Run for Cover (1955)

Director:

Nicholas Ray

Writers:

Harriet Frank Jr. (story)
Winston Miller (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 April 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

Odd little Western that gets off to a snappy start when a man (James Cagney) is mistaken as a train robber...

Plot Keywords:

Sheriff | Train | Gang | Innocent | Suspect

Cast

James Cagney	...	Matt Dow
Viveca Lindfors	...	Helga Swenson
John Derek	...	Davey Bishop
Jean Hersholt	...	Mr. Swenson
Grant Withers	...	Gentry
Jack Lambert	...	Larsen
Ernest Borgnine	...	Morgan
Ray Teal	...	Sheriff
Irving Bacon	...	Scotty
Trevor Bardette	...	Paulsen
John Miljan	...	Mayor Walsh
Gus Schilling	...	Doc Ridgeway

Also Known As:

Colorado (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Aztec Ruins National Monument - 84 County Road 2900, Aztec, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Pine-Thomas Productions

Trivia:

Final film of Jean Hersholt.

Quotes:

Matt Dow: That's right, I was a jailbird. Six years in a stinkin' cell because I happened to look like another man. Six years out of my life, because men made up their minds too fast - men like you, so righteous, so willing to condemn.

Soundtrack:

Run for Cover

Trying to Straighten Out a Bitter Youth

Run For Cover was the second of three westerns that James Cagney made and in my mind it is easily the best of them. The Cagney of Yorkville is left way behind in a way he wasn't in The Oklahoma Kid.

Cagney is a recently pardoned prisoner who spent six years in jail for a crime he didn't commit. He meets up with young John Derek on the trail and the two hit it off. But unfortunately they are mistaken by some panicky railroad employees as members of a local gang and get a sack of money thrown down at them. Then its further compounded by a trigger happy sheriff played by Roy Teal who shoots them both down, seriously wounding Derek.

Derek is bitter as the result of permanent injuries to his leg, but the townspeople warm up to Cagney and replace Teal with him as sheriff. But Derek isn't up to the job of deputy in a few senses of the word.

Derek did his mending on the farm of Jean Hersholt where there's a lovely Swedish farmer's daughter in Viveca Lindfors. She and Cagney hit it off quite well. In fact this was the farewell screen role for Jean Hersholt.

Grant Withers makes a fine sinister outlaw leader with Ernest Borgnine as a very sly second in command. Their robbery scheme sets up the whole inevitable climax between Cagney and Derek.

Cagney was a far better westerner in Run For Cover than in any of his other two westerns. I like very much the way director Nicholas Ray built up his two leads and there's good development of the secondary characters, always the mark of a good film.