'Man In The Saddle' (1951) / 'The Proud Ones' (1956)
Mar 17, 2024 2:22:03 GMT
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Post by petrolino on Mar 17, 2024 2:22:03 GMT
'Man In The Saddle' (1951 - André De Toth)
In the low budget western 'Man In The Saddle' (1951), farmer Owen Merritt (Randolph Scott) is targeted by wealthy landowner Will Isham (Alexander Knox) who greenlights an attack on a cattle drive Merritt's running for cowgirl Nan Melotte (Ellen Drew). Isham's latest contract has secured him the hand of Laurie Bidwell (Joan Leslie), known as "the Bidwell girl", former flame of Merritt.
"Man In The Saddle is quite simply in my Top 5 or 6 (Randolph) Scott westerns ... I think the film stands very much in its own right as an absolutely top-notch western. Joan Leslie's character is complex and interesting but it is the warmth and strong femininity that Ellen Drew brought to her role as Nan that really drew me. Terrific example of fine western film-making."
- Jerry Entract, Laura's Miscellaneous Musings
André De Toth, Veronica Lake & Preston Foster
'Man In The Saddle' was produced by filmmaker Harry Joe Brown who formed the independent production company Scott-Brown Productions with Randolph Scott. Scott-Brown Productions specialised in making westerns. Between 1956 and 1960, Scott starred in seven westerns directed by Budd Boetticher, some of which were backed by Brown.
Gordon Douglas had recently made 'The Doolins Of Oklahoma' (1949) and 'The Nevadan' (1950) with Scott, a pair of westerns produced by Brown, when Brown struck a deal with André De Toth to direct 'Man In The Saddle'. De Toth directed some of the more unusual westerns of the 1950s and he reteamed with Scott and Brown for the 3-D western 'The Stranger Wore A Gun' (1953), made in the same year he directed Scott in the reconstructionist western 'Thunder Over The Plains' (1953) and made the 3-D horror 'House Of Wax' (1953). De Toth and Scott also collaborated on 'Carson City' (1952), 'The Bounty Hunter' (1954) and 'Riding Shotgun' (1954) for a total of six westerns in four years.
"The collaboration of actors and directors is a favorite area for analysis by film critics – (John) Ford and (John) Wayne, (Anthony) Mann and (James) Stewart, (John) Huston and (Humphrey) Bogart readily spring to mind. That attention tends to get focused on these cinematic partnerships is I think understandable; they offer a reasonably self-contained block of work which can be examined easily.
Mention Randolph Scott to western fans and the name that will probably come to their lips is that of Budd Boetticher, again understandable enough given the reputation their series of films together has deservedly earned. However, Scott also made a group of westerns with another director, Andre de Toth, just before he hit his late career peak with Boetticher. Man in the Saddle (1951) was the first, and arguably the best, of a half-dozen movies featuring de Toth and Scott."
- Colin McGuigan, Riding The High Country
Joan Leslie, Randolph Scott & Ellen Drew
Near the beginning of the movie, a gun is fired towards the camera which captures a bullet passing through a bottle during a claustrophobic bar sequence. Later, there's a similar moment when a bullet shatters a lamp. 'Man In The Saddle' is a nocturnal western that features a night time cattle drive, a bar shootout plunged in to darkness, an assassination in darkness, a ranch attack at dusk ... all of which is expertly lensed by cinematographer Charles Lawton Jr. using limited light sources.
"I smell something in this wind and sand that's not altogether the weather."
Owen Merritt finds his seclusion shattered in the mountains
At the end of the day, all Owen Merritt needs is a gun, a bottle, a horse and a woman, though not necessarily in that order.
- -
'The Proud Ones' (1956 - Robert D. Webb)
In the western 'The Proud Ones' (1958), Marshal Cass Silver (Robert Ryan) is offered a chance at redemption when he exposes a gambling scam at the heart of a saloon owned by Honest John Barrett (Robert Middleton). For years, Barrett has claimed credit for having run Silver out of Kansas City, Kansas, though saloon girl Sally (Virginia Mayo) claims it was her who convinced Silver to leave town for his own safety. Young gunslinger Thad Anderson (Jeffrey Hunter) has heard two different versions of events that led to the death of his father who was in the employment of Barrett when Silver gunned him down.
"Your first lesson comes right now. At night, always walk in the shadows. You can see better. In the daytime walk away from the sun. You'll live longer."
'Beacon In The Night' - George Jones
Robert D. Webb secured a place in the history books when he became the final recipient of the Academy Award for Best Assistant Director which was introduced in 1933 and abolished in 1937. Among the nominees, there were a few men who went on to become noted directors including Joseph M. Newman and Hal Walker. Webb had family members who'd worked in the film industry and he fulfilled all manner of technical roles while working his way up. It was director Henry King who took Webb under his wing, hiring him as his assistant for a string of pictures made in the 1930s.
'20th-Fox has an exceptionally well-presented outdoor drama in The Proud Ones. A credible story with excellent dramatic values, direction that sharpens them and builds suspense, and strong performances by an able cast are among the entertainment assets of this well-thought-out production.'
- Variety
Robert Ryan & Jeffrey Hunter pose for a photograph on the set of 'The Proud Ones'
There's a troubling element to 'The Proud Ones' that concerns the exploitation of health issues by criminals and the corrupt. Marshal Silver survives a serious head injury but becomes dogged by manic episodes in which he suffers spells of dizziness and failing sight. Thad Anderson takes a bullet in the leg that leaves him with a limp. Sally is running from a traumatic past. Prison guard Jake (Walter Brennan) is struggling with the withers of old age and Deputy Jim Dexter (Arthur O'Connell) is having a crisis of confidence. The fortunes of the town hang in the balance.
"There will always be actors that resonate with you more than others, and Robert Ryan is without a doubt one of my absolute favourite actors. He had a wonderful career across a range of genres, but ultimately it was his work in Westerns that truly caught my attention. Gone far too soon at the age of just 63 back in 1973, he left a filmography that continues to throw up interesting characters and performances that make me wonder why he received just the one Academy Award Nomination? Ryan had class, he had style, and the complexity he brought to his roles often showed he was more than simply a tough guy with one of those faces. He was 6" 4", tall and lean, and cut a fine figure whether playing villains or authority types, and although he'll probably be remembered more for the villains he played, there are some terrific heroic roles such as this one where Ryan shone just as brightly.
Ryan plays Cass Silver, the marshal of a small town in Kansas, which is about to experience a boom in business due to increased trail herds heading through their new station. The trail hands have money, the time and will to spend it, and want to let off steam in Silver's town. Silver's job however is going to get tougher when an old foe from the past becomes the new saloon/casino owner, and knows that Silver will disrupt his nefarious business dealings."
Ryan plays Cass Silver, the marshal of a small town in Kansas, which is about to experience a boom in business due to increased trail herds heading through their new station. The trail hands have money, the time and will to spend it, and want to let off steam in Silver's town. Silver's job however is going to get tougher when an old foe from the past becomes the new saloon/casino owner, and knows that Silver will disrupt his nefarious business dealings."
- Andy Summers, Letterboxd
'Night Life' - Ray Price
'The Proud Ones' is an elegiac western that offers a solid lament for morality and good old-fashioned values. It's really well directed by Robert Webb who demonstrates some of his mentor Henry King's abilities. The performances are excellent, led by crime cinema icon Robert Ryan whose intense episodes are reminiscent of the kind of disorientating dreams that sometimes affected investigators in film noirs.
"I’m a big fan of Robert Ryan, a subtle actor of great depth and range who seemed equally at home in both westerns and film noir. A quick look through his credits for the 40s and 50s makes for impressive reading, with hardly a bad performance on view despite the variable quality of some of the projects he was involved in. The Proud Ones offered Ryan the opportunity to play a man whose outward toughness masks the uncertainties and regrets he really feels. His character’s back story is filled in gradually as we go along and, together with the failing eyesight angle, helps to build audience sympathy."
- Colin McGuigan, Riding The High Country
'Here Comes The Rain, Baby' - Roy Orbison
'Man In The Saddle' and 'The Proud Ones' are currently screening in the U K on the channel Talking Pictures.
