Dallas (1950)

A former Confederate officer hunting for an outlaw who wronged him finds him in Dallas, but now as a wealthy, respectable citizen.

Director:

Stuart Heisler

Writer:

John Twist

Stars:

Gary Cooper, Ruth Roman, Steve Cochran

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gary Cooper	...	Blayde 'Reb' Hollister
Ruth Roman	...	Tonia Robles
Steve Cochran	...	Bryant Marlow
Raymond Massey	...	Will Marlow
Barbara Payton	...	Flo
Leif Erickson	...	U.S. Marshal Martin Weatherby
Antonio Moreno	...	Don Felipe Robles
Jerome Cowan	...	Matt Coulter
Reed Hadley	...	Wild Bill Hickok
Gil Donaldson	...	Luis Robles

Storyline

After Confederate officer Blayde Hollister's home and family are destroyed by the Marlowe Brothers during the Civil War, he swears revenge, refusing to surrender and becoming a wanted man. In order to pursue the three brothers into Texas, Hollister fakes his own death in a staged gunfight with his friend Wild Bill Hickock. He then befriends Martin Weatherby, the newly appointed U.S. Marshal to Dallas, an affable, but not very experienced lawman, who agrees to let Hollister assume his identity. The eldest of the Marlowe brothers, Will, masquerades as a law-abiding real estate dealer while feigning righteous indignation over the brutal acts of lawlessness and violence visited on the honest citizens of Dallas by his sociopathic brothers, Cullen and Bryant. (Their parents were evidently fond of the renowned poet William Cullen Bryant). When Hollister becomes a rival for the affections of Weatherby's aristocratic fiancee Tonia Robles, Martin wonders whether he should let Blayde know that ...

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Plot Keywords:

buxom | double gun holster | gun holster | gun | holster | 

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Taglines:

When all of Texas was a powder keg...they lit the fuse!

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Genres:

Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 December 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dallas, ville frontière

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch - 1 Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Raymond Massey, a Canadian, was most famous for his repeated movie portrayals of President Lincoln.

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Goofs

When Hollister stops to inspect hoof prints when pursuing Marlow to Fort Worth, the road behind him shows obvious signs of being mechanically graded e.g. by a bulldozer.

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Quotes

Flo: You'd get your pockets picked in a graveyard!

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Connections

Referenced in Kenjû 0 gô (1959)

User Reviews

Watchable, enjoyable, but not a great Western

This stylized and well financed Western looks good but is light and flimsy for the genre. It can not hold a candle to other Gary Cooper vehicles like High Noon, however it is worth a view if you catch it like I did on a lazy afternoon on the Encore Western channel.

The film's setup seems contrived and the dialogue is uneven and sometimes even clumsy but it does include enough star power such as Raymond Massey, Ruth Roman, and Leif Erickson (who lend their considerable talents) to make it worthwhile.

Cooper is always a force to be seen and this is no less so in this forgettable Western but even his presence can not totally save this movie.

Watch if there is nothing else compelling on, but don't expect great Western fare like High Noon, Gunfight at the OK Corral or The Lawman. This just isn't it.

I understand why some might rate this rather mediocre film highly as it is difficult to downgrade any film in this (nowadays) under appreciated genre. But there are such amazing Western films out there that great ratings should only be reserved for the true crème de la crème so that those just dipping their toe into this wonderful pool of cinema are not mislead or unduly disappointed and consequently disenchanted with the whole Western genre.