Comanche Station (1960)

A man saves a woman who had been kidnapped by Comanches, then struggles to get both of them home alive.

Director:

Budd Boetticher

Writer:

Burt Kennedy

Stars:

Randolph Scott, Nancy Gates, Claude Akins

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Randolph Scott	...	Jefferson Cody
Nancy Gates	...	Nancy Lowe
Claude Akins	...	Ben Lane
Skip Homeier	...	Frank
Richard Rust	...	Dobie
Rand Brooks	...	Station Man
Dyke Johnson	...	John Lowe

Storyline

Loner Cody trades with the Comanches to get a white girl released. He is joined on his way back to the girl's husband by an outlaw and his sidekicks. It turns out there is a large reward for the return of the girl, and with the Indians on the warpath and the outlaw being an old enemy of Cody's, things are set for several showdowns.

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Plot Keywords:

comanche tribe | scalping | new mexico | husband wife reunion | blind man | 

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Taglines:

SHE WAS WORTH $5000 ALIVE...OR DEAD! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

After the parties leave the Comanche Station they cross a wide, shallow expanse of water and in the middle of the water, centered in the frame is a dead tree trunk that looks suspiciously like the hanging tree from Ride Lonesome (1959).

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Goofs

The male cowboy characters wear full front button shirts which were not available , nor in style, until the 1920s. They are also wearing pants with belt loops (also manufactured later) as well as hats which were not sewn using machines available at the time.

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Quotes

Nancy Lowe: Then my husband didn't send you for me?
Jefferson Cody: No, ma'am.
Nancy Lowe: Well, how... ?
Jefferson Cody: Talked to a tame Indian up Casa Verde way. Said the Comanche were holdin' a white woman, holding her for trade.
Nancy Lowe: So you came after me?
Jefferson Cody: Yes, ma'am.
Nancy Lowe: Why?
Jefferson Cody: Seemed like a good idea.
Nancy Lowe: You could have been killed.
Jefferson Cody: Yes, ma'am. Come morning we'll swing south two days. It'll put us into Lordsburg. Good night, Mrs. Lowe,

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Connections

Referenced in Budd Boetticher: An American Original (2005)

User Reviews

Typical material handled in an exceptional way

This is the final film that was directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott. Like their previous collaborations, they both work together to produce Westerns that manage to rise above the mediocre norm. In this film, a fairly typical plot idea is executed very well--with a grace and style that make the film well worth seeing.

Randolph Scott, as usual, plays a nice but tough guy. He's brave enough to come into a Comanche stronghold in order to negotiate for the release of a White woman kidnapped by the tribe. However, trouble is in store when three drifters come upon Scott and the woman. It seems that the leader of this group (Claude Akins) is a real rogue and plans with his men to kill Scott and the woman. It seems that the woman's husband has offered a reward for her--and it can be collected dead or alive! So what did I like about the film? First, as usual, Randolph Scott is amazing. He plays the perfect cowboy hero--tough, slow to speak and anger but also a decent man through and through. Plus, he's much more believable than the bigger than life characters John Wayne usually played. I loved Wayne's films, but he was always too tough and too in command. Scott is much more like a very capable 'everyman' character. Second, as usual, Boetticher deliberately underplays the action--producing a muted but also quite believable film. Third, the film had a really nice ending--quite the twist.

You can't do a lot better than a Scott/Boetticher western. While this isn't their best, it certainly is quite good.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Indian Sign Language North American Indian

Release Date:

16 February 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

Comanche Station

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ranown Pictures Corp.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Eastman Color)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1