Ramrod (1947)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

André De Toth

Writers:

Luke Short (novel)
Jack Moffitt (writer) ...

Release Date:

2 May 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Film-Noir | Western

Tagline:

They Called It God's Country... Until the Devil Put a Woman There!

Plot:

A cattle-vs.-sheepman feud loses Connie Dickason her fiance, but gains her his ranch, which she determines to run alone in opposition to Frank Ivey...

Plot Keywords:

Recovering Alcoholic | Father Daughter Relationship | Small Town | 1880s | Broken Engagement

Cast

Joel McCrea	...	Dave Nash
Veronica Lake	...	Connie Dickason
Don DeFore	...	Bill Schell
Donald Crisp	...	Sheriff Jim Crew
Preston Foster	...	Frank Ivey
Arleen Whelan	...	Rose Leland
Charles Ruggles	...	Ben Dickason (as Charlie Ruggles)
Lloyd Bridges	...	Red Cates
Nestor Paiva	...	Curley
Ray Teal	...	Ed Burma
Houseley Stevenson	...	George Smedley (as Housely Stevenson)
Ward Wood	...	Link Thomas
Ian MacDonald	...	Walt Shipley
Wally Cassell	...	Virg Lea
Sarah Padden	...	Mrs. Parks

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:16 (nf) | USA:Passed | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #12056, General Audience)

Filming Locations:

near, Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah, USA

Company:

Enterprise Productions

Trivia:

"Ramrod" had its Gala World Premiere on Feb. 20, 1947 at both the Utah and Capitol Theaters in Salt Lake City as part of Utah's centennial celebration as a US Territory. A newspaper announcement of the day boasts that in person for the premiere would be Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Donald Crisp, Don DeFore, Preston Foster, Charles Ruggles and "15 other Hollywood Stars".

Quotes:

Connie Dickason: From now on, I'm going to make a life of my own. And, being a woman, I won't have to use guns.

A Brutal Western

This was a surprisingly brutal western, more like a film noir from the late 1940s, with rough characters who shot first and thought later.

Among those with the rough attitudes was the female lead, Veronica Lake, who was nearing the end of her short career. Without the makeup and long blonde hair, she didn't look that pretty. The good guys were played by Joel McCrea and Donald Crisp.

Almost everyone in this film gets shot or killed. Many critics labeled this a B-movie but it sure had a lot of well-known actors for that label. Preston Foster, Don DeFore and Lloyd Bridges also star. The only actor who sounded B movie-ish was Arleen Whalen. Despite her good looks, I can see why she never made it to stardom.

I like black-and-white but this was film that would have looked better in some nice Technicolor with the great mountain scenery that was featured.