The Man from Laramie (1955)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Anthony Mann

Writers:

Philip Yordan (screenplay) &
Frank Burt (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

31 August 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Western

Tagline:

THE MAN You'll Never Forget!

Plot:

A stranger defies the local cattle baron and his sadistic son by working for one of his oldest rivals.

Plot Keywords:

Apache | Storekeeper | Rifle | Rancher | Massacre

Cast

James Stewart	...	Will Lockhart
Arthur Kennedy	...	Vic Hansbro
Donald Crisp	...	Alec Waggoman
Cathy O'Donnell	...	Barbara Waggoman
Alex Nicol	...	Dave Waggoman
Aline MacMahon	...	Kate Canady
Wallace Ford	...	Charley O'Leary
Jack Elam	...	Chris Boldt
John War Eagle	...	Frank Darrah
James Millican	...	Tom Quigby
Gregg Barton	...	Fritz
Boyd Stockman	...	Spud Oxton
Frank DeKova	...	Padre
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jack Carry	...	Mule driver (uncredited)
Bill Catching	...	Mule driver (uncredited)
Frank Cordell	...	Mule driver (uncredited)
Frosty Royce	...	Mule driver (uncredited)
Eddy Waller	...	Dr. Selden (uncredited)

Directed by
Anthony Mann

Writing credits
Philip Yordan		(screenplay) &
Frank Burt		(screenplay)
Thomas T. Flynn		(Saturday Evening Post story)

Produced by
William Goetz	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
George Duning

Cinematography by
Charles Lang		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
William A. Lyon		(as William Lyon)

Art Direction by
Cary Odell

Set Decoration by
James Crowe

Makeup Department
Clay Campbell	....	makeup artist
Helen Hunt	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Holland	....	assistant director

Sound Department
George Cooper	....	sound
John P. Livadary	....	recording supervisor (as John Livadary)

Stunts
Bill Catching	....	stunts (uncredited)
Frank Cordell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Harry Froboess	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ted Mapes	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Boyd Stockman	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack N. Young	....	stunts (uncredited)

Music Department
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator
Morris Stoloff	....	conductor

Other crew
Henri Jaffa	....	technicolor color consultant

Production Companies

• William Goetz Productions
• Columbia Pictures Corporation (presents)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1955) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Film-Verleih (1955) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia Films (1955) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (USA) (DVD)
• Comet Video (????) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• People of the State of New Mexico, The  we wish to express our appreciation for the co-operation of, where this picture was filmed (as the people of the State of New Mexico)

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Hungary:14 | Norway:16 | West Germany:12 (nf) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | UK:U | USA:Approved (certificate #17217)

Filming Locations:

Bonanza Creek Ranch - 15 Bonanza Creek Lane, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Company:

William Goetz Productions

Trivia:

The last of James Stewart's Western collaborations with Anthony Mann.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the end of the movie, the cart loaded with guns is standing close to the edge of a hill. Will Lockhart and Vic Hansbro push it forward, but in the next shot from the bottom of the hill, the cart is in the same place.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Will Lockhart: Whoa! Whoa! Whoa. We'll camp here for the night.
Charley O'Leary: We can go a coupla more miles 'fore sundown.
Will Lockhart: We'll camp here!
Charley O'Leary: You're the boss.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in La boum (1980)

Soundtrack:

The Man From Laramie

The only Mann-Stewart film in Cinemascope

Each association of Mann and Stewart had excellent results, this being the last of the series that began with "Winchester 73" in 1950. Here the scenery is also one of the most important factors, specially that it was filmed in Cinemascope. The french critic Andre Bazin was worried that the process could affect Mann's style. In my opinion the result is absolutely great and I am sure "Bend of the River","The Naked Spur" and "The Far Country" would have benefited from it. Nowadays with the LCD, Plasma and Widescreen TVs we can definitely agree that time proved that the widescreen was there to stay. Like the green colors were predominant in "The Naked Spur" in this film it is the different shades of browns of the landscape of New Mexico, the adobe houses and even the jackets of James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy and Alex Nicol. Stewart is the man that comes looking for the person responsible for the killing of his brother. His quest is going to bother many people and he is in for a lot of violence, very similar to "The Violent Men" made in the same year and also in Cinemascope. Mann wanted to make a western about King Lear (which he never did) but it was not this one, although you can feel he was toying with the idea.