Hangman's Knot (1952)

A Confederate Major and his troops are falsely lead to believe the Civil War is not over, and become wanted men when they attack a Union Army wagon train.

Director:

Roy Huggins

Writer:

Roy Huggins

Stars:

Randolph Scott, Donna Reed, Claude Jarman Jr.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Randolph Scott	...	Major Matt Stewart
Donna Reed	...	Molly Hull
Claude Jarman Jr.	...	Jamie Groves
Frank Faylen	...	Cass Browne
Glenn Langan	...	Capt. Petersen
Richard Denning	...	Lee Kemper
Lee Marvin	...	Rolph Bainter
Jeanette Nolan	...	Mrs. Margaret Harris
Clem Bevans	...	Plunkett, the Station agent
Ray Teal	...	Quincey
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams	...	Smitty
Monte Blue	...	Maxwell
John Call	...	Egan Walsh

Storyline

In 1865, a troop of Confederate soldiers led by Major Matt Stewart attack the wagon of gold escorted by Union cavalry and the soldiers are killed. The only wounded survivor tells that the war ended one month ago, and the group decides to take the gold and meet their liaison that knew that the war ended but did not inform the troop. The harsh Rolph Bainter kills the greedy man and the soldiers flee in his wagon driven by Major Stewart. When they meet a posse chasing them, Stewart gives wrong information to misguide the group; however, they have an accident with the wagon and lose the horses. They decide to stop a stagecoach and force the driver to transport them, but the posse returns and they are trapped in the station with the passenger. They realize that the men are not deputies and have no intention to bring them to justice but take the stolen gold.

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Plot Keywords:

gold | soldier | stagecoach | justice | cavalry | 

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Taglines:

It Happened When A Killer With A Rope Ruled Nevada!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 November 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le relais de l'or maudit

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Producers-Actors Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When the Confederates ambush the Union gold shipment, they use dynamite. The film is set in 1865, but dynamite was not patented by its inventor, Alfred Nobel, until 1867. Dynamite was not in use during the American Civil War by either side.

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Remembers Lee Marvin (2000)

User Reviews

Too short with the odd cliché, but effective and underrated western

Hangman's Knot may be too short at only an hour and twenty minutes or so, there are one or two scenes that take too long to get going and some of the characters are clichéd(ie. nurse devoted to duty). However, it is a very well made movie, with tight editing, lavish scenery and beautiful photography. The film is beautifully directed, I love the metaphorical title, the script is well-written and intriguing, the opening twenty minutes set the tone of the film brilliantly and the sequence involving the "Rebs" is fantastic. The acting is very good and do a credible job in making us care for their somewhat clichéd characters. Randolph Scott is commanding, Donna Reed is as lovely as ever and Lee Marvin makes a positive impression without stealing his scenes too much. Overall, a very effective and underrated western. 7/10 Bethany Cox