Stranger on the Run (1967)

Former inmate and drunkard Ben Chamberlain arrives in a railroad town looking for a woman, causing the railroad police deputies to manhunt for Ben.

Director:

Don Siegel (as Donald Siegel)

Writers:

Dean Riesner (teleplay), Reginald Rose (based on a story by)

Stars:

Henry Fonda, Anne Baxter, Michael Parks

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Henry Fonda	...	Ben Chamberlain
Anne Baxter	...	Valverda Johnson
Michael Parks	...	Vince McKay
Dan Duryea	...	O.E. Hotchkiss
Sal Mineo	...	George Blaylock
Lloyd Bochner	...	Mr. Gorman
Michael Burns	...	Matt Johnson
Tom Reese	...	Leo Weed
Bernie Hamilton	...	Dickory
Zalman King	...	Larkin
Madlyn Rhue	...	Alma Britten
Walter Burke	...	Abraham Berk
Rodolfo Acosta	...	Mercurio
George Dunn	...	Pilney
Pepe Hern	...	Manolo

Storyline

In search of a woman, the washed-up alcoholic vagabond and former convict, Ben Chamberlain, ends up in a god-forsaken and dusty railhead town, where Sheriff McKay and his trigger-happy deputies rule with a heavy hand. Under those circumstances, the drifter who thirsts for answers, and above all, redemption, will begin his investigation, only to soon find himself wrongfully accused of murder. Inevitably, as Ben runs for cover in the rough wilderness, an angry posse of hateful gunslingers will hunt him down before he reaches the borders. Can Ben make it out alive?

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Plot Keywords:

manhunt | sheriff | desert | horse | posse | 

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Taglines:

Brand New Major Motion Picture - First Time on Any Screen!

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller | Western

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 December 1967 (UK)

Also Known As:

Bad Day at Banner

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Stranger on the Run
Written by Kay Scott
Sung by Bill Anderson

User Reviews

Very good western, strong cast and plot

I was very impressed with this, and nearly gave it an 8. (I can't remember the last time I gave a film 9.)

Henry Fonda (wearing a rather obvious wig) proves again his versatility, this time as a drunk. It's not giving much away to say that he does redeem himself, but not in a super-heroical way. Dan Duryea is always excellent value, though I did wonder at his apparently wearing the same glasses (furtively)to read newsprint and for distance vision. (Usually one needs different prescriptions.)

I saw the film courtesy of Youtube, and the sound wasn't great in places, so I didn't grasp why the men that Fonda came across were so keen to ambush the railroad police (and some of them did seem rather rash in the gunfight when it came to firing in full view of the other side).

The "town" where much of the action took place looked realistic, and Anne Baxter as Valverda Johnson was reasonably attractive as a self-sufficient homesteader without having the unbelievable glamour of so many leading ladies in Westerns.

The photography was good, especially a panoramic scene of a train entering the town.

Well worth viewing.