IMDb > The Iron Mistress (1952)

The Iron Mistress (1952) More at IMDbPro »

IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
6.2/10   168 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Gordon Douglas
Writers:
James R. Webb (screenplay)
Paul Wellman (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Iron Mistress on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1953 (Austria) more
Genre:
Western more
Tagline:
JIM BOWIE...a man with his name on a knife - and a woman with a weapon all her own!
Plot:
Barely historical presentation of the life of Jim Bowie. Here he goes to New Orleans to sell lumber but falls in love with Judalon... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
User Comments:
Weapons, snowballs!. more (11 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Alan Ladd ... Jim Bowie

Virginia Mayo ... Judalon de Bornay
Joseph Calleia ... Juan Moreno
Phyllis Kirk ... Ursula de Varamendi
Alf Kjellin ... Phillipe de Cabanal
Douglas Dick ... Narcisse de Bornay
Anthony Caruso ... Jack Studenvant (as Tony Caruso)
Nedrick Young ... Henri Contrecourt (as Ned Young)
George Voskovec ... John James Audubon
Richard Carlyle ... Rezin Bowie
Robert Emhardt ... Gen. Cuny
Don Beddoe ... Dr. Cuny (as Donald Beddoe)
Harold Gordon ... Andrew Marschalk
Jay Novello ... Judge Crain
Nick Dennis ... Nez Coupe
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
110 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:
USA:Approved (certificate #15877) | Australia:PG | Finland:(Banned) | Finland:K-16 (re-rating) | Sweden:15
Company:
Warner Bros. Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Quotes:
Jim Bowie: Ma...I killed a man.
Mrs. Bowie: Did he need killin'?
Jim Bowie: About as much as any man ever did.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Le ballon rouge (1956) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful.
Weapons, snowballs!., 24 September 2008
8/10
Author: JohnRouseMerriottChard from United Kingdom

Jim Bowie sets off to sell lumber in New Orleans, but once there he is captivated by the beautiful Judalon de Bornay and finds that life here is vastly different to that of home. Getting himself into many scrapes on account of his feelings for Judalon, Bowie invents a new kind of Knife, the Iron Mistress, and from here a legend is born.

Nobody should go into this picture expecting a Jim Bowie biography, in fact Western fans who haven't seen it should be advised that it barely registers as a Western piece. What it is, is a fine picture that certainly appears to be undervalued {if a little under seen} on the IMDb site. It's full of dandy men fighting and duelling with honour and guts, beautiful women that are surely worth fighting for, and of course it introduces us to the legendary Bowie Knife.

It's based on a Paul Wellman novel, and by all accounts the film is pretty loyal to Wellman's ideals, it doesn't however take us all the way to the Alamo. Alan Ladd takes the lead role of Bowie, shiny blonde hair and brooding for all he is worth, fans of his performance in Shane should definitely check this one out, it's a great performance from Ladd, the kind that makes the gals go gooey and the boys to thump their chests. Virginia Mayo is Judalon and positively simmers with sexual beauty, the character is akin to a viper, and the pot boiling sexual tension is palpable in the extreme, she is in short, a woman men will die for.

Some scenes are just terrific, a duel in a darkened room that is only lit by the odd flash of lightning thru a window, a knife fight as two men with one armed tied to each other face off in a circle of honour, and of course Jim Bowie in every encounter, his violent gutsy bravado fearsome as his reputation escalates. At the time of writing only 141 people have voted on this picture, only 10 people have bothered to write a user comment for it, that's a shame because although it may not be a Western as such, it's a dam fine romantic, dandy, drama with a Western legend at its core. 8/10

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (11 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Iron Mistress (1952)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Warner Archives DVD release neighturboy
DVD copies available neighturboy
The movie Bowie knife kuzushix
Quick question? g-donaldson505
re: Great Movie carl170
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Legends of the Fall Young at Heart Bombers B-52 Feast of Love Green Dolphin Street
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Western section IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.