Comes a Horseman (1978)

Ella Connors is a single woman who gets pressured to sell her failing cattle farm to her corrupt ex suitor, Jacob Ewing. She asks for help from her neighbor, Frank Athearn. As Ella and ... See full summary »

Director:

Alan J. Pakula

Writer:

Dennis Lynton Clark

Stars:

James Caan, Jane Fonda, Jason Robards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Caan	...	Frank 'Buck' Athearn
Jane Fonda	...	Ella Connors
Jason Robards	...	Jacob 'J.W.' Ewing
George Grizzard	...	Neil Atkinson
Richard Farnsworth	...	Dodger
Jim Davis	...	Julie Blocker
Mark Harmon	...	Billy Joe Meynert
Macon McCalman	...	Virgil Hoverton
Basil Hoffman	...	George Bascomb
James Kline	...	Ralph Cole
James Keach	...	Emil Kroegh
Clifford A. Pellow	...	Cattle Buyer

Storyline

Ella Connors is a single woman who gets pressured to sell her failing cattle farm to her corrupt ex suitor, Jacob Ewing. She asks for help from her neighbor, Frank Athearn. As Ella and Frank fight back through stampedes, jealousy, betrayal, and sabotage...they eventually find love.

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Plot Keywords:

1940s | gunshot wound | frontier | property | rival | 

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Taglines:

A story of love and freedom

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Genres:

Drama | Western | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Comes a Horseman Wild and Free

Filming Locations:

Coconino National Forest, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Third and final of three films that actor Jason Robards made with actress Jane Fonda. The movies were Any Wednesday, Julia and Comes a Horseman.

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Goofs

Frank's saddle has a holster but no rifle when he leaves his horse outside the ranch house near the end. He later uses the rifle from the holster to shoot the bad guys.

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Crazy Credits

Our thanks to the Forest Service for allowing us to film in the Coconino National Forest

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Connections

Featured in Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western (1997)

User Reviews

Picture of Cattle Running Through the Woods

If you like James Caan, (Frank Athearn), "City of Ghosts" who works as a cow hand for Jane Fonda, (Ella Connorfs),"Old Gringo" and owns a large stretch of land in the West and has just lost her husband in WW II and is left all by herself to run a big ranch along with Richard Farnsworth, (Dodger); who is an older man and has worked for Ella's father for many years on the ranch. Ella has some deep dark secrets in her life and rarely says a few words to anyone and plays the role of a rough and tough gal who can do everything by herself. Ella soon finds out she needs help and decides to hire Frank Athearn to assist her with her cattle. Jason Robards is a rich old man who has the hots for Ella and had become very close to her in the past and still wants to control her life. This is a different type of Western and if you like cattle, you can see them running all the time in and around all kinds of wood land. This picture disappointed me, however, Richard Farnsworth gave a great supporting role and was nominated for an Academy Award.