The Badlanders (1958)

Two men are released from the Arizona Territorial Prison at Yuma in 1898. One, the Dutchman, is out to get both gold and revenge from the people of a small mining town who had him ... See full summary »

Director:

Delmer Daves

Writers:

Richard Collins (screenplay), W.R. Burnett (novel)

Stars:

Alan Ladd, Ernest Borgnine, Katy Jurado

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Alan Ladd	...	Peter Van Hoek ('The Dutchman')
Ernest Borgnine	...	John 'Mac' McBain
Katy Jurado	...	Anita
Claire Kelly	...	Ada Winton
Kent Smith	...	Cyril Lounsberry
Nehemiah Persoff	...	Vincente (The Powder Monkey)
Robert Emhardt	...	Sample
Anthony Caruso	...	Comanche
Adam Williams	...	Leslie
Ford Rainey	...	Warden
John Daheim	...	Lee (as John Day)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Barbara Baxley	...	Diane (scenes deleted)
Zina Provendie	...	Dorothy Lounsberry (scenes deleted)

Storyline

Two men are released from the Arizona Territorial Prison at Yuma in 1898. One, the Dutchman, is out to get both gold and revenge from the people of a small mining town who had him imprisoned unjustly. The other, McBain, is just trying to go straight, but that is easier said than done once the Dutchman involves him in his gold theft scheme.

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Plot Keywords:

gold | arizona | scheme | gold theft | fiesta | 

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Genres:

Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

18 December 1958 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Geraubtes Gold

Filming Locations:

Imperial County, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Arcola Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Perspecta Stereo (as Perspecta Sound®) (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

During the mine shaft cave-in during and after the ore is removed, a large vertical chuck of rock is shown breaking away from the shaft wall and collapsing twice.

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Quotes

Peter Van Hoek: And this time, we won't need a button hook...

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Connections

Version of Cool Breeze (1972)

User Reviews

A superior horse opera that needs a pro music score!

Allen Ladd and Ernest Bourgine did outstanding work in this horse opera. The plot, the acting, the sets, all work well. This is one of Ladds better films, Bourgnine always adds to a film, Katy Jerado of "High Noon" fame is just great, and the rest of the cast work well. It is just a little gem of a film.

The one distraction is a no longer so often heard stock soundtrack of less than "A" feature quality. Maybe they were newer when the film was released, and maybe they have been given a rest so newer viewers will not recognize them, but I have heard these sound cuts far too often in many a 1960's western, TV show, horror film, documentary, and what not. I wonder how much better it would have been with a Dimitri Tiomkin, a Lionel Neuman, a Bernard Herrmann, or John Williams soundtrack. If they ever restore this, and it is worth restoring, I would have a new soundtrack done for it.

Still, this is a good film, a great western, and worth a watch. It is out of print right now but you can catch it on cable or get a used VHS print on E bay. Superior horse opera!