Blood on the Moon (1948)

Unemployed cowhand Jim Garry is hired by his dishonest friend Tate Riling as muscle in a dispute between homesteaders and cattleman John Lufton.

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

Lillie Hayward (screenplay), Harold Shumate (adaptation)

Stars:

Robert Mitchum, Barbara Bel Geddes, Robert Preston

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robert Mitchum	...	Jim Garry
Barbara Bel Geddes	...	Amy Lufton
Robert Preston	...	Tate Riling
Walter Brennan	...	Kris Barden
Phyllis Thaxter	...	Carol Lufton
Frank Faylen	...	Jake Pindalest
Tom Tully	...	John Lufton
Charles McGraw	...	Milo Sweet
Clifton Young	...	Joe Shotten
Tom Tyler	...	Frank Reardon
George Cooper	...	Fred Barden
Tom Keene	...	Ted Elser (as Richard Powers)
Bud Osborne	...	Cap Willis
Zon Murray	...	Nels Titterton
Robert Bray	...	Bart Daniels

Storyline

When a shady-looking stranger rides into town to join his old friend it is assumed he is a hired gun. But as the new man comes to realise the unlawful nature of his buddy's business and the way the homesteaders are being used, the two men draw apart to become sworn enemies.

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Plot Keywords:

damsel in distress | stampeding cattle | wanderer | reformation | saloon brawl | 

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Taglines:

LUSTY! VIOLENT! SAVAGE!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 1953, RKO reissued this film theatrically on a double bill with another western, Fort Apache (1948) starring John Wayne and Henry Fonda, with the tag line "Two Rip-Roaring Action Hits!"

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Quotes

Jim Garry: I've been mixed up in a lot of things, Tate, but up to now, I've never been hired for my guns.
Tate Riling: Can you afford to be so particular?

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Alternate Versions

Exists in computer-colored version.

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Connections

Referenced in Dead Man (1995)

User Reviews

Film Noire Goes West

"Blood On the Moon" is one of those psychological westerns that emerged in the late 40s. Director Robert Wise and cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca were both graduates of the Val Lewton film noire school of film making. Photographed in the shadowy dark black and white common to film noire, this picture turned out to be a better than average western.

The story has drifter Jim Gary (Robert Mitchum) riding into the middle of a dispute between cattleman Lufton (Tom Tully) and a group of homesteaders led by Tate Riling (Robert Preston). Riling has hatched a scheme unbeknownst together with Indian agent Pindalist (Frank Faylyn) to cheat Lufton out of his cattle and sell them to the army at a huge profit.

Gary is initially hired by Riling but soon sees how Riling is fooling the homesteaders and changes sides. Helping him make this decision is Lufton's daughter Amy (Barbara Bel Geddes) with whom he falls in love. Lufton's other daughter Carol (Phyllis Thaxter) meanwhile, is in love with Riling and betrays her father in the process. This all leads to the inevitable showdown at the end.

The photography is at times spectacular. The outdoor panoramas are breathtaking. However, it is somewhat marred by the cheap looking back projection shots (especially during the stampede sequence) and several "studio exteriors". There also is an excellent graphic fight scene involving Mitchum and Preston.

Mitchum is excellent as the brooding drifter with a conscience. Preston makes a despicable villain using all around him to attain his goals. Bel Geddes is good as the heroine but Thaxter takes the female honors as the gullible sister.

The rest of the cast is comprised of many familiar faces to western fans. Walter Brennan, Charles McGraw and Zon Murray play various homesteaders, Bud Osborne is Tully's trail foreman, Clifton Young and Tom Tyler play Preston's gunslingers and Richard Powers (aka Tom Keene) plays Tully's ranch foreman. If you watch closely you'll also see Harry Carey Jr., Iron Eyes Cody, Chris Pin-Martin and Hal Talliaferro (aka Wally Wales) in various smaller roles.

An good western; a good example of film noire.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 November 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sangre en la luna

Filming Locations:

RKO Encino Ranch - Balboa Boulevard & Burbank Boulevard, Encino, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1