Ramrod (1947)

Violent feud between Connie Dickason, the owner of the Circle 66 ranch and rancher Frank Ivey, the self-proclaimed boss of an otherwise public grazing land.

Director:

André De Toth (as Andre de Toth)

Writers:

Luke Short (by), Jack Moffitt (screenplay)

Stars:

Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Don DeFore

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joel McCrea	...	Dave Nash
Veronica Lake	...	Connie Dickason
Don DeFore	...	Bill Schell
Donald Crisp	...	Jim Crew
Preston Foster	...	Frank Ivey
Arleen Whelan	...	Rose Leland
Charles Ruggles	...	Ben Dickason (as Charlie Ruggles)
Lloyd Bridges	...	Red Cates
Nestor Paiva	...	Curley
Ray Teal	...	Ed Burma
Houseley Stevenson	...	George Smedley (as Housely Stevenson)
Ward Wood	...	Link Thoms (as Robert Wood)
Ian MacDonald	...	Walt Shipley
Wally Cassell	...	Virg Lea
Sarah Padden	...	Mrs. Parks

Storyline

A cattle-vs.-sheepman feud loses Connie Dickason her fiance, but gains her his ranch, which she determines to run alone in opposition to Frank Ivey, "boss" of the valley, whom her father Ben wanted her to marry. She hires recovering alcoholic Dave Nash as foreman and a crew of Ivey's enemies. Ivey fights back with violence and destruction, but Dave is determined to counter him legally... a feeling not shared by his associates. Connie's boast that, as a woman, she doesn't need guns proves justified, but plenty of gunplay results.

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Plot Keywords:

ranch | wild west | american west | rancher | cattle rancher | 

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Taglines:

7 GREAT STARS -- in one great picture!

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Genres:

Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 May 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Farm der Gehetzten

Filming Locations:

Enterprise Studios - 5300 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Enterprise Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"The Hedda Hopper Show - This Is Hollywood" broadcast a 30 minute radio adaptation of the movie on February 22, 1947 with Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake reprising their film roles.

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Quotes

Connie Dickason: From now on, I'm going to make a life of my own. And, being a woman, I won't have to use guns.

User Reviews

Underrated

She may have been tiny, but she could hard-eye stare as well as any man, and make you believe it. It's that quality that this complex Western turns on, and fortunately Veronica Lake delivers in spades. It's not like she's the only good actor in the cast. There's the reliable Joel McCrea as the good guy, the commanding Donald Crisp as the sheriff, and Don De Fore in a sly role as McCrea's buddy, showing both an easy grin and a tricky set of values.

Usually it's two patriarchal land barons who feud over territory. Here it's not. It's the tiny Lake and bad guy Preston Foster who are duking it out, both fair and foul. What makes this Western more interesting than most is that Lake and DeFore fit somewhere between the poles of good-guy bad-guy. You never quite know what they'll do next because their moral compass sometimes wobbles. Being a woman with a lot of ambition, Lake has to finagle men into doing her shooting for her, and guess how she does that. And being a man who likes women, DeFore has figure out how to balance his loyalties. That makes for some interesting situations.

Director Andre DeToth (check out his unpronounceable real name) is the perfect overseer for a plot that features quiet treachery, hidden motives and raw violence. Maybe that's because his middle-European background was steeped in just trying to survive. Nonetheless, his sardonic view of human nature reminds me of an early version Sam Peckinpah. In fact, the latter hired de Toth to direct several episodes of Peckinpah's brilliant TV series The Westerner (1960). In that same vein, note de Toth's unflinching camera when filming the night battle near movie's end and when filming the treacherous backshot on Foster's front porch. It's clear he's bumping against Production Code strictures on what can be shown and what can't.

Ramrod is an underrated Western with an adult story-line. You may, however, need a score card to keep up with the various twists and turns. Still and all, the scenery's great, the acting top-notch, and the action where it ought to be. In my little book, that's definitely a can't-miss package.