Cowboy (1958)

An idealistic tenderfoot Chicago hotel clerk is taken on a cattle-drive to Mexico by famous trail boss Tom Reece but discovers that cowboy life isn't what he expected.

Director:

Delmer Daves

Writers:

Frank Harris (book), Edmund H. North (screenplay)

Stars:

Glenn Ford, Jack Lemmon, Anna Kashfi

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Glenn Ford	...	Tom Reese
Jack Lemmon	...	Frank Harris
Anna Kashfi	...	Maria Vidal / Arriega
Brian Donlevy	...	Doc Bender - Trail Hand
Dick York	...	Charlie - Trail Hand
Víctor Manuel Mendoza	...	Paco Mendoza - Ramrod
Richard Jaeckel	...	Paul Curtis
King Donovan	...	Joe Capper - Trail Hand
Vaughn Taylor	...	Mr. Fowler - Chicago Hotel Manager
Donald Randolph	...	Senor Vidal - Maria's Father
James Westerfield	...	Mike Adams
Eugene Iglesias	...	Don Manuel Arriega
Frank DeKova	...	Alcaide (as Frank de Kova)

Storyline

Chicago hotel clerk Frank Harris dreams of making his fortune in the cattle business. He gets his chance when, the father of the Mexican woman he loves breaks off their relationship and Frank bankrolls cattleman Tom Reece to be able to join him on a cattle buying trip to Mexico. Soon, though, the tenderfoot finds out the reality of life on the trail as a cowboy is not what he expected.

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Plot Keywords:

cattle baron | mexico | cattle ranch | native american attack | based on book | 

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Taglines:

A REAL WESTERN! It's really the best...because it's really the West!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie was a central part of the plot of the first episode of Dennis the Menace (1959).

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Goofs

While Don Manuel Arriega and Tom Reese are attempting to place the ring on the bull's horns, it is obvious the horns, which bend and flop, are made of rubber.

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Quotes

Frank Harris: I thought I was gonna ride with some men. You're just a bunch of animals.

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Connections

Featured in How to Brand a Film: Jan-Christopher Horak on Saul Bass and 'Cowboy' (2015)

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Soundtracks

Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie
Music by George N. Allen
Frequently referenced in George Duning's musical score

User Reviews

A Good Realistic Western

As one of the other reviewers pointed out, this whole film is based on a few lines of an autobiography where the protagonist Frank Harris joins a group of cattle RUSTLERS for a spell. So in fact that as tough as Glenn Ford and his crew are, at least they're on the right side of the law.

Also Frank Harris is probably best known for the first definitive life of Oscar Wilde. And Harris like Wilde was born in Ireland. Might have been nice if Jack Lemmon had played him with a brogue.

Another reviewer pointed out that Jack Lemmon did not fit into the western film. True enough, but in fact this is the story of a tenderfoot who goes on a cattle drive and has quite the adventure.

Still and all Cowboy is a pretty good realistic western about life on a cattle drive. These drovers aren't any kind of heroic, but they do the job that has to be done. Jack Lemmon's ideas about cowboys are taken from the dime novels of the period. He gets rid of his romantic notions, but fast.

Among the supporting cast Brian Donlevy comes off best as the world weary former town marshal who joins the drive to get away from his job and meets a tragic end.

Cowboy came out in 1958 which was the height of Glenn Ford's career. Ford did some of the best westerns of the 1950s and Cowboy ranks right up there.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 March 1958 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Frontier

Filming Locations:

Lawton, Oklahoma, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Phoenix Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1