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, 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

In the novel by T.T. Flynn, the foreman Vic Hansboro is a much more overtly villainous character, while Barbara Waggoman is a much stronger and more independent character.

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Goofs

During one of the fight scenes, Dave is seen bending slightly with his gun pulled from its holster. There is a quick cut, and then back to Dave where he reaches to pull his gun from its holster when it had already been removed.

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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 James Stewart: A Wonderful Life - Hosted by Johnny Carson (1987)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

A tale of anguish and vengeance...

Some of the best Westerns of the fifties were those directed by Anthony Mann and John Ford, straightforward and unpretentious, but each with an interesting approach to the requirements of the genre... Mann's films were the more prestigious, usually featuring James Stewart who, with John Wayne, was the fifties' biggest box-office draw... "The Man From Laramie" best known because of the Frankie Laine theme strong which accompanied it, is notable for (among other things) Alex Nicol's extraordinary projection of sadism, an element which dominated the best of Mann's movies... The motion picture was to be the last of the Mann-Stewart Westerns...

Stewart is cast as a wagon handler from Laramie, Wyoming, but is, really, an army officer out to avenge the death of his younger brother, a U.S. Cavalryman, massacred by the Apaches who were buying guns from unknown persons... It is these persons that Stewart is looking for..

Soon Stewart gets involved in an area of New Mexico which is ruled by the iron hand of a cattle baron Donald Crisp, a strong authoritarian "who can't live with a lie"... Crisp's one weakness is his love and care for his spoiled son, Alex Nicol...

Wild but feeble, yet vicious, Nicol - with extraordinary projection of sadism - accosts Stewart in several confrontations in which (among other outrages) Stewart is dragged through fire by horses, and has his hand held tight while Alex puts a bullet through it... Mann proceeds in this mood throughout the movie, growing even more sadistic...

Arthur Kennedy, a hard-working heavy, plays the adopted son of Crisp... He is a son in disguise, jealous of Alex, pretending to be his brother's ally and protector...

A lot of good supporting actors are cast including Cathy O'Donnell, the fragile beauty who has little to do but await patiently for an opportunity; Aline MacMahon, the fine 'ugly' woman who never leaves the old man, and Jack Elam who tries to knife James Stewart in the back...

Anthony Mann adopted an altogether tougher approach to Western mythology than John Ford... His obsessive, neurotic characters and his emphasis on violence foretell the work of Peckinpah, Leone and Eastwood...

Filmed in Technicolor, "The Man From Laramie" is a Western with new touches of brutality touching off the wide screen spectacle...