Colleen Miller 

JESSE JAMES VS THE DALTONS(1954-William Castle) Brett King.Barbara Lawrence

JOHNNY GUITAR(1954-Nicholas Ray) Joan Crawford,Sterling Hayden,Mercedes McCambridge

MASTERSON OF KANSAS(1954-William Castle) George Montgomery,James Griffith

OUTCAST,THE(1954-William Witney) John Derek,Joan Evans,Jim Davis,Bob Steele

OVERLAND PACIFIC(1954-Fred F. Sears) Jock Mahoney,Peggie Castle

RAILS INTO LARAMIE(1954-Jesse Hibbs) John Payne,Dan Duryea,Mari Blanchard

RED GARTERS(1954-George Marshall) Jack Carson,Rosemary Clooney,Gene Barry,Guy Mitchell

RIDE CLEAR OF DIABLO(1954-Jesse Hibbs) Audie Murphy,Dan Duryea

RIVER OF NO RETURN(1954-Otto Preminger) Robert Mitchum,Marilyn Monroe,Rory Calhoun

SASKATCHEWAN(1954-Raoul Walsh) Alan Ladd,Shelley Winters

SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS(1954-Stanley Donen) Jane Powell,Howard Keel

SITTING BULL(1954-Sidney Salkow) Dale Robertson,Mary Murphy,J. Carrol Naish

SOUTHWEST PASSAGE(1954-Ray Nazarro) Rod Cameron,Joanne Dru,John Ireland
TAZA, SON OF COCHISE(1954-Douglas Sirk) Rock Hudson,Barbara Rush 

YELLOW MOUNTAIN, THE(1954-Jesse Hibbs) Lex Barker,Mala Powers,Howard Duff

                                   

                              1955

 

CHIEF CRAZY HORSE(1955-George Sherman) Victor Mature,Suzan Ball  

MAN FROM BITTER RIDGE, THE(1955-Jack Arnold) Lex Barker,Mara Corday

MARAUDERS, THE(1955-Gerald Mayer) Dan Duryea,Jeff Richards

OKLAHOMA!(1955-Fred Zinnemann) Gordon MacRae,Shirley Jones,Rod Steiger

SECOND GREATEST SEX, THE(1955-George Marshall) Jeanne Crain,George Nader 

SMOKE SIGNAL(1955-Jerry Hopper) Dana Andrews,Piper Laurie,Rex Reason

TALL MAN RIDING(1955-Lesley Selander) Randolph Scott,Dorothy Malone,Peggie Castle

VIOLENT MEN,THE(1955-Rudolph Mate) Glenn Ford,Barbara Stanwyck,Edward G. Robinson

                              1956

BURNING HILLS,THE(1956-Stuart Heisler) Tab Hunter,Natalie Wood,Skip Homeier,Earl Holliman

DAKOTA INCIDENT(1956-Lewis R. Foster) Dale Robertson,Linda Darnell,Ward Bond

GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING(1956-Jacques Tourneur) Robert Stack,Virginia Mayo,Alex Nicol

JUBAL(1956-Delmer Daves) Glenn Ford,Ernest Borgnine,Rod Steiger,Valerie French

KING AND FOUR QUEENS,THE(1956-Raoul Walsh) Clark Gable,Eleanor Parker,Jo Van Fleet

LAST HUNT,THE(1956-Richard Brooks) Robert Taylor,Stewart Granger,Lloyd Nolan,Debra Paget

MASSACRE(1956-Louis King) Dane Clark, Marta Roth, James Craig 

MAVERICK QUEEN, THE(1956-Joseph Kane) Barbara Stanwtck,Barry Sullivan

RAWHIDE YEARS, THE(1956-Rudolph Mate) Tony Curtis,Colleen Miller,Arthur Kennedy

RED SUNDOWN(1956-Jack Arnold) Rory Calhoun,Martha Hyer,Grant Williams,Dean Jagger

SEARCHERS,THE(1956-John Ford) John Wayne,Jeffrey Hunter,Vera Miles,Natalie Wood

SEVEN MEN FROM NOW(1956-Budd Boetticher) Randolph Scott,Gail Russell,Lee Marvin

                              1957

BLACK PATCH(1957-Allen H.Miner) George Montgomery,Diane Brewster,Sebastian Cabot

DALTON GIRLS,THE(1957-Reginald Le Borg) Merry Anders,John Russell,Penny Edwards

DECISION AT SUNDOWN(1957-Budd Boetticher) Randolph Scott,Karen Steele,John Carroll

DRAGOON WELLS MASSACRE(1957-Harold Schuster) Barry Sullivan,Dennis O’Keefe,Mona Freeman

FORTY GUNS(1957-Samuel Fuller) Barbara Stanwyck,Barry Sullivan,John Ericson,Dean Jagger

FURY AT SHOWDOWN(1957-Gerd Oswald) John Derek,Nick Adams,John Smith

GUN GLORY(1957-Roy Rowland) Stewart Granger,Rhonda Fleming,Chill Wills,James Gregory
GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL(1957-John Sturges) Burt Lancaster,Kirk Douglas

GUNS OF FORT PETTICOAT,THE(1957-George Marshall) Audie Murphy,Kathryn Grant,Hope Emerson

GUNSIGHT RIDGE(1957-Francis D. Lyon) Joel McCrea,Mark Stevens,Joan Weldon
NIGHT PASSAGE(1957-James Neilson) James Stewart,Audie Murphy,Dan Duryea

RIDE OUT FOR REVENGE(1957-Bernard Girard) Rory Calhoun,Gloria Grahame,Lloyd Bridges

TALL T,THE(1957-Budd Boetticher) Randolph Scott,Maureen O’Sullivan,Richard Boone

3:10 TO YUMA(1957-Delmer Daves) Glenn Ford,Van Heflin,Felicia Farr,Leora Dana

WAR DRUMS(1957-Reginald Le Borg) Lex Barker,Joan Taylor,Ben Johnson

                              1958

BIG COUNTRY, THE(1958-William Wyler) Gregory Peck,Jean Simmons,Charlton Heston 
BUCHANAN RIDES ALONE(1958-Budd Boetticher) Randolph Scott,Craig Stevens,Barry Kelley

LAST OF THE FAST GUNS(1958-George Sherman) Jock Mahoney,Gilbert Roland

MONEY, WOMEN AND GUNS(1958-Richard Bartlett) Jock Mahoney,Kim Hunter 

THE PROUD REBEL(1958-Michael Curtiz) Alan Ladd,Olivia deHavilland,David Ladd

TERROR IN A TEXAS TOWN(1958-Joseph H. Lewis) Sterling Hayden,Sebastian Cabot,Carol Kelly

                              1959

ESCORT WEST(1959-Francis D. Lyon) Victor Mature,Elaine Stewart,Faith Domergue 

FACE OF A FUGITIVE(1959-Paul Wendkos) Fred MacMurray,Dorothy Green

HANGMAN, THE(1959-Michael Curtiz) Robert Taylor,Tina Louise,Fess Parker
NO NAME ON THE BULLET(1959-Jack Arnold) Audie Murphy,Charles Drake

RIDE LONESOME(1959-Budd Boetticher) Randolph Scott,Karen Steele,Pernell Roberts

RIO BRAVO(1959-Howard Hawks) John Wayne,Dean Martin,Angie Dickinson,Walter Brennan

WILD AND THE INNOCENT,THE(1959-Jack Sher) Audie Murphy,Joanne Dru,Sandra Dee,Gilbert Roland

YELLOWSTONE KELLY(1959-Gordon Douglas) Clint Walker,Edward Byrnes,John Russell,Andra Martin

       FAVORITE PERFORMANCES

            FROM 50`s WESTERNS

                                    (arranged chronologically)

Actor in a Leading Role

 

ERROL FLYNN  “Rocky Mountain”(1950)

BEN JOHNSON  “Wagon Master”(1950)
ALAN LADD “Branded”(1950)

JOHN WAYNE “Rio Grande”(1950)

LLOYD BRIDGES "Little Big Horn"(1951) 

BRUCE COWLING "The Painted Hills"(1951) 

BEN JOHNSON “Fort Defiance”(1951)

JOEL MCCREA “Cattle Drive”(1951)

RANDOLPH SCOTT ”Sugarfoot”1951)

ROBERT TAYLOR "Westward the Women"(1951)

GARY COOPER “High Noon”(1952)

CHARLTON HESTON "The Savage"(1952)

ROBERT HORTON “Apache War Smoke”(1952)

TYRONE POWER "Pony Soldier"(1952)

ALAN LADD “Shane”(1953)

KEITH LARSEN "Son of Belle Starr"(1953)

AUDIE MURPHY "Column South"(1953)

RORY CALHOUN "Four Guns to the Border"(1954)

JOHN DEREK “The Outcast”(1954)

HOWARD KEEL “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”(1954)

JOHN PAYNE "Rails into Laramie"(1954) 

RANDOLPH SCOTT "The Bounty Hunter"(1954)

SPENCER TRACY “Broken Lance”(1954)

LEX BARKER "The Man from Bitter Ridge"(1955)

GORDON MACRAE “Oklahoma!”(1955)

ERNEST BORGNINE  “Jubal”(1956)

RORY CALHOUN “Red Sundown”(1956)`

GLENN FORD “Jubal”(1956)

DALE ROBERTSON “Dakota Incident”(1956)

RANDOLPH SCOTT “Seven Men from Now”(1956)

ROBERT TAYLOR “The Last Hunt”(1956)

JOHN WAYNE “The Searchers”(1956)

JOHN DEREK “Fury at Showdown”(1957)

GLENN FORD “3:10 to Yuma”(1957)

JOEL McCREA “Gunsight Ridge”(1957)

GEORGE MONTGOMERY  “Black Patch”(1957)

RANDOLPH SCOTT  “The Tall T”`(1957)

RANDOLPH SCOTT “Decision at Sundown”(1957)

BARRY SULLIVAN “Forty Guns”`(1957)

JOCK MAHONEY "Last of the Fast Guns"(1958)

HUGH O’BRIAN “The Fiend That Walked the West”(1958)
GREGORY PECK "The Big Country"(1958) 
AUDIE MURPHY "No Name on the Bullet"(1959)

RANDOLPH SCOTT “Ride Lonesome”(1959)

ROBERT TAYLOR “The Hangman”(1959)

CLINT WALKER “Yellowstone Kelly”(1959)

Actress in a Leading Role

DOROTHY MALONE "The Nevadan"(1950)

MAUREEN O`HARA “Rio Grande”(1950)

BARBARA STANWYCK “The Furies”(1950)
MARY CASTLE "When the Redskins Rode"(1951) 

DENISE DARCEL "Westward the Women"(1951)

RHONDA FLEMING “The Last Outpost”(1951)

JOAN LESLIE "Man in the Saddle"(1951) 

PHYLLIS COATES "The Maverick"(1952)

FAITH DOMERGUE “The Duel at Silver Creek”(1952)

JEAN ARTHUR “Shane’(1953)

DORIS DAY “Calamity Jane”(1953)`

COLLEEN MILLER "Four Guns to the Border"(1954)

MARILYN MONROE “River of No Return”(1954)

JANE POWELL”Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”(1954)

BARBARA STANWYCK”`The Violent Men”(1955)

LINDA DARNELL “Dakota Incident”(1956)

ELEANOR PARKER “The King and Four Queens”(1956)

MARTA ROTH "Massacre"(1956)
GAIL RUSSELL "Seven Men from Now"(1956)

NATALIE WOOD “The Burning Hills”(1956)

RHONDA FLEMING “Gun Glory”(1957)

JOAN TAYLOR "War Drums"(1957) 

OLIVIA de HAVILLAND "The Proud Rebel"(1958)

TINA LOUISE “The Hangman”(1959)

MARIA SCHELL “The Hanging Tree”(1959)

Actor in a Supporting Role

CHARLES BICKFORD “Branded”(1950)

WARD BOND “Wagon Master”(1950)

HARRY CAREY JR. “Wagon Master”(1950)

JIM DAVIS “California Passage”(1950)

CHARLES DRAKE “Winchester 73”(1950)

DAN DURYEA “Winchester 73”(1950)

CLAUDE JARMAN JR. “Rio Grande”(1950)

DICK JONES “Rocky Mountain”(1950)

CHARLES KEMPER “Wagon Master”1950)

MILLARD MITCHELL "The Gunfighter"(1950)

GILBERT ROLAND “The Furies”(1950) 

FORREST TUCKER "The Nevadan"(1950) 

EDDY WALLER "Rustlers on Horseback"(1950)

LLOYD CORRIGAN “The Last Outpost”(1951)

ARTHUR HUNNICUTT “Sugarfoot”(1951)

DEAN JAGGER "Rawhide"(1951) 

HUGH O'BRIAN "Little Big Horn"(1951) 
JOHN RUSSELL "Man in the Saddle"(1951)

ARTHUR SPACE "Night Riders of Montana"(1951) 

SHEB WOOLEY "Little Big Horn"(1951) 
LLOYD BRIDGES "High Noon"(1952) 

MEL FERRER "Rancho Notorious"(1952) 

CLAUDE JARMAN JR. “Hangman`s Knot”(1952)

I. STANFORD JOLLEY "Waco"(1952)

OTTO KRUGER ”High Noon”(1952)

LEE MARVIN “Hangman`s Knot”(1952)
CAMERON MITCHELL "Pony Soldier"(1952) 

MILBURN STONE "The Savage"(1952) 

RODOLFO ACOSTA "Wings of the Hawk"(1953)

WILLIAM BISHOP “Gun Belt”(1953)

RAY COLLINS "Column South"(1953)

BRANDON deWILDE “Shane”(1953)

PEDRO GONZALEZ GONZALEZ "Wings of the Hawk"(1953) 

MYRON HEALEY "Son of Belle Starr"(1953)

BEN JOHNSON “Shane”(1953)

CAMERON MITCHELL “Powder River”(1953)

HUGH O'BRIAN "Seminole"(1953)

JACK PALANCE “Shane”1953) 

ROBERT STERLING "Column South"(1953)

DENNIS WEAVER "Column South"(1953)

ERNEST BORGNINE “Johnny Guitar”(1954)

SCOTT BRADY “Johnny Guitar”(1954)

BEN COOPER “Johnny Guitar”(1954)

DAN DURYEA "Ride Clear of Diablo"(1954) 

JAMES GRIFFITH "Masterson of Kansas"(1954)

ALEX NICOL “Dawn at Socorro”(1954)

HUGH O'BRIAN "Drums Across the River"(1954)

TOMMY RETTIG “River of No Return”(1954)

LEE VAN CLEEF "Rails into Laramie"(1954)

RICHARD WIDMARK “Broken Lance”(1954)

JAY C. FLIPPEN “Oklahoma!”(1955)

BRIAN KEITH “The Violent Men”(1955)

GENE NELSON   “Oklahoma!”(1955)

ROD STEIGER  “Oklahoma!”(1955)

MICHAEL ANSARA "Pillars of the Sky"(1956)

WARD BOND `”Dakota Incident”(1956)
WARD BOND "The Searchers"(1956) 

SCOTT BRADY "The Maverick Queen"(1956)

HENRY BRANDON “The Searchers”(1956)

JEFFREY HUNTER  "The Searchers"(1956)

ARTHUR KENNEDY "The Rawhide Years"(1956)

LEE MARVIN “Seven Men from Now”(1956)

ROD STEIGER “Jubal”(1956)

GRANT WILLIAMS “Red Sundown”(1956)
HANK WORDEN “The Searchers”(1956)

JOHN CARROLL “Decision at Sundown”(1957)

DEAN JAGGER “Forty Guns”(1957)

MARK STEVENS “Gunsight Ridge”(1957)

JAMES WESTERFIELD "Decision at Sundown"(1957)
CHARLES BICKFORD "The Big Country"(1958)

CHUCK CONNORS “The Big Country”(1958)

JAMES GLEASON "Money, Women and Guns"(1958)
BURL IVES "The Big Country"(1958) 

DEAN JAGGER "The Proud Rebel"(1958)

CECIL KELLAWAY "THe Proud Rebel"(1958)

CRAIG STEVENS”`Buchanan Rides Alone”(1958)

WALTER BRENNAN “Rio Bravo”(1959)

FESS PARKER “The Hangman”(1959)

BEN PIAZZA “The Hanging Tree”(1959)

PERNELL ROBERTS “Ride Lonesome”(1959)

JOHN RUSSELL “Yellowstone Kelly”(1959)

Actress in a Supporting Role

JUDITH ANDERSON “The Furies”(1950)

JEAN PARKER "The Gunfighter"(1950)

JULIE BISHOP "Westward the Women"(1951)

HOPE EMERSON "Westward the Women"(1951)

RENATA VANNI "Westward the Women"(1951) 

LOUISE BEAVERS "Colorado Sundown"(1952)

KATY JURADO "High Noon"(1952) 

JUNE VINCENT "Colorado Sundown"(1952)
SUZAN BALL "War Arrow"(1953)
MARY CASTLE "Gunsmoke"(1953) 

DONA DRAKE "Son of Belle Starr"(1953)

ALLYN ANN McLERIE “Calamity Jane”(1953)

JOANNE GILBERT “Red Garters”(1954)

MERCEDES McCAMBRIDGE “Johnny Guitar”(1954)

CHARLOTTE GREENWOOD  ``Oklahoma!”(1955)

JEAN WILLES “The King and Four Queens”(1956)

VALERIE FRENCH “Jubal”(1956))
OLIVE CAREY "Night Passage"(1957)

FELICIA FARR “3:10 to Yuma”(1957)
JO VAN FLEET "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral"(1957)

CAROL KELLY “Terror in a Texas Town”(1958)

SANDRA DEE “The Wild and the innocent”(1959)
CLAIRE DU BREY "Escort West"(1959)

50's WESTERNS: MY TOP GUNS

                People hooked on vintage westerns tend to have their own favorite cowboy stars. For me, William S. Hart has the silent era sewn up.  A stark, iconic presence casting an imposing shadow over all the westerns to come.  For the 30’s I’d pick Bob Steele (uniquely intense, whether projecting vulnerability or scrappiness).  My 40’s choice would be Roy Rogers, solid in the early part of the decade and  unbeatable once Dale Evans joined the party in ’44.  The 50’s offer an intriguing range of possibilities.

Joel McCrea always registered as righteous, without ever coming across as self righteous - unlike Gregory Peck or Charlton Heston, who sometimes seemed bent on engraving their own images onto Mount Rushmore with each word.  McCrea had occasionally donned western garb in the 30’s. But it was the big post-war hit “The Virginian” that really established his brand as a sagebrush hero.

Raoul Walsh’s “Colorado Territory” (‘49) was a western remake of the same director’s “High Sierra” – and great in its own right.  McCrea  had already displayed expertise in all sorts of films. In 30’s romances, he held his own with the likes of Barbara Stanwyck, Irene Dunne, Loretta Young, Merle Oberon and Constance Bennett.  And he made an admirable Hitchcock hero in the exciting “Foreign Correspondent” (’40). Plus was there ever a more appealingly perplexed straight man at the center of Preston Sturges’ dizzy universe?   McCrea’s  work in both “Sullivan’s Travels” and “The Palm Beach Story” deserved Oscar attention.  But after the 40’s, the actor settled almost exclusively into westerns, a genre in which he was supremely comfortable.  He loved horses – and raised them on his own 3000 acre spread in California.  In “Stars in My Crown” (’50) McCrea played a western preacher and it’s a film that still generates critical  enthusiasm  60 some years later . But I especially like “Cattle Drive” (’51) where he’s beautifully cast as the patient,  resourceful  trail boss/mentor to a young city boy stranded out west.  It’s a part only McCrea could’ve delivered with such quietly expressive eloquence. 

                                   

“Gunsight Ridge”(’57) was a genuine out of left field gem, with McCrea in measured but relentless pursuit of charismatic outlaw Mark Stevens. The ambience was convincing, the script terse and compelling.  It wasn’t the last great western McCrea made (that would be ‘62’s “Ride the High Country”), but it may be the most unsung. Check it out.

George Montgomery radiated a kind of frontier authenticity. Not that surprising since he was born in Montana and raised on a ranch.  He was always active, agile and a natural around horses. While still in his teens, Montgomery headed to Hollywood to try his luck. And within weeks was working as a stuntman. The guy was tall, handsome and gifted with a great speaking voice, so  it wasn’t long before producers promoted him to speaking parts. 20^th Century Fox  signed him in 1939 and within two or three  years  Montgomery was an established  leading man opposite some of the era’s top movie beauties – Betty Grable, Gene Tierney, Maureen O’Hara, Ginger Rogers.  For a time he and Hedy Lamarr were a much photographed twosome on the Hollywood social circuit - arguably the era’s most sublimely photogenic couple. In 1943 he married singer Dinah Shore, a union that endured for twenty years.   Montgomery  joined the Air Force that same year. Neither he nor Fox were enthusiastic about his first few postwar assignments.  He yearned for more independence and - parting company with the studio - began freelancing, at the same time getting involved in the production end of things.  Westerns were cost-effective and – pretty much on all levels – a comfortable fit for him. Although he’d made a few medium budget oaters in the 40’s, it wasn’t till the end of the decade that westerns  became pretty much his exclusive focus. He made twenty-three of them in the 50’s, establishing himself as one of the genre’s stalwart marquee attractions.

                                   

But his gifts extended well beyond those he displayed onscreen. A genuine lover of all things western, he eventually established a reputation (and a successful second career) as a painter and sculptor, mainly of western subjects. His work found its way into museums and private collections all over the world. Like Randolph Scott, Montgomery retained the leanness of his youth throughout his career. He also projected  a refreshing  honesty, a straight from the shoulder quality, that gave even his less substantial vehicles a kind of dramatic backbone. The early 50’s were busy and successful years for him.  In ’53, Montgomery took full advantage of the current 3D craze; his stereoscopic “Fort Ti” generated phenomenal profits.  Montgomery westerns I especially like  from the period  include “Indian Uprising” and “The Battle of Rogue River”.  But his best,  both complex and elemental, is probably 1957’s “Black Patch”’ a stark and moody western noir. 

 

Over the years, George Montgomery developed and perfected a singular screen presence; using his straight-talking style, a highly personal brand of dramatic short-hand, to build characters - sometimes romantic, sometimes remote - but always compellingly watchable. And it was inevitably in westerns that his finely honed talents achieved their fullest resonance.

Dale Robertson never lost his distinctive Oklahoma twang. But that was just one of the things that made him special. Movie cowboys often had sidekicks, on hand to supply a level of geniality while the hero functioned as straight arrow, spearheading the plot, handling the lion’s share of the action, settling whatever scores had to be settled. Robertson projected a geniality of his own, with a good-natured twinkle in his eye, even in his voice. Here was a man never reliant on sidekicks to inject fun into the proceedings. He projected plenty of that all on his own.  The thing was that he also possessed exceptional  leading  man good looks plus complete outdoor credibility –great with guns, horses and full-on action. And though naturally good-natured, Robertson was quite capable – at any given moment - of  leveling a gaze steely enough to unsettle the meanest of bad guys. In other words, Dale Robertson was the complete package. Studio publicity would have it that he was discovered when, as a WW2 serviceman, he had a photo of himself taken in LA for his mother. The photographer included the impressive portrait in his shop window display, where it was seen by film agents immediately eager to represent the budding Adonis. After the war, now a highly decorated veteran of 21, he took the Hollywood plunge. By the late 40’s, he’d already had small roles in several films. He was Jesse James in Randolph Scott’s “Fighting Man of the Plains”; it was just a supporting part, but he was noticed. Fox signed him and proceeded to develop him as a rising star. He played in lots of non-westerns including “O. Henry’s Full House”( nicely paired with Richard Widmark), the socially progressive swashbuckler “Lydia Bailey” and – on loan out to Howard Hughes and RKO – an entertaining Arabian Nights adventure, “Son of Sinbad”. He was also leading man in “The Farmer Takes a Wife” the best musical Betty Grable ever made (yes, he sang, too). Filmed outdoors, it glowed with the airy freshness of wide open spaces. A welcome antidote to those garish assembly line vehicles from Grable’s 40’s heyday, so many of them little more than parades of tired Tony Pastor era vaudeville routines.  Songs in “The Farmer Takes a Wife” were beautifully and imaginatively integrated into the action. Sadly, the public didn’t embrace this one- their loss. Dale Robertson worked – and worked well – in a variety of genres. But westerns were an especially good fit for him. He was just one of an especially large leading man contingent (Joseph Cotten, Cornel Wilde, Jeff Chandler) in Robert Wise’s excellent (and splendidly photographed) “Two Flags West”. But was more prominently spotlighted in “The Silver Whip” (an adroitly  fashioned vehicle for Fox’s then up and coming male heartthrobs Robertson, Rory Calhoun and Robert Wagner.

 

“City of Bad Men” with Jeanne Crain was another standout – a smart script, expertly executed.  As the old studio system floundered, Robertson became a freelancer – but westerns remained his preferred genre.  “Dakota Incident” is hands down my favorite Republic film of the 50’s. Notable for , among other things, superlative, award-worthy work from Linda Darnell and Ward Bond. Cast and crew stubbornly refused to just phone it in. Director Lewis R. Foster took the old disparate group of strangers on a stagecoach journey and made it fresh and vivid again. And the whole enterprise was anchored by Robertson’s bedrock-solid work at its center. 

 

TV extended his career nicely, especially with the hit series “Tales of Wells Fargo”(1957-62. Decades later, he was also one of the stars of “Dynasty”’s  debut season. Blessed with all the qualities required for western stardom, Robertson had a little something extra too.  A buoyant courtliness, amiable, engaging  and quite unique among his peers. According to the fond memories of colleagues and friends, it was  something he projected  off-screen too - for all his life.

Rory Calhoun always seemed like the coolest guy in town.  Radiating a confidence balanced neatly on the appealing edge of cockiness.  You always got the feeling he was trailing an interesting past behind him.  The man was also strikingly photogenic. He had a couple of brief bits at Fox in ’45 - playing a toreador in Laurel  & Hardy’s “The Bullfighters” and a boxer in “Nob Hill”, a kind of cut-and-paste Alice Faye musical without Alice Faye. But he stood out - and it was enough to start the fan mail rolling in.  “The Red House”(1947) was an arty, portentous jumble, with the spotlight more or less  trained on Edward G. Robinson and a backwoods Romeo and Juliet played with Actors Studio fervor by Lon McCallister and Allene Roberts. And most of it’s heavy going.  But Rory Calhoun and Julie London play a secondary pair of youngsters and they’re terrific, stealing the picture by dint of sheer animal magnetism, both performances  bristling  with a kind of reckless realism.  After that it was mainly leads for Calhoun. And in ’49 “Massacre River”, a terrific Sepia-tone  sagebrush saga  in which he, Guy Madison and Johnny Sands made as camera-ready a trio as ever top-lined a western.  The film clearly demonstrated the man’s affinity for the genre that was to keep him busy for years to come.  His 50’s career is studded with excellent movies. Jacques Tourneur’s splendid “Way of a Gaucho”(’52) , a kind of South American western, was set – and largely filmed – in Argentina. Its virtues included a poetic, affecting atmosphere and strong work from Calhoun, Gene Tierney and Richard Boone. “Powder River” was one of ‘53’s most entertaining westerns and matched Calhoun effectively against psychotic (but not unsympathetic) villain, Cameron Mitchell. With marquee powerhouses like Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum  plus wonderful child actor Tommy Rettig on hand, Calhoun was relegated to caddish background in Otto Preminger’s box-office smash  “River of No Return”(’54). But he made his moments count.  He was definitely  front and center, though, in “Dawn at Socorro” and “Red Sundown”. 

 

 Universal was nothing if not prolific when it came to 50’s westerns; but these two definitely ranked among the studio’s best. In 1958 Calhoun successfully made the transition to TV with a popular western series called “The Texan” .  In the mid-60’s independent producer A.C. Lyles mounted a string of mini- budget westerns destined for double bills and drive-ins. He populated them with fading names from the past. Some observers dismissed the old-fashioned films as work therapy for aging performers. But where else in the Beatles era were you likely to see Dana Andrews, Terry Moore, Pat O’Brien, Lon Chaney Jr., Bruce Cabot, Lyle Bettger, Richard Arlen, Coleen Gray, Sonny Tufts, Don “Red” Barry and Bob Steele all in one picture? (That would be “Town Tamer” (1965).  Rory Calhoun starred in Lyles’ “Apache Uprising” (also ’65) and darned if it wasn’t the best of the bunch.  Much of that down to Calhoun,  just as good (and just as cool) as ever.  Maybe Rory Calhoun never found his “Shane”   But it wasn’t because he didn’t deserve it.  His track record remains a splendid one. And going to westerns in the 50’s wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun without him. 

Randolph Scott 

At his onscreen best –which he frequently was – Randolph Scott felt much but said little.  At the peak of his western stardom, he seemed to be some sort of distillation of the west itself.  His face a craggy, eloquent  road-map of experience and hard-won wisdom. Tall, slim, impossibly lithe, effortlessly athletic, he moved with melancholy, ageless grace across the western landscapes of his films. In essence, Scott was the spiritual and physical successor to William S. Hart. He came from an upper-crust Virginia family and perhaps that secure social background helped develop the aura of composure he radiated.  Few western stars – and it’s as such that Scott is generally celebrated – have had such a wide ranging career.  He’d achieved stardom by 1932, then built up an incredibly varied filmography . Over the years he played leading man to – among others - Carole Lombard, Margaret Sullavan, Irene Dunne, Mae West, Joan Bennett and Gene Tierney. He wooed the beguiling Nancy Carroll in one of the great pre-codes “Hot Saturday” ( that’s also the film where Scott met lifelong friend Cary Grant). He co-starred in not one but two of the Astaire-Rogers musicals, also two of Shirley Temple’s.  He led the cast of “She”, one of the 30’s most fondly remembered adventure fantasies. And was a serious contender for the role of Ashley Wilkes in “Gone With the Wind”. He sparkled alongside Irene Dunne and Cary Grant in one of the nimblest classic comedies, “My Favorite Wife”. Several of his early 40’s films were  flag-waving war pictures. But westerns were a constant with him. In the early days of is career, Paramount built a whole series of Zane Grey inspired B’s around him.  Bigger budget western showcases followed regularly ,“Last of the Mohicans” “Jesse James”, “Frontier Marshal” (as Wyatt Earp), “When the Daltons Rode”, “Western Union” – all high quality items.  After the war, Scott turned pretty much exclusively to westerns. He enjoyed making them and was undeniably excellent in them. A great businessman, he soon becoming active in the packaging and production of his own films. Aside from its great title, “Gunfighters”(1947) opened with a then revolutionary pre-credits sequence. Colorful and action-packed, the whole picture fairly popped off the screen. The late 40’s also saw terrific Scott movies like  “Albuquerque” and “Return of the Badmen”. Many of the Scotts used Cinecolor, a lower cost alternative to Technicolor. Used right – as it invariably was in Scott westerns - the process, rich in greens and browns, proved a beautiful match for western vistas. Randolph Scott's cowboy pictures became known for their consistent high quality.  Fans could rely on solid entertainment and often, as in the superb “Hangman’s Knot”, considerably more. As a top Saturday matinee attraction of the era, Scott inevitably made a 3D film (“The Stranger Wore a Gun”). And – in typical Scott style – it ranked as one of the best. Exhibitors loved him. In the early 50’s he was regularly among the top 10 box office stars. By the mid-fifties he’d enjoyed almost two and a half decades of sustained success. But artistically, the best was yet to come. He’d established a solid, working relationship with producer Harry Joe Brown starting with “Western Union”, way back in ’41.  They collaborated many times in the years that followed. But that relationship entered a new and remarkable phase when they joined forces with director Budd Boetticher and writer Burt Kennedy. The styles and temperaments of all four men just seemed to mesh magically. Together they produced a series of memorable westerns eventually known as the Ranown (Randolph and Brown) Cycle. First out of the gate was “Seven Men from Now”, a startling upgrade to the already high standards Scott’s films had established. It, “The Tall T” “Ride Lonesome” and “Comanche Station” are all considered classics. And “Decision at Sundown” and “Buchanan Rides Alone” are only a whisper behind. Like Scott himself, the films were lean yet magisterial.  Bristling with frankness, grit, psychological credibility and complexity.  The 50’s had seen the rise of the psychological western. And the best of the Scotts expanded and transcended the limits of the genre.  Just great pure cinema.  Packing an emotional wallop that matched the scope of the surroundings. No other movie cowboy rode out on such a high note. The last two Boettichers, “Ride Lonesome”(’59) and “Comanche Station” (’60) were perhaps the greatest of the lot.
                      
 In 1961 Scott was off the screen for the first time in over thirty years. But he came back for a last hurrah in ’62, teaming with Joel McCrea in “Ride the High Country”; the two played aging cowboys trying to maintain their relevance in a changing world. And working with another exciting director on the way up, Sam Peckinpah, both stars delivered performances that can only be described as perfectly polished diamonds. Lending autumnal poignancy and power to a film remarkable on all levels for its matter of fact magnificence. At which stratospheric height, Scott gracefully bowed out and quietly left the movies, subsequently enjoying 25 years of well-earned, comfortable and very private retirement. With each passing year, Scott becomes a firmer critical favorite, his best films – of which there are many – regularly rated among the finest ever made. He stands as one of the western’s iconic symbols. And like the genre itself, Randolph Scott wears very, very well.