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

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) | Australia:PG | 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: When Lockhart first encounters Dave at the salt flats, Dave fires his gun several times and we hear mules squealing as if in pain; Vic later states that Dave killed twelve of his mules, but even when all the characters exit the scene in long shot, there is not one dead mule visible, much less twelve.

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 Mann from Laramie.

Another solid western by a man who gave some of the best works of the whole genre (the naked spur, cimarron,etc).This is the story of a double search:Stewart is looking for the man who's responsible for his brother 's death.Crisp is afraid of a man who might possibly kill his son:he has a recurrent dream which frightens him .Little by little the two stories converge and make one in one of the most brilliant western screenplays of the fifties.The dreamlike touch gives a movie another dimension,which only great directors can conjure :Walsh,Ford ,Daves,or of course Mann.

The characters are more complex than we thought at first sight,and the cliché of the old wealthy man with a son -black-sheep-of-the-family and an almost- adoptive- son-good-boy is avoided.Alex Nicol and Arthur Kennedy give strong nervous tortured portrayals which almost outshine star Stewart.Crisp is equally effective in the part of a man who tries not to face the truth -which may be the meaning of his premonitory dream-,and will finally see it when he is blind.The lead female part is the weakest link of the movie ,but Aline MacMahon's colorful Kate more than makes up for Cathy O'Donnell's blandness.

I had seen this movie for the first time when I was 13.I saw it again yesterday.It has not aged a bit.