Welcome to Hard Times (1967)

A sociopathic stranger all but destroys a small hardscrabble town but the 'mayor' convinces its survivors to stay and rebuild.

Director:

Burt Kennedy

Writers:

E.L. Doctorow (novel), Burt Kennedy

Stars:

Henry Fonda, Janice Rule, Keenan Wynn

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Henry Fonda	...	Mayor Will Blue
Janice Rule	...	Molly Riordan
Keenan Wynn	...	Zar
Janis Paige	...	Adah
John Anderson	...	Ezra Maple / Isaac Maple
Warren Oates	...	Leo Jenks
Fay Spain	...	Jessie
Edgar Buchanan	...	Brown
Aldo Ray	...	Man from Bodie
Denver Pyle	...	Alfie - Stage Driver
Michael Shea	...	Jimmy Fee
Arlene Golonka	...	Mae
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Avery (as Lon Chaney)
Royal Dano	...	John Bear
Alan Baxter	...	Jack Millay

Storyline

In the town of Hard Times, a stranger rides in and terrorizes the small settlement. He kills a number of townsfolk, including Fee, the town's founder. Mayor Will Blue fails to stand up to the man, who rapes saloon whore Molly and burns down the town. Blue promises to rebuild the town after the stranger rides on, but the townsfolk give up and leave. A wagon load of prostitutes led by "entrepeneur" Zar shows up and together with Blue, they rebuild the town. But Molly's desire for revenge and her anger at Blue for not protecting her eat at her, and Blue promises that things will be different when the stranger returns. And return he does.

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Plot Keywords:

arizona | western town | psychopath | adult western | small town | 

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Taglines:

A town can be killed by a bullet...just like a man!

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Genres:

Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was originally announced for Gregory Peck and Rita Hayworth in 1965.

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Goofs

Mayor Blue points to his diagonal right to where the miners are riding into town and Zar looks over his left shoulder in that direction. His "ladies" then look and start to wave though they are looking about 90 degrees off. They should be looking to their right, but are looking and waving straight ahead.

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Quotes

Molly Riordan: Nice to find a man in these parts who knows the use of a gun the way you do, Mr. Jenks.
Deputy Marshal Leo Jenks: Thank you.

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Soundtracks

Buffalo Gals
("Lubly Fan") (uncredited)
Composed by John Hodges (1844)
Played in tent bar.

User Reviews

Faithful adaptation of a great book

'This sparse and grim epic of the plains is loaded with character and with allegory as well. The bad man who comes down from the hills and destroys the town is analagous to Moby Dick, more about dark fate than satanic evil. The excellence of the film comes from its relative faithfulness to the book, a masterpiece by E. L. Doctorow, the storyteller who gave us Waterworks and Ragtime. I give the movie four stars out of the five, and the book all five. Henry Fonda is the big name star, but this is really an ensemble movie. Catch the late Aldo Ray acting up a storm. (If you have seen the movie, read the book. It adds some dimensions including graphic violence that wasn't put into film when this one was made.) I saw this film on TV late one night many years ago, and it stuck with me like a haunting.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1967 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Welcome to Hard Times

Filming Locations:

Stage 30, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1