Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Hard Man

  • 19571957
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 20m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
402
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
27,551
19,549
Valerie French and Guy Madison in The Hard Man (1957)
Western
A lawman becomes a Deputy in a town where he suspects the friend he had to kill in self defense, was framed for murder.A lawman becomes a Deputy in a town where he suspects the friend he had to kill in self defense, was framed for murder.A lawman becomes a Deputy in a town where he suspects the friend he had to kill in self defense, was framed for murder.
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
402
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
27,551
19,549
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • George Sherman
    • Writer
      • Leo Katcher(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Guy Madison
      • Valerie French
      • Lorne Greene
    Top credits
    • Director
      • George Sherman
    • Writer
      • Leo Katcher(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Guy Madison
      • Valerie French
      • Lorne Greene
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 10User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Photos7

    The Hard Man (1957)
    Valerie French and Guy Madison in The Hard Man (1957)
    Lorne Greene, Valerie French, and Guy Madison in The Hard Man (1957)
    Lorne Greene, Valerie French, and Guy Madison in The Hard Man (1957)
    Valerie French and Guy Madison in The Hard Man (1957)
    Valerie French and Guy Madison in The Hard Man (1957)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Guy Madison
    Guy Madison
    • Steve Burden
    Valerie French
    Valerie French
    • Fern Martin
    Lorne Greene
    Lorne Greene
    • Rice Martin
    Barry Atwater
    Barry Atwater
    • George Dennison
    Robert Burton
    Robert Burton
    • Sheriff Hacker
    Rudy Bond
    Rudy Bond
    • John Rodman
    Trevor Bardette
    Trevor Bardette
    • Mitch Willis
    Renata Vanni
    Renata Vanni
    • Juanita
    Leah Baird
    Leah Baird
    • Townswoman
    • (uncredited)
    John Cason
    John Cason
    • Henchman with Eye Patch
    • (uncredited)
    Bill Clark
    Bill Clark
    • Barfly
    • (uncredited)
    Francis De Sales
    Francis De Sales
    • Captain Peters
    • (uncredited)
    Richard Farnsworth
    Richard Farnsworth
    • Posse Man
    • (uncredited)
    Helen Gereghty
    • Townswoman
    • (uncredited)
    Augie Gomez
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Frank Hagney
    Frank Hagney
    • Posse Man
    • (uncredited)
    Bill Hale
    • Ranger
    • (uncredited)
    Chester Hayes
    Chester Hayes
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • George Sherman
    • Writer
      • Leo Katcher(screenplay) (novel)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Reprisal!
    6.5
    Reprisal!
    The Quick Gun
    5.8
    The Quick Gun
    The Yellow Mountain
    5.8
    The Yellow Mountain
    The Spiral Road
    6.1
    The Spiral Road
    The Drayton Case
    6.7
    The Drayton Case
    Blue Moon
    5.4
    Blue Moon
    Heartland
    7.3
    Heartland
    Walk the Proud Land
    6.6
    Walk the Proud Land
    The Attempt Dossier
    6.1
    The Attempt Dossier
    Ride a Crooked Trail
    6.6
    Ride a Crooked Trail
    Callas Forever
    6.4
    Callas Forever
    The Guns of Fort Petticoat
    6.2
    The Guns of Fort Petticoat

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Columbia Pictures released this film on a double feature with The Long Haul (1957) with the tag line: "The Long Haul will DELIGHT You! The Hard Man Will EXCITE You!"
    • Goofs
      The walls of Dennison's office building appear to be made of panels painted to look like bricks rather than being of a solid brick construction, as observed when Willis tries to kill Burden and Kane.
    • Connections
      Referenced in The Exiles (1961)

    User reviews10

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    All lines of inquiry
    Guy Madison plays the title role in The Hard Man, a rather ruthless deputy sheriff who prefers to bring in his fugitives draped over the saddle. Saves a lot of judicial proceedings that way. But when an old friend he's sent to track down tries to outdraw him, Madison is forced to shoot Myron Healey who's been accused of murder. Before Healey dies he gives Madison a convincing story he was framed.

    Shooting down a friend who may have been innocent sends Madison off to a nearby town looking for answers. All lines of inquiry lead to cattle baron Lorne Greene and his wife Valerie French.

    I don't think Lorne Greene was cast as Ben Cartwright in Bonanza on the strength of this role. Greene's a mean one here, a guy who has increased his herd through rustling and he's got a nice batch of gunfighters on the payroll to keep questions to a minimum.

    However Valerie French who played Ernest Borgnine's unfaithful wife in Jubal plays exactly the same kind of part here. She's looking for a way out of her marriage, one way or the other. Both these issues figure prominently into why Healey was killed.

    The Hard Man is a nicely done adult type western with some solid performances by Madison and the rest of the cast. With some bigger name players this film would be more known, but I can't fault anyone either behind or in front of the camera for their work.
    helpful•18
    2
    • bkoganbing
    • Nov 11, 2011

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 1957 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Reif für den Galgen
    • Production company
      • Romson Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 20 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Valerie French and Guy Madison in The Hard Man (1957)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Hard Man (1957) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in August
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    Fall TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list
    View image
    Photos
    Double Take: Celebrity Twins
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Back to top
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more access
    Sign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.