The Rawhide Years (1956)

Dishonest riverboat gambler Ben Matthews is blamed for a murder he didn't commit and must find the real killer before the lynch mob finds him.

Director:

Rudolph Maté

Writers:

Earl Felton (screenplay), Robert Presnell Jr. (adaptation)

Stars:

Tony Curtis, Colleen Miller, Arthur Kennedy

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tony Curtis	...	Ben Matthews
Colleen Miller	...	Zoe Fontaine
Arthur Kennedy	...	Rick Harper
William Demarest	...	Brand Comfort
William Gargan	...	Marshal Sommers
Peter van Eyck	...	Andre Boucher
Minor Watson	...	Matt Comfort
Donald Randolph	...	Carrico
Robert J. Wilke	...	Neal (as Robert Wilke)
Trevor Bardette	...	Captain
James Anderson	...	Deputy Wade
Robert Foulk	...	Mate
Chubby Johnson	...	Gif Lessing
Leigh Snowden	...	Miss Vanilla Bissell
Don Beddoe	...	Frank Porter

Storyline

Ben Matthews gives up the flashy life of a riverboat gambler, hoping to settle down in Galena with his girlfriend, luscious entertainer Zoe. But Galena's leading citizen is murdered on the boat; Ben, on arrival, finds a lynch mob after his neck, and flees. Three years of wandering later, Zoe's letters stop coming and Ben returns to find her and attempt the hopeless task of clearing himself.

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Plot Keywords:

1880s | bartender | barfly | song | singer | 

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Taglines:

The story of BEN MATTHEWS...THE GAMBLING MAN...who followed his Luck...his Love and a killer's trail from the brawling river ports to the golden glitter of Antoines!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 July 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amor justiciero

Filming Locations:

Owens River, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,000,000, 31 December 1956

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Rick Harper: Miserable country, infested with decent citizens.

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Connections

Referenced in Hilde (2009)

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Soundtracks

Give Me Your Love
Words by Frederick Herbert
Music by Arnold Schwarzwald (as Arnold Hughes)
Performed by Colleen Miller (uncredited)

User Reviews

A murderous gamble

Have a high appreciation for Westerns and 'The Rawhide Years' has some very talented names in front of and behind the camera. 'The Rawhide Years' was yet another film too recommended to me, finding myself on an unexpected but interesting Tony Curtis film completest quest. He may not have been the greatest of actors but there was a great deal of likeability about him.

'The Rawhide Years' turned out to be a fun watch. Not one of the best Western films by any stretch, but does its job well and for a film that didn't try to be one of the greats, try and do more than necessary, knew its target audience and what it wanted to be 'The Rawhide Yeats' is generally successful. It is good fun and there is not an ounce of shame having watched it, would hesitate in calling it a favourite but it is deserving of more attention than the near-obscure one it has as of now.

Admittedly, 'The Rawhide Years' is reasonably formulaic and the script has some campiness and doesn't always flow.

Coleen Miller is pretty bland here, not much to her performance, and her chemistry with Curtis does not convince in the slightest, it doesn't ever have spark or passion.

However, regardless of whether he convinces as the type of character he's playing (not quite), Curtis is very heroic and likeable, his acting was getting more comfortable, with some steel that makes his plight worth rooting for. The supporting cast standouts are a stoic William Demarest, deliciously hissable Peter Van Eyck and particularly humorously roguish Arthur Kennedy, his chemistry with Curtis being the most convincing in terms of character interaction of the film.

Visually, 'The Rawhide Years' is handsomely photographed and designed, and directed with assurance. The story is always exciting and easy to follow, some familiar genre tropes here but handled with enough freshness and charm. The characters and enough of the script are fun and amiable and the music fits nicely. The songs may be anachronistic somewhat and may not add much to the story but are lovely in their own right, "The Gypsy with Fire in His Shoes" especially.

In short, entertaining and an easy watch if not something to be blown away by. 7/10 Bethany Cox