Rawhide (1951)

A stagecoach stop employee and a stranded woman traveler find themselves at the mercy of four desperate outlaws intent on robbing the next day's gold shipment.

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writer:

Dudley Nichols

Stars:

Tyrone Power, Susan Hayward, Hugh Marlowe

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tyrone Power	...	Tom Owens
Susan Hayward	...	Vinnie Holt
Hugh Marlowe	...	Rafe Zimmerman
Dean Jagger	...	Yancy
Edgar Buchanan	...	Sam Todd
Jack Elam	...	Tevis
George Tobias	...	Gratz
Jeff Corey	...	Luke Davis
James Millican	...	Tex Squires
Louis Jean Heydt	...	Fickert

Storyline

Vinnie Holt, a single woman with her toddler niece, becomes stranded at Rawhide, a desert stagecoach stop managed by stationmaster Sam Todd and his assistant Tom Owens. Owens is quickly impressed by her independent self-confidence. Jim Zimmerman, a fugitive murderer from Huntsville Prison disguised as a deputy, and three other ruthless escapees take over the station, intent on robbing the next day's gold shipment. After murdering Sam, Zimmerman knows they must keep Tom alive in order to complete their plans. Owens does not correct Zimmmerman's assumption that Vin is his wife, sensing that the misconception might be the key to her survival also.

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Plot Keywords:

stagecoach | gold shipment | outlaw | gold | station | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 March 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

Desperate Siege

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min 87 min (FMC Library Print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During its run on television during the early 1960s, it was retitled "Desperate Siege" in order to distinguish it from the Eric Fleming/Clint Eastwood TV series.

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Quotes

Tom Owens: [Gesturing to the horse trough] You see that?
Vinnie Holt: That what?
Tom Owens: 'That what' that Sam is pumping water to.
Vinnie Holt: [Indignantly] That's a horse trough!
Tom Owens: Well, just don't use any soap. The animals don't like it.
Vinnie Holt: Is that where you take a bath?

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Connections

Remake of Show Them No Mercy! (1935)

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Soundtracks

"A Rollin' Stone"
Music by Lionel Newman
Lyrics by Bob Russell

User Reviews

Good suspense!

Rawhide is a moderately suspenseful hostage drama with polished direction, great location filming, and a fine cast.

Tyrone Power is a likable if somewhat bland hero.

On the other hand, Susan Hayward's character was kind of annoying in the beginning but softens a bit as the film progresses. I wish the writers would have made her a strong independent woman without making the character look like a brat.

Hugh Marlowe is an excellent actor but I didn't find him a very convincing villain, even an an outlaw banker! Then again, it's probably my own fault in that I can't look at him without thinking of him as the hero in Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers. One scene where he delivered was when he was pretending to be a lawman, talking to the newspaper reporter and he had to fight back his anger at the men who were gossiping about his treacherous personal life.

A young and lanky Jack Elam steals the show as a dangerous (and lecherous) member of Marlowe's gang. He's great in this!

Overall, this is a decent studio western with an entertaining twist filled climax.

Also, I'd advise viewers who haven't watched this to please skip the trailer as it gives away the ending of the picture!