The Lusty Men (1952)

Retired rodeo champion Jeff McCloud agrees to mentor novice rodeo contestant Wes Merritt against the wishes of Merritt's wife who fears the dangers of this rough sport.

Directors:

Nicholas Ray, Robert Parrish (uncredited)

Writers:

Horace McCoy (written for the screen by), David Dortort (written for the screen by)

Stars:

Susan Hayward, Robert Mitchum, Arthur Kennedy

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Susan Hayward	...	Louise Merritt
Robert Mitchum	...	Jeff McCloud
Arthur Kennedy	...	Wes Merritt
Arthur Hunnicutt	...	Booker Davis
Frank Faylen	...	Al Dawson
Walter Coy	...	Buster Burgess
Carol Nugent	...	Rusty Davis
Maria Hart	...	Rosemary Maddox
Lorna Thayer	...	Grace Burgess
Burt Mustin	...	Jeremiah Watrus
Karen Randle	...	Ginny Logan (as Karen King)
Jimmie Dodd	...	Red Logan
Eleanor Todd	...	Babs

Storyline

When he sustains a rodeo injury, star rider Jeff McCloud returns to his hometown after many years of absence. He signs on as a hired hand with a local ranch, where he befriends fellow ranch hand Wes and his wife Louise. Wes has big dreams of owning his own little farm, and rodeo winnings could help finance it. Wes convinces Jeff to coach him in the rodeo ways, but Louise has her doubts. She doesn't want her man to end up a broken down rodeo bum like Jeff McCloud. Despite Louise's concern, the threesome hit the road in their Woody, chucking a secure present for an unknown future. Will they find success or sorrow? This picture features plenty of rodeo action and thrills.

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Plot Keywords:

rodeo | based on novel | ranch | rodeo champion | injury | 

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Taglines:

A Fast Buck... A Fast Bronc... A Fast Thrill!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Sport | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 October 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

This Man is Mine

Filming Locations:

Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wald/Krasna Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 13 critic reviews.

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Goofs

During the Tucson Rodeo sequence, bull rider [Chet?] Peterson switches hands mid-ride.

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Quotes

Buster Burgess: [Buster enters Rosemary's trailer to find Jeff sitting inside. The shower can be heard running in the background] Who's in the shower?
Jeff McCloud: Lady.
Louise Merritt: [From the shower] Jeff, can you hand me a towel?
Buster Burgess: [Jeff starts to get up but Buster stops him] I'll get it.
Buster Burgess: [Buster walks in on Louise in the shower and she screams. Buster rushes out] That ain't Rosemary!
Jeff McCloud: Nooooooo.

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Connections

Featured in Sports on the Silver Screen (1997)

User Reviews

Lousy title but a really good movie

Don't let the title fool you. Apparently part of the studio's design to tempt a broader audience in to see this film, 'The Lusty Men' is just not a very good title for it. Two other titles were considered - one even worse, "This Man is Mine", and one that was better if not exciting, "Cowpoke". Briefly, this is the story of a young ranch worker (Arthur Kennedy) and his new bride (Susan Hayward) trying to save up money to buy a ranch of their own. Faded rodeo star Mitchum crosses their path and changes their lives, showing the young husband Kennedy a shortcut to big money by riding in the rodeo. There's a lot of friction resulting as time goes on, with Kennedy hooked on the easy money and attention, while Hayward fears for his safety and blames Mitchum for driving a wedge between the couple. I won't give away any of the story beyond that.

I do want to give a broader review of this movie for the type that it is. I don't think I've ever seen a seriously-made movie which depicts rodeos or bull riding that was not at least fairly compelling, as this one is. Whether it's 'The Lusty Men' or 'Eight Seconds' or 'The Ride', those who ride rodeo put their lives and safety on the line for relatively little pay in most cases. They pursue their sport with an intensity that may be hard to understand for those who live a more ordinary existence. Just as a compulsive gambler gets that little rush every time he scratches off a lottery ticket or pulls the handle on a slot machine, every time the bull or bronc rider nods his head and the chute gate swings open, he has a brief chance at success and a win and the thrill that goes with it - but he has hundreds, maybe thousands of people playing the game along with him. If he has a great ride, the crowd goes wild. If he gets bucked off, or gets hurt - maybe even killed - he has done so trying to please all those people in addition to himself.

The complexities of the motivation of the rodeo rider belie what some may feel to be a very simple or even 'dumb' pursuit. It is these motivations which create the opportunity for fascinating characters living lives that follow different rules. They live outside the box, even now as they have for decades, in pursuit of their dreams. That's why 'The Lusty Men' and the other rodeo / bull riding films I've seen have been so good. When you start with characters filled with the 'heart and try' to compete at rodeo, people who are not so bound to logic and common-sense, the storyline possibilities are nearly endless.

Things in the world of rodeo have changed since this movie was made. As one other reviewer pointed out, a rodeo rider of the past having to retrieve his winnings at a saloon after having gotten banged up riding that day would be the perfect formula for the start of a drinking problem. Fortunately, they don't get their winnings at a saloon anymore. On the other hand, the 'buckle bunnies' who pursue rodeo riders are still drawn to the lean, lanky, quietly courageous cowboy no matter whether he rode for eight seconds or got bucked off in two. He doesn't need to be a big money winner, because the cowboy's appeal has never been about money. To the contrary - his lack of wealth may be part of his appeal by making him seem more down-to-Earth and approachable, maybe even vulnerable because he is nearly broke. In this movie however, the young cowboy / rising rodeo star does attract the wrong kind of women because he has amassed some money winnings.

You don't have to be a fan of rodeo or bull riding to enjoy this movie. While it does revolve around those sports, the real story is what happens to the young couple and the old rodeo star who enters their lives.