The Tin Star (1957)

A cynical former sheriff turned bounty hunter helps a young, recently appointed acting sheriff with his advice, his experience and his gun.

Director:

Anthony Mann

Writers:

Joel Kane (story), Dudley Nichols

Stars:

Henry Fonda, Anthony Perkins, Betsy Palmer

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Henry Fonda	...	Morgan 'Morg' Hickman
Anthony Perkins	...	Sheriff Ben Owens
Betsy Palmer	...	Nona Mayfield
Michel Ray	...	Kip Mayfield
Neville Brand	...	Bart Bogardus
John McIntire	...	Dr. Joe McCord
Mary Webster	...	Millie Parker
Peter Baldwin	...	Zeke McGaffey
Richard Shannon	...	Buck Henderson
Lee Van Cleef	...	Ed McGaffey
James Bell	...	Judge Thatcher
Howard Petrie	...	Mayor Harvey King
Russell Simpson	...	Clem Hall
Hal K. Dawson	...	Andy Miller
Jack Kenney	...	Sam Hodges

Storyline

Veteran bounty-hunter Morg Hickman rides into a town in danger. The sheriff has been killed, and young inexperienced Ben Owens named a temporary replacement until a permanent can be found. Ben wants to be that permanent replacement, so needs to impress the townspeople with his skill. When he finds that Morg was a sheriff for a long time before he became a bounty-hunter, he asks the older man to teach him. Morg thinks that being a sheriff is a foolish goal, but agrees to instruct Ben in handling people, more important to a sheriff than handling a gun.

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Plot Keywords:

small town | county sheriff | agony | shotgun | indian | 

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Taglines:

"In the able hands of Henry Fonda and Tony Perkins THE TIN STAR shines like gold!"_ Cecil B. DeMille

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 November 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Stern des Gesetzes

Filming Locations:

Morrison Ranch, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Perlberg-Seaton Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Stewart was originally supposed to play Morgan Hickman.

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Goofs

When the stagecoach driver rushes into town to report that they were robbed, there is a small trail of dust following each side of the stagecoach. When it comes to a full stop, the dust is almost completely settled down. Next they cut to a slightly closer view of the stage and surrounding areas, and the air is full of dust all over the scene, much more than the stagecoach ever caused to fly up.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sheriff Ben Owens: Uh, ju-just getting the feel of these guns.
Morg Hickman: Where's the sheriff?

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Soundtracks

For He's a Jolly Good Fellow
(uncredited)
Melody: "Marlbrough s'en va-t-en guerre"
Traditional

User Reviews

The Western as an Art Form

This film is a classic. Henry Fonda as the lone bounty hunter,

Anthony Perkins as the tyro Sheriff. Fonda plays this one close to the chest, minimal dialog, maximum emotional effect. Only Jimmy Stewart underplays a western tough guy as well as Fonda.

We have all the necessary ingredients for a fine screenplay. We have greed, hate, violence, racism, ignorance, and just plain human decency all exposed on screen with an even pace to measure the morals meted out by Fonda's character as the plot unfolds.

You want both to be a character in this story and yet stay as far away from it as possible.

So it fails as a fairy tale, but succeeds in taking our souls for a walk outside our values and qualifies as a fine tale of human endeavor.

See this film, the western context only enhances the plot line.

I highly recommend it.