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:

"CHEAT A MAN AND HE'LL THANK YOU...TREAT HIM LIKE DIRT AND HE'LL ADORE YOU!" (print ad - Lubbock Morning Avalanche - Lindsey Theatre - Lubbock, Texas - May 15, 1947 - all caps)

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Genres:

Action | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

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

A Grim Western

Veronica Lake in her memoirs said that Joel McCrea was one of the kindest, most decent men she ever knew or worked with. When she was writing that she was talking about Sullivan's Travels which is certainly one of the high points in both of their careers.

Ramrod is light years from Preston Sturges. Based on a Luke Short novel it's a pretty grim and violent film. Preston Foster is the owner of the big spread in the neighborhood and a close ally of his is Charlie Ruggles who has an adjoining piece of territory. Foster's taken a shine to Ruggles daughter Veronica Lake, but she can't stand the sight of him. When Foster bullies her fiancé out of town, Lake wants vengeance.

She's got her own piece of land now and hires Joel McCrea to run it for her. The range war starts, but Lake thinks McCrea is too soft in his approach. She starts some backchannel schemes of her own.

The result of this is a whole lot of dead bodies piling up. A windfall for the coroner.

As always Joel McCrea is the moral centerpiece of the film, he's once again the gallant western hero. Preston Foster is the town bully you love to hate. Foster did a variation on this part again in Law and Order a few years later.

Cast against type are Don DeFore and Charlie Ruggles. DeFore who was usually the hero's best friend and a jovial kind of guy, is a violence prone sort of fellow, who Lake manipulates among others. And it is hard to believe that Charlie Ruggles ever played anyone as serious on film before or since. Our image of him is usually the henpecked husband opposite Mary Boland from the Thirties.

This film is significant for Lake because she married Director Andre DeToth. DeToth claims to have been married seven times, but only three are listed on his page at IMDb. It was not a happy union, but DeToth did get a good performance out of his bride.

Ramrod may be one of the earliest examples of an adult western. It is grim and violent, but fascinating.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 May 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ramrod

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