Tom Horn (1980)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

William Wiard

Writers:

Thomas McGuane (screenplay) and
Bud Shrake (screenplay)

Release Date:

28 March 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Western

Tagline:

See him before he sees you

Plot:

A renowned former army scout is hired by ranchers to hunt down rustlers but finds himself on trial for...

Plot Keywords:

Rancher | Trial | Rustler | Vigilantism | Horse Killed

Cast

Steve McQueen	...	Tom Horn
Linda Evans	...	Glendolene Kimmel
Richard Farnsworth	...	John C. Coble
Billy Green Bush	...	U.S. Marshal Joe Belle
Slim Pickens	...	Sheriff Sam Creedmore
Peter Canon	...	Assistant Prosecutor
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Stablehand (as Elisha Cook)
Roy Jenson	...	Lee Mendenhour
James Kline	...	Arlo Chance
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Walter Stoll
Harry Northup	...	Thomas Burke
Steve Oliver	...	'Gentleman' Jim Corbett
Bill Thurman	...	Ora Haley
Bert Williams	...	Judge
Bobby Bass	...	Corbett's Bodyguard
Mickey Jones	...	Brown's Hole Rustler
B.J. Ward	...	Cattle Baron
Richard Brewer	...	Corbett's Bodyguard
Mel Novak	...	Corbett's Bodyguard
Tom Tarpey	...	Corbett's Bodyguard
Bob West	...	Corbett's Bodyguard
Richard Kennedy	...	John Cleveland
Larry Strawbridge	...	Ian MacGregor
Pat E. Johnson	...	Ora Haley's Bodyguard (as Pat Johnson)
Jim 'Two Dogs' Burgdorf	...	Dart
Jerry Wills	...	Rash
Walter Wyatt	...	Isam
Bob Orrison	...	Matt
Fargo Graham	...	Auctioneer
Leo Hohler	...	Auction Deputy
Erik Owens	...	Boy at Auction
Tom Ferguson	...	Brown's Hole Rustler
Jos Massangale	...	Brown's Hole Rustler
Dave Moordigian	...	Brown's Hole Rustler
Michael E. Perry	...	Brown's Hole Rustler
Jim Burk	...	Slaughter House Man (as Jimmy H. Burk)
Bill Hart	...	Slaughter House Man
Dan Corry	...	Windmill Man
Jeffrey Meyer	...	Gunfighter (as Jeffrey M. Meyer)
Clarke Coleman	...	Jimmy Nolt (as Clark Coleman)
Mike Chambers	...	Man in Feed Store
Bob Kern	...	Man in Feed Store
W.H. Manooch	...	Man in Feed Store
Fred O'Dell	...	Man in Feed Store
Drummond Barclay	...	Charlie Ohnhouse
Chuck Hayward	...	Deputy Earl Proctor
Tom Runyon	...	Bartender
John L. Hallett	...	Reporter
Jerry Jackson	...	Reporter
Larry Hollister	...	Bailiff
Victor Spelta	...	Man in Bar
Jack Wester	...	Kid Deputy
Alan L. Brown	...	Guard
Robert Elliot	...	Guard
Gilbert B. Combs	...	Horn's Capturer (as Gilbert Combs)
Mike H. McGaughy	...	Horn's Capturer (as Mike McGaughy)
Walter Scott	...	Horn's Capturer
Rock A. Walker	...	Horn's Capturer
J.P.S. Brown	...	Father J.P. Rank
Lee Barton	...	Cowboy
Roe Henson	...	Cowboy
Paul Pinnt	...	Cowboy
Jimmy Medearis	...	Trick Rider (as Jim Medearis)
Chuck Henson	...	Steer Roping Sequence
Claude Henson	...	Steer Roping Sequence
H.P. Evetts	...	Horse Breaking Sequence
Jeff Ramsey	...	Horse Breaking Sequence
Bud Stout	...	Horse Breaking Sequence
Gary Combs	...	Horse Breaking Sequence
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sonny Skyhawk	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
William Wiard

Writing credits
Thomas McGuane		(screenplay) and
Bud Shrake		(screenplay)

Produced by
Steve McQueen	....	executive producer
Michael I. Rachmil	....	associate producer (as Michael Rachmil)
Fred Weintraub	....	producer
Sandra Weintraub	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Ernest Gold

Cinematography by
John A. Alonzo		(director of photography) (as John Alonzo)

Film Editing by
George Grenville

Casting by
Sally Dennison

Art Direction by
Ron Hobbs

Set Decoration by
Rick Simpson

Costume Design by
Luster Bayless

Makeup Department
Del Armstrong	....	makeup artist
Lon Bentley	....	assistant makeup artist
Lynn Del Kail	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Michael I. Rachmil	....	unit production manager (as Michael Rachmil)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Clifford C. Coleman	....	assistant director (as Cliff Coleman)
Ed Milkovich	....	second assistant director
Robert Rooy	....	dga trainee (as Bob Rooy)

Art Department
Marty Wunderlich	....	property master

Sound Department
Robert J. Glass	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jerry Jost	....	sound
Robert Knudson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Don MacDougall	....	sound re-recording mixer
William L. Manger	....	sound editor (as William Manger)
Richard Oswald	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Phil Cory	....	special effects (as Phil Corey)

Stunts
Gary Combs	....	stunt coordinator
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael A. Chavez	....	second assistant camera (as Michael Chavez)
Dave Friedman	....	still photographer
Bud Heller	....	key grip
Horace Jordan	....	first assistant camera
James Plannette	....	gaffer (as Jim Plannette)
John Toll	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Michael Castellano	....	wardrobe assistant (as Mike Castellano)
Betsy Heimann	....	costumer: women
Charlie James	....	costumer: men

Editorial Department
Larry Grenville	....	assistant editor

Music Department
John Mick	....	music editor
Aaron Rochin	....	score mixer

Transportation Department
Ed Arter	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Dixie J. Capp	....	production coordinator (as Dixie Capp)
Susan Elkins	....	assistant to producer (as Susie Ekins)
Trixie Flynn	....	secretary to producer (as Trixie Flynn Calfa)
Gordon K. Kee	....	production auditor (as Gordon Kee)
Chad McQueen	....	assistant to producer
Ray Quiroz	....	script supervisor
Rudy Ugland	....	head wrangler
'Chema' Hernandez	....	head wrangler (uncredited)
Jim McCarthy	....	assistant auditor (uncredited)
Jack N. Young	....	location scout (uncredited)

Production Companies

• First Artists (presents)
• Solar Productions (as A Solar-Fred Weintraub Production)
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1982) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Warner Home Video Española S.A. (2005) (Spain) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Filmverleih (1980) (West Germany) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Pacific Title  titles
• U.S. Department of Agriculture  forest service
• Westheimer Company  opticals

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Spain:13 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | UK:15 (video rating) (cut) | UK:AA (original rating) (cut) | Singapore:PG | Iceland:12 | West Germany:12 (f) | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Coronado National Forest, Arizona, USA

Company:

First Artists

Trivia:

According to an article about Steve McQueen's western films in Cowboys & Indians Magazine (to celebrate the DVD release of "Wanted: Dead or Alive" (1958)), McQueen thoroughly researched the life of Tom Horn by spending time with famed western novelist Louis L'Amour, who had many of Horn's letters in his private collection.

Quotes:

U.S. Marshal Joe Belle: Do you know who I am?
Tom Horn: No.
U.S. Marshal Joe Belle: What you were in the Southwest, I was in the Northwest.
Tom Horn: I was mostly out of work.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool (2005) (TV)

Unusual western

Many good comments are already posted. I want to point out a few additional facts about the making of the movie that might be interesting to some. I remember reading a feature article about the making of Tom Horn in American Cinematographer or American Film or one of the other trade magazines. One technique that is very different for a major Hollywood film is that the filmmakers decided to use very little makeup on the actors in order to make the film a more realistic portrayal of life at that time. The fact that Linda Evans agreed to be photographed without makeup is a testament both to her natural beauty and her strong commitment to this film. Watch closely and you will spot many scenes where the lighting and makeup are unflattering to the actors, but the effect adds to the feel of this under-appreciated film. The costumes are also accurate for the period -- no belts (remember suspenders?), lots of wool and plenty of earth tones. In order to avoid the unpredictable weather and short summer in the location on the northern plains where the film is set, the movie was filmed in (if memory serves) Arizona. And guess what? Right in the middle of production, it snowed big-time! A quick decision had to be made whether to delay the filming or to go ahead, knowing that the snow would not last long in that climate (making continuity a problem). They decided to go for it and the shooting schedule was changed so that all outdoor snow scenes were shot over the course of a couple of days. This was a mammoth task for the crew and cast to pull off, but they managed to shoot all the outdoor scenes before the snow melted, and only had to use fake snow in a couple of street scenes. Anyway, Tom Horn was one of the first westerns to try and give a more accurate historical portrayal of the old west and that alone sets it apart from most Hollywood westerns.