Yellow Sky (1948)

A pistol-packing tomboy and her grandfather discover a band of bank robbing bandits taking refuge in the neighboring ghost town.

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Lamar Trotti (screenplay), W.R. Burnett (story)

Stars:

Gregory Peck, Anne Baxter, Richard Widmark

2 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gregory Peck	...	James 'Stretch' Dawson
Anne Baxter	...	Constance Mae 'Mike'
Richard Widmark	...	Dude
Robert Arthur	...	Bull Run
John Russell	...	Lengthy
Harry Morgan	...	Half Pint (as Henry Morgan)
James Barton	...	Grandpa
Charles Kemper	...	Walrus

Storyline

A band of bank robbers on the run from a posse flee into the desert. Near death from lack of water they stumble into what appears to be a ghost town, only to discover an old prospector and his granddaughter living there. The robbers discover that the old man has been mining gold and set out to make a quick fortune by robbing the pair. Their plan runs foul when the gang leader, Stretch, falls for the granddaughter, which sets off a showdown between the entire gang.

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Plot Keywords:

arizona desert | arizona territory | territory | apache indian | apache territory | 

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Taglines:

It was a moment for being a woman for only a woman's weapon could keep her alive... now!

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Genres:

Crime | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Herrin der toten Stadt

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$5,600,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 95 min (FMC Library Print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Studio head Darryl F. Zanuck suggested Walter Huston for the role of Grandpa and Fred Clark for Lengthy.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the film when the gang robs the bank, as they ride out of town they are seen and heard firing their guns numerous times. In the immediate next scene, as they are riding toward the camera, a puff of pistol smoke is seen rising in the air from a rider whose arm is held toward the sky. However, unlike all the shots in the town, no sound is heard.

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Quotes

James 'Stretch' Dawson: You gotta hit some people in the head with an ax.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: The West - 1867

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Connections

Version of Myrsky (1987)

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Soundtracks

I'm Sad and I'm Lonely
(uncredited)
Performed by Charles Kemper

User Reviews

A band of bank robbers meet their match......

Yellow Sky is an excellent western, especially to a western buff like me. Along with a top-notch cast, fabulous lighting and great cinematography, I truly enjoyed picking out the locations, most of which were from the Inyo County area of California. Due to my passion for mining in my free time, I was able to spot the Alabama Hills (where the set of the town was located) and the Dunes north of Panamint Springs as two of the locales from the film. Action sequences were well done. The plot, though predictable, has interesting twists, especially those involving Peck and Sheridan. Peck's character is also interesting in that it follows more along the lines of John Wayne's character in the Searchers, someone hardened to life who finally comes around to his humanity. I first encountered this film about a week ago on AMC. I do not know if it is availible on VHS or DVD. If someone could let me know if it is availible in these formats, I would appreciate it. All in all, a great film!