The Hangman (1959)

A marshal nicknamed "The Hangman" because of his track record in hunting down and capturing wanted criminals traces a robbery suspect to a small town. However, the man is known and liked in... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Dudley Nichols, Luke Short (story),

Stars:

Robert Taylor, Tina Louise, Fess Parker

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robert Taylor	...	Mackenzie Bovard
Tina Louise	...	Selah Jennison
Fess Parker	...	Sheriff Buck Weston
Jack Lord	...	Johnny Bishop
Shirley Harmer	...	Kitty Bishop
Mickey Shaughnessy	...	Al Cruse
Gene Evans	...	Big Murph Murphy
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mabel Albertson	...	Amy Hopkins
Lucille Curtis	...	Person
James Westerfield	...	Herb Loftus

Storyline

A marshal nicknamed "The Hangman" because of his track record in hunting down and capturing wanted criminals traces a robbery suspect to a small town. However, the man is known and liked in the town, and the citizens band together to try to help him avoid capture.

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Plot Keywords:

marshal

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Genres:

Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 June 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Henker

Filming Locations:

Old Tucson - 201 S. Kinney Road, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Drama in the West

This isn't your typical Western, but it isn't exactly "atypical" either.

This is actually more of a drama that just happens to be set in the West.

In other words, you could put this on a stage in front of a live audience, and probably get the same production.

And that's generally pretty good.

We have a story line that really isn't the story line.

The surface plot is Robert Taylor as a cynic who is trying to identify the fourth man in a robbery, a man we know early on played a very minor role, if any. The man is sentenced to be hanged.

He finds that people don't want to identify the man, Jack Lord with blond hair. It's much like "The Spy Who Loved Me" in that it is a quest to have a man killed who probably doesn't deserve it.

That's just the surface plot. In essence, Lord becomes the fourth character. The real plot is the romantic subplot that lays beneath the surface.

The woman in the triangle finds herself in emotional turmoil over betraying Jack Lord's character to the law, which is represented by Taylor and Fess Parker.

Parker is the younger, striking man who immediately sets out to make her his wife. Taylor is the older man who sets out to understand her and have a relationship.

In this, we have a switch. The younger man becomes the solid, steady force, and strangely devoid of romance. He is a tall, handsome, affable fellow. What women call "a catch" in public, but in practice, they just can't find what the all "chemistry" with.

Taylor's character, meanwhile, is full of charged emotion. While Fess is a "Earth", Robert is "fire".

The story becomes the story of female romanticism. It is a very credible depiction, whether we like it or not.

It isn't what I call a "great Western", but perhaps I judge it on the standards of usual action. It is actually a drama, one of those stage dramas that focus on a subject. It isn't dull, and the characters are three dimensional, like most golden age Westerns. It's very watchable.