The King and Four Queens (1956)

Opportunistic con man Dan Kehoe ingratiates himself with the cantankerous mother of four outlaws and their beautiful widows in order to find their hidden gold.

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

Richard Alan Simmons (screenplay), Margaret Fitts (screenplay)

Stars:

Clark Gable, Eleanor Parker, Jean Willes

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Clark Gable	...	Dan Kehoe
Eleanor Parker	...	Sabina McDade
Jean Willes	...	Ruby McDade
Barbara Nichols	...	Birdie McDade
Sara Shane	...	Oralie McDade
Roy Roberts	...	Sheriff Tom Larrabee
Arthur Shields	...	Padre
Jay C. Flippen	...	Bartender of Rosebud Saloon in Touchstone
Jo Van Fleet	...	Ma McDade

Storyline

Smooth cowboy Dan Kehoe arrives at a ranch run by an old widow and her four daughters-in-law. He's been tipped off that the proceeds of a gold robbery are hidden on the ranch, but only one of the women knows where. He plays them off against each other in his quest to discover the location.

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Plot Keywords:

con man | screenplay adapted by author | outlaw family | hidden treasure | vixen | 

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Taglines:

ORALIE CRIED...BIRDIE TEASED...RUBY FOUGHT...SABINA WAITED FOR HIM WITH A SMILE... (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Mystery | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to an article in the 18 September 1956 edition of The Hollywood Reporter, director Raoul Walsh shot three different endings and planned to have preview audiences chose the one they liked for the film's general release.

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Goofs

When Dan Kehoe is shot off his horse by Ma McDade, he fell just across a footbridge on a piece of sandy ground with some small brush around him. When the girls approach him, he is laying in a more barren patch of ground with very little brush.

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Quotes

Josiah Sweet, Undertaker: Hey, how'd you like to ride over to Wagon Mount with me and make $2?
Dan Kehoe: I've already got $2, thanks all the same.

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Connections

Referenced in Birth of the Living Dead (2013)

User Reviews

A veteran but seductive Clark Gable arrives in a ranch inhabited by a grumpy old woman and four young widows plays them off against each other

Here the King out-blazes the desert sin in one of the hottest westerns ever made . Seducer adventurer , ex-con and fast-on-the-draw gunman called Dan Kehoe : Clark Gable arrives in a small town saloon , there he meets Bartender (Jay C. Flippen) of Rosebud Saloon in Touchstone and hears stories of the four villains McDade Brothers . Three of the career outlaws were murdered on their last heist while one escaped , being his identity unknown. Hearing that the gold is buried at Wagon Mount, Kehoe ignores dangerous warnings and ingratiates himself with an old woman : Jo Van Fleet with a fake tale about meeting her surviving son in a prison cell . Meantime , 4 tempting widows have stayed with their cantankerous mother-in-law for the past two years , and Dan seduce them : Oralie cried , Birdie teased , Ruby fought , Sabina waited for him with a smile . Each widow : Sabina McDade : Eleanor Parker , Ruby McDade : Jean Willes , Birdie McDade : Barbara Nichols , Oralie : Sara Shane hoping that her husband is the surviving son and sole claimant to the money : $50,000 cache of stolen gold that is hidden somewhere on the family ranch .The King plays the hottest game in the West . . . with four beguiling Queens!





Hilarious Western comedy in which smooth-talking Clark Gable playing an ex-con who is a crack-shot shows his particular talent , acting in his stereotyped role , as he uses his charm on four ladies and he also dances wonderfully with them . This is a battle of sexes and six-guns ; it includes humor , songs , sprawling , almost primitive action teeming across the screen . The plot is plain and simple , a seductive and opportunistic con man named Dan ingratiates himself with the cantankerous mummy of four outlaws and he seduces 4 beautiful widows in order to find their hidden gold . A rip-roaring Western/comedy /romance in which the conventions of the Wild West are turned upside down . This funny picture has comedy , diverting situations and concentrating on humor along with nice inventive bits , skilfully combining the entertainment with the amusement . Clark Gable runs away with every cowboy cliché and even arranges to wind up with the girl . Important appearance by Hollywood veteran Clark Cable gives a sympathetic acting as the opportunistic con man, on the run when meets 4 beautiful as well as captivating woman. Jo Van Fleet provides a sensational performance as the feisty mother, who dislikes visitors , but she was actually 14 years younger than Gable ; furthermore she guards her daughter-in-law's chastity as tightly as the hidden gold ; finally , he realizes that with Kehoe, she has let the fox into the henhouse. And the four gorgeous man-hungry McDade widows marvelously played by the attractive Eleanor Parker , the busty as well sultry Barbara Nichols , Sara Shane ,and sassy , sweetie Jean Willes . In addition , some notorioues secondaries in brief interventions as Roy Roberts , Arthur Shields , Chuck Robertson and Jay C. Flippen .



The motion picture produced by Clark Gable himself , he formed a production company with his Tall Men (1955) co-star Jane Russell and her husband Robert Waterfield in order to produce thiis movie , being well directed by Raoul Walsh by relinquishing creative control , though being an inferior work . From his starts in the silent cinema Walsh achieved successful films until the 50s and forward , early 60s , when he was less dominant , but is still stayed lots of lusty adventure , stories of comradeship and friendship , and Raoul makes the most of plentiful action scenes . Walsh was an expert director of all kind genres but with penchant in Western as ¨Colorado territory¨this interesting Western and action film makes it of the finest of Raoul Walsh genre entries , following other essencila titles as ¨They died with their boots on¨, ¨Along the great divide¨, ¨Saskatchewan¨, ¨King and four queens¨ , ¨The sheriff of fractured jaw¨, ¨A distant trumpet¨ ; Adventure as ¨Thief of Bagdad¨, ¨Captain Horatio Hornblower¨, ¨World in his hands¨, ¨Blackbeard the pirate¨ , ¨Sea devils¨ ; Warlike as ¨Objetive Burma¨ , ¨Northern pursuit¨, ¨Marines let's go¨ ; and Noir film as ¨White heat¨, ¨High Sierra¨, ¨They drive by night¨, ¨The roaring twenties¨ and his last one : ¨The sheriff of fractured jaw¨ . Rating : 5,5/10 ; fairly straightforward movie and passable Western comedy . This average Western film makes it of the lesser interesting of Raoul Walsh genre entries. Rating : Fairly straightforward movie and average .

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 December 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Last Man in Wagon Mound

Filming Locations:

Window Rock, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,250,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gabco Productions, Russ-Field Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Color by Deluxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1