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The Westerner
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The Westerner (1940) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   1,190 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 1% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
William Wyler
Writers:
Niven Busch (screenplay)
Stuart N. Lake (story)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Westerner on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 September 1940 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance | Western more
Tagline:
THE RAW UNTAMED ADVENTUROUS WEST...LIVES AGAIN! (original print media ad - all caps) more
Plot:
Judge Roy Bean, a self-appointed hanging judge in Vinergaroon, Texas, befriends saddle tramp Cole Harden, who opposes Bean's policy against homesteaders. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
Did 'Casablanca' deserve to win best picture at the Oscars?
 (From Gold Derby. 2 March 2009, 11:11 AM, PST)

User Comments:
Forgotten Classic more

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Gary Cooper ... Cole Harden

Walter Brennan ... Judge Roy Bean
Doris Davenport ... Jane Ellen Mathews
Fred Stone ... Caliphet Mathews
Forrest Tucker ... Wade Harper
Paul Hurst ... Chickenfoot
Chill Wills ... Southeast
Lilian Bond ... Lily Langtry

Dana Andrews ... Hod Johnson
Charles Halton ... Mort Borrow
Trevor Bardette ... Shad Wilkins
Tom Tyler ... King Evans
Lucien Littlefield ... The Stranger
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Additional Details

Runtime:
100 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Filming Locations:
near, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
This film is the first of five roles for Walter Brennan in support of Gary Cooper. The last was Task Force (1949) in 1949. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: The town was named for George Langtry, an engineer and foreman who had supervised a Chinese work crew building the railroad, and not for the actress Lillie Langtry. more
Quotes:
Judge Roy W. Bean: Shad Wilkins, you've been tried and found guilty of the most serious crime west of the Pecos, to wit: shooting a steer. Do you got anything to say for yourself before the sentence of the court is executed?
Shad Wilkins: I told you they shot at me first. I didn't mean to kill that steer on purpose. I was aiming at the man.
Judge Roy W. Bean: It's your bad luck you missed him. That's the trouble with you sodbusters...you can't shoot straight. Shad, may the Lord have mercy on your soul.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs (2000) (TV) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful:-
Forgotten Classic, 29 October 2005
9/10
Author: luigimarchini from United Kingdom

I saw the film again after a gap of 25 years recently, and it really is as good as i remembered it. So good in fact it almost made it into my list of top ten westerns. Everything about is top notch-the performances, the photography, the humour and the screenplay. It is only let down by the contrived ending. The fight scene between Cooper and Tucker is as realistic as you will see anywhere, and the scene where Cooper cuts off a lock of Davenports hair is erotically charged. Of course the two main plusses are the performances of Brennan and Cooper-each fills the frame with their presence even when they have no lines, and Brennans portrayal of Judge Roy Bean results in one of the more memorable characters in westerns. In the hand of another actor the result could have been a caricature but Brennan treads the very thin line between parody and homage perfectly.

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A Fine Film Wakanohana
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Doris Davenport bjguilfoyle
A very odd film, well acted thirsch-2
fight scene luigimarchini
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