The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

A senator, who became famous for killing a notorious outlaw, returns for the funeral of an old friend and tells the truth about his deed.

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

James Warner Bellah (screenplay), Willis Goldbeck (screenplay)

Stars:

James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Wayne	...	Tom Doniphon
James Stewart	...	Ransom Stoddard
Vera Miles	...	Hallie Stoddard
Lee Marvin	...	Liberty Valance
Edmond O'Brien	...	Dutton Peabody
Andy Devine	...	Link Appleyard
Ken Murray	...	Doc Willoughby
John Carradine	...	Maj. Cassius Starbuckle
Jeanette Nolan	...	Nora Ericson
John Qualen	...	Peter Ericson
Willis Bouchey	...	Jason Tully - Conductor
Carleton Young	...	Maxwell Scott
Woody Strode	...	Pompey
Denver Pyle	...	Amos Carruthers
Strother Martin	...	Floyd

Storyline

When Senator Ransom Stoddard returns home to Shinbone for the funeral of Tom Doniphon, he recounts to a local newspaper editor the story behind it all. He had come to town many years before, a lawyer by profession. The stage was robbed on its way in by the local ruffian, Liberty Valance, and Stoddard has nothing to his name left save a few law books. He gets a job in the kitchen at the Ericson's restaurant and there meets his future wife, Hallie. The territory is vying for Statehood and Stoddard is selected as a representative over Valance, who continues terrorizing the town. When he destroys the local newspaper office and attacks the editor, Stoddard calls him out, though the conclusion is not quite as straightforward as legend would have it.

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Plot Keywords:

friend | funeral | outlaw | stagecoach | pistol | 

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Taglines:

Together For The First Time - James Stewart - John Wayne - in the masterpiece of four-time Academy Award winner John Ford

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Genres:

Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 April 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Un tiro en la noche

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,200,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$7,891,143, 31 December 1963

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures,John Ford Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min 113 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Valance addresses several characters as "dude." From the 1870s to 1960s, this was a pejorative term with the approximate meaning of "overdressed city slicker," usually applied to city dwellers visiting rural areas. In the 1960s, surfer culture adapted the term to mean "friend" or "companion."

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Goofs

When Stoddard is setting the paint cans on the fence posts, they make a tinny sound that clearly indicates they're empty. Yet when shot by Doniphon, they discharge a great amount of paint.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ransom Stoddard: [descending from railway carriage and consulting pocket watch] Thanks, Jason. On time.

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Connections

Referenced in Full Metal Jacket (1987)

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Soundtracks

Hail! Hail! The Gang's All Here!
(1879) (uncredited)
Music by Arthur Sullivan from "The Pirates of Penzance"
Played in the score

User Reviews

A true classic of the Western genre.

Although I have seen this movie numerous times, I am just getting around to commenting on it. I measure other films against it when I see them. The James Stewart, John Wayne, Lee Marvin, Vera Miles, and Woody Strode performances are magnificent. It is important to note the contributions of past and future notables: Andy Devine, Lee Van Cleef (Hang'em High), and Strother Martin (Cool Hand Luke).

This movie captures some of the aspects of how hard life was on the western frontier towns and how they sprang up and died later in the era. Also, it it depicts how law and order are just as important today as in that time. Without L&O, you are in just another "third world" broken nation.

A superb motion picture!