The Man from Laramie (1955)

A stranger, Will Lockhart, defies the local cattle baron and his sadistic son by working for one of his oldest rivals.

Director:

Anthony Mann

Writers:

Philip Yordan (screenplay), Frank Burt (screenplay)

Stars:

James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Stewart	...	Will Lockhart
Arthur Kennedy	...	Vic Hansbro
Donald Crisp	...	Alec Waggoman
Cathy O'Donnell	...	Barbara Waggoman
Alex Nicol	...	Dave Waggoman
Aline MacMahon	...	Kate Canaday
Wallace Ford	...	Charley O'Leary
Jack Elam	...	Chris Boldt
John War Eagle	...	Frank Darrah
James Millican	...	Tom Quigby
Gregg Barton	...	Fritz
Boyd Stockman	...	Spud Oxton
Frank DeKova	...	Padre

Storyline

Mysterious Will Lockhart delivers supplies to storekeeper Barbara Waggoman at Coronado, an isolated town in Apache country. Before long, he's tangled with Dave Waggoman, vicious son of autocratic rancher Alec and cousin of sweet Barbara. But he sticks around town, his presence a catalyst for changes in people's lives, searching for someone he doesn't know...who's been selling rifles to the Apaches.

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Plot Keywords:

native american | repeating rifle | ranch | sheriff | action hero | 

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Taglines:

THE MAN who was magnificent in "The Glenn Miller Story" THE MAN who was unforgettable in "Rear Window" THE MAN who was matchless in "Strategic Air Command"

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 August 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

L'homme de la plaine

Filming Locations:

Window Rock, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$3,300,000, 31 December 1955

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, William Goetz Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

It was not explained how Will Lockhart (James Stewart) escaped from the Indians.

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Goofs

(at around 25 mins) [Around 25:30] After the fight, Alec turns back, and Vic strides over the fence (to Will's right). A few seconds later, Vic strides over the fence again.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Will Lockhart: Whoa! Whoa! Whoa. We'll camp here for the night.
Charley O'Leary: We can go a coupla more miles 'fore sundown.
Will Lockhart: We'll camp here!
Charley O'Leary: You're the boss.

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Connections

Featured in Great Performances: James Stewart: A Wonderful Life (1987)

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Soundtracks

The Man From Laramie
By Lester Lee - Ned Washington
Sung by a chorus behind the credits

User Reviews

The only Mann-Stewart film in Cinemascope

Each association of Mann and Stewart had excellent results, this being the last of the series that began with "Winchester 73" in 1950. Here the scenery is also one of the most important factors, specially that it was filmed in Cinemascope. The french critic Andre Bazin was worried that the process could affect Mann's style. In my opinion the result is absolutely great and I am sure "Bend of the River","The Naked Spur" and "The Far Country" would have benefited from it. Nowadays with the LCD, Plasma and Widescreen TVs we can definitely agree that time proved that the widescreen was there to stay. Like the green colors were predominant in "The Naked Spur" in this film it is the different shades of browns of the landscape of New Mexico, the adobe houses and even the jackets of James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy and Alex Nicol. Stewart is the man that comes looking for the person responsible for the killing of his brother. His quest is going to bother many people and he is in for a lot of violence, very similar to "The Violent Men" made in the same year and also in Cinemascope. Mann wanted to make a western about King Lear (which he never did) but it was not this one, although you can feel he was toying with the idea.