Man of the West (1958)

A reformed outlaw becomes stranded after an aborted train robbery with two other passengers and is forced to rejoin his old outlaw band.

Director:

Anthony Mann

Writers:

Will C. Brown (novel), Reginald Rose (screenplay)

Stars:

Gary Cooper, Julie London, Lee J. Cobb

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gary Cooper	...	Link Jones
Julie London	...	Billie Ellis
Lee J. Cobb	...	Dock Tobin
Arthur O'Connell	...	Sam Beasley
Jack Lord	...	Coaley
John Dehner	...	Claude
Royal Dano	...	Trout
Robert J. Wilke	...	Ponch (as Robert Wilke)

Storyline

On his way to hire a schoolteacher, a homesteader is left a hundred miles from anywhere when the train he is on is robbed. With him are an attractive dancehall girl and an untrustworthy gambler and he decides to get shelter nearby from outlaw relatives he used to run with. They don't trust him and he loathes them but they decide he can help them with one last bank job.

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Plot Keywords:

former outlaw | train robbery | hairy chest | bare chested male | male stripping | 

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Taglines:

Hear JULIE LONDON sing "Man of the West"!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 November 1958 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Der Mann aus dem Westen

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ashton Productions,Walter Mirisch Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Color by Deluxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Warner Bros first announced this as a John Wayne vehicle in 1955.

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Goofs

When the "Man of the West" is waiting for his train and when he finally boards this train, near the beginning of the film, the cloud patterns in the sky change significantly in that short time.

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Quotes

Billie Ellis: What are you lookin' at?
Link Jones: Your shoes.
Billie Ellis: [Looking down] My shoes? Oh, that makes this trip worthwhile. You're the first man who's looked at that part of me since I was 14 years old.

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Alternate Versions

To receive an 'A' certificate for UK cinema cuts were made to edit some scenes of violence. These included the fight between Link and Coaley, the scene where Billie is forced to strip at gunpoint, and shots of Trout staggering and screaming after being shot by Link. DVD releases are 12 rated and fully uncut.

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Connections

Referenced in Crazy Mama (1975)

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Soundtracks

Man of the West
By Bobby Troup

User Reviews

History of Violence

Stranded in the middle of nowhere after their train is robbed, a former outlaw, a schoolteacher and a gambler take refuge with the gang that the former outlaw once belonged to in this dark western drama. Taking refuge does not come easy to the once-outlaw, played by Gary Cooper, as he has to pretend to still be a tough lawbreaker despite reforming his ways, and there is a lot of tension in the air as the gang members are equally as uneasy about his return. The plot actually has a lot in common with David Cronenberg's 'A History of Violence' with Cooper having to face the violent past that he thought he left behind. Cooper never quite seems right in the role though; aside from being two decades older than his character, it is hard to ever imagine Cooper once being a hardened outlaw. As a character, he is not as well developed as Viggo Mortensen in 'A History of Violence' either with the train robbery happening before we even have a chance to know him. The film is also set back by a melodramatic music score from Leigh Harline that comes off as overbearing half the time. The film does have its moments though. The long distance shots of Cooper entering the supposedly abandoned cabin are great, capturing the eerie isolation of the place. The scene in which Julie London is told to strip at knife point is nail-bitingly intense too, and while he looks too young to really be Cooper's uncle, Lee J. Cobb is delightful in the role, radiating both danger and a sense of longing, wanting so much to reconnect with the outlaw nephew he thought he lost forever.