Blowing Wild (1953)

In a hypothetical country in South America, Jeff Dawson and his partner Dutch Peterson have invested all their savings in a lease contract to explore oil. However, their expectation ruins ... See full summary »

Director:

Hugo Fregonese

Writer:

Philip Yordan

Stars:

Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Ruth Roman

Cast

Cast overview:
Gary Cooper	...	Jeff Dawson
Barbara Stanwyck	...	Marina Conway
Ruth Roman	...	Sal Donnelly
Anthony Quinn	...	Ward 'Paco' Conway
Ward Bond	...	Dutch Peterson
Ian MacDonald	...	Jackson
Richard Karlan	...	Henderson
Juan García	...	El Gavilan (as Juan Garcia)

Storyline

In a hypothetical country in South America, Jeff Dawson and his partner Dutch Peterson have invested all their savings in a lease contract to explore oil. However, their expectation ruins when bandits blow the derrick of the oil well with dynamite and they get stranded in the town without any money. In despair, they accept the risky transportation of nitroglycerin to raise US$ 800.00 and Dutch is shot in the leg by road thieves; but Jeff discovers that their employer is a trickster and they area not paid for their job. When their former friend Paco Conway meets them, Jeff finds that he is a local tycoon and is married with Marina Conway, who had a past with him. Paco hires Jeff his foreman to help him with his eighteen oil wells while Dutch is recovering in the hospital. Meanwhile the criminals press Paco to pay US$ 50,000.00 otherwise they will blow his wells and Marina revives her love and desire for Jeff, leading the trio to a tragedy.

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Plot Keywords:

oil | oil well | bandit | shot in the leg | hospital | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 December 1953 (France)

Also Known As:

Jeff

Filming Locations:

Churubusco Studios, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, United States Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

At the beginning of the film, following the destruction of the oil rig by El Gavilan's gang, the front of Dutch Peterson's hat goes from brim up, brim down and then brim up again, in between shots.

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Connections

Featured in Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire (1991)

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Soundtracks

"Blowing Wild"
(The Ballad of Black Gold)
Music by Dimitri Tiomkin
Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster
Sung by Frankie Laine

User Reviews

Good Cast in a Watchable Product

Blowing Wild is some sort of modern times western, unpretentious but interesting.

Ruined friends Jeff Dawson (Gary Coooper) and Dutch Peterson (Ward Bond) are stuck in a small South American city after bandits blow to pieces their only oil well. As they wonder around they run into wealthy Paco Conway (Anthony Quinn) a former close friend of Dawson who is in the oil business and hires him to give him a hand. Dawson takes the job just to raise the money that will bring him and Dutch back to the United States. Paco's wife Marina Conway (Barbara Stanwyck)has had something with Dawson in the past and she seems willing to revive it. Bandits are also around menacing Paco's oil wells. Circumstances mix up and the plot turns out interesting as it shows the disturbing relationship between Jeff, Paco and Marina.

The film was shot in black and white by Argentine director Hugo Fregonese who makes a good job here in a story about friendship, ambition, passion and murder. Frankie Lane sings the adequate title song.

Cooper is very good as the straight minded Dawson as also is Anthomy Quinn as the self made man that really loves his wife. Barbara Stanwyck's character is the center of the plot and she renders an outstanding performance in another of her many "mean woman" roles. Ward Bond and Ruth Roman -Jeff's romantic alternative- are a strong support. There's also Ian McDonald playing one of his usual unsympathetic characters and meeting Cooper again after High Noon (1952).

Blowing Wild is an acceptable product in its kind. You won't miss a great movie if you don't see it, but you'll enjoy it if you do.