Pay the Devil (I) (1957)
"Man in the Shadow" (original title)

Virgil Renchler owns most of the town providing a thriving economy. When he goes too far and kills one of his migrant workmen, the sheriff goes after him even if it means his job and everyone else's.

Director:

Jack Arnold

Writer:

Gene L. Coon

Stars:

Jeff Chandler, Orson Welles, Colleen Miller

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeff Chandler	...	Ben Sadler
Orson Welles	...	Virgil Renchler
Colleen Miller	...	Skippy Renchler
Ben Alexander	...	Ab Begley
Barbara Lawrence	...	Helen Sadler
John Larch	...	Ed Yates
James Gleason	...	Hank James
Royal Dano	...	Aiken Clay
Paul Fix	...	Herb Parker
Leo Gordon	...	Chet Huneker
Martin Garralaga	...	Jesus Cisneros
Mario Siletti	...	Tony Santoro, the barber
Charles Horvath	...	Len Bookman
William Schallert	...	Jim Shaney
Joseph J. Greene	...	Harry Youngquist

Storyline

In effect, modern cow town Spurline is run by Virgil Renchler, owner of the Golden Empire Ranch. One night, two of Virgil's henchmen go a little too far and beat a "bracero" ranch hand to death. Faced with an obvious cover-up and opposition on every hand, sheriff Ben Sadler is goaded into investigating. His unlikely ally: Renchler's lovely, self-willed and overprotected daughter. Will Ben survive Renchler's wrath?

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Plot Keywords:

sheriff | ranch | daughter | vigilante | cattle baron | 

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Taglines:

THIS WAS THE NIGHT WHEN THE LAW TURNED LAWLESS...to win back the justice a town had betrayed! (ORIGINAL PRINT AD)

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Seeds of Wrath

Filming Locations:

Conejo Valley, Thousand Oaks, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$600,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Visa d'exploitation en France #19691

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Quotes

Ab Begley: [Referring to Cisneros' accusations] Ben, you're not going to take this seriously?
Ben Sadler: They pay me to take things seriously.

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Connections

Referenced in Weekend (1964)

User Reviews

man in the shadows

This is a good "pre-civil rights movement" western, continuing in the tradition of "High Noon" and "Bad Day at Black Rock". Colleen Miller plays Orson Welles daughter, (not his wife as someone posted previously.) Jeff Chandler (who died way too young at 42) is the sheriff and conscience in the film and he does a good job in this role. The fact that the cowboys have beaten a defenseless Chincano to death is something that most citizens in the town would rather forget.Chandler's character and his family are harassed by the murderous and prejudiced cowboys who work for Welles.The climax of this film is hard to watch even today. The director was Jack Arnold,who was great at expressing his opinions in low-budget films,such as "It Came from Outer Space" and "The Tattered Dress."