The Tin Star (1957)

A cynical ex-sheriff turned bounty hunter helps a young, recently appointed acting sheriff with his advice, his experience, and his gun.

Director:

Anthony Mann

Writers:

Joel Kane (story), Dudley Nichols,

Stars:

Henry Fonda, Anthony Perkins, Betsy Palmer

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Henry Fonda	...	Morgan 'Morg' Hickman
Anthony Perkins	...	Sheriff Ben Owens
Betsy Palmer	...	Nona Mayfield
Michel Ray	...	Kip Mayfield
Neville Brand	...	Bart Bogardus
John McIntire	...	Dr. Joseph Jefferson 'Doc' McCord
Mary Webster	...	Millie Parker
Peter Baldwin	...	Zeke McGaffey
Richard Shannon	...	Buck Henderson
Lee Van Cleef	...	Ed McGaffey
James Bell	...	Judge Thatcher
Howard Petrie	...	Mayor Harvey King
Russell Simpson	...	Clem Hall
Hal K. Dawson	...	Andy Miller
Jack Kenney	...	Sam Hodges

Storyline

Veteran bounty-hunter Morg Hickman rides into a town in danger. The sheriff has been killed, and young inexperienced Ben Owens named a temporary replacement until a permanent can be found. Ben wants to be that permanent replacement, so needs to impress the townspeople with his skill. When he finds that Morg was a sheriff for a long time before he became a bounty-hunter, he asks the older man to teach him. Morg thinks that being a sheriff is a foolish goal, but agrees to instruct Ben in handling people, more important to a sheriff than handling a gun.

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Plot Keywords:

sheriff | bounty hunter | bounty | saloon | mixed race child | 

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 January 1958 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Der Stern des Gesetzes

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Perlsea Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Throughout the film, Ben is shown wearing two guns, and as Tony Perkins was left handed, whenever he draws his pistol, his left hands is correctly depicted as dominant. Yet at one point in a scene during Ben's search for the McGaffey brothers, his horse with Ben on his back, whirls around to reveal Ben only wearing one gun, and that being holstered on his right hip.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sheriff Ben Owens: Uh, ju-just getting the feel of these guns.
Morg Hickman: Where's the sheriff?

User Reviews

Very fine, relationship driven western

Anthony Mann's magnificent pyschological westerns, beginning with Winchester 76 and ending with Man of The West,were among the glories of American film in the nineteen fifties.Tin Star is unique in this series of films for two reasons. First, it is slightly "lighter' and more optimistic in tone that the other, darker, films.Secondly, while the other films center around a single, obsessed,( if not POSSESSED)antagonist, usually played by Jimmy Stewart) Tin star is built around a relationship between TWO protagonists, superbly played by Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins. In any other Mann western, Fonda, disillusioned Sheriff-turned cynical bounty hunter would be the near-pyschotic tragic hero.Here, instead,he is the teacher- in fact, the spiritual instructor- of Perkins' naive, stubborn, but brave and idealistic sheriff. The film ends, not with Fondas character trudging off to "walk the earth", like Ethan Edwards, but rather with him ready to begin a new life with son and a family,. At the way, Perkins has become a man capable of leadership in the community. This is, in short, a remarkably rich, thought-provoking film.