Rachel and the Stranger (1948)

David Harvey is a widower with a young son, Davey. They live on an isolated Ohio farm during the pioneer days. He wants his son to be raised in the manner his wife would have wanted - with ... See full summary »

Director:

Norman Foster

Writers:

Waldo Salt (screenplay), Howard Fast (story)

Stars:

Loretta Young, William Holden, Robert Mitchum

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Loretta Young	...	Rachel Harvey
William Holden	...	David Harvey
Robert Mitchum	...	Jim Fairways
Gary Gray	...	Davey
Tom Tully	...	Parson Jackson
Sara Haden	...	Mrs. Jackson
Frank Ferguson	...	Mr. Green
Walter Baldwin	...	Gallus
Regina Wallace	...	Mrs. Green

Storyline

David Harvey is a widower with a young son, Davey. They live on an isolated Ohio farm during the pioneer days. He wants his son to be raised in the manner his wife would have wanted - with proper schooling, Bible study and proper manners. Rachel, an indentured servant, is sold to David. David then marries her in order that little Davey would have a mother to properly raise him. David shows no real affection towards Rachel since this is a marriage of convenience. This all changes when Jim, a friend of the family comes for a visit. During his stay, David sees that there is more to Rachel than just being a "bonds woman", especially when Jim takes a liking to her. This awaken new feelings in David for Rachel.

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Plot Keywords:

widower | boy | old west | father son relationship | based on novel | 

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Taglines:

REBEL BRIDE of a man she never kissed! Pledged to share his home...but not privileged to claim his love! Until one day...one fateful day...along came a Tall, Dark Stranger!

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Genres:

Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1949 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

The Tall Dark Stranger

Filming Locations:

Eugene, Oregon, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was one of RKO's biggest hits of 1948, earning $395,000.00

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Connections

Featured in 100 Years of the Hollywood Western (1994)

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Soundtracks

"Tall, Dark Stranger"
Music by Roy Webb
Lyrics by Waldo Salt

User Reviews

My favorite western/love story

This is a WONDERFUL movie. Why it wasn't released for home video....Its a beautiful story of a widower (Holden) and his son who feel they need a woman around the house. A neighbor recommends a bond slave (Young) and after persuasion, he reluctantly marries her. She moves in but finds there is not a welcome wagon from the boy or Holden! She is just a housekeeper to them. A wily bachelor friend (Mitchum) shows up unexpectedly and has eyes for Young! Holden doesn't know what to think. He hasn't gotten over the death of his wife yet and can't love Young, but with Mitchum's arrival he starts to get jealous! Simple but deep, touching story with nice filming and awesome performance by all. Especially Mitchum as the lonely bachelor trying to steal Young. Catch it on the classic movie channel.