Tue 23 Sep 2014
A Western Movie Review by Jonathan Lewis: THE STRANGER WORE A GUN (1953).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , Western movies[6] Comments
THE STRANGER WORE A GUN. Columbia Pictures, 1953. Randolph Scott, Claire Trevor, Joan Weldon, George Macready, Alfonso Bedoya, Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine. Director: André De Toth.
Given how top notch the cast is, you’d expect the Harry Joe Brown-produced The Stranger Wore a Gun to be much better than it actually is. Directed by Andre de Toth, the film is an early 3-D Western that has some great moments and memorable scenes, as well as skillful use of color to convey meaning, but overall falls flat. It’s not so much that it’s a terribly made film, as it is a rather humdrum affair with a plot that’s far too weak for such a set of skilled actors.
The film stars Randolph Scott as Jeff Travis, a former member of Quantrill’s Raiders. Former, because he left the outfit for service in the Confederate Army upon seeing the Raiders recklessly and maliciously raid the city of Lawrence, Kansas, during the Civil War. But the past has a funny way of catching up with a man, and Travis is no exception.
Upon suggestion from his apparent love interest, Josie Sullivan (Claire Trevor), Travis flees the Deep South for Prescott, Arizona, where he ends up in the service of conniving gold thief, Jules Mourret (George Macready) who has big plans to rob the stagecoach business run by the father-and-daughter team of Jason Conroy (Pierre Watkin) and Shelby Conroy (Joan Weldon).
From the get go, Travis, has no love for Mourret’s two primary henchman, Dan Kurth (Lee Marvin) and Bull Slager (Ernest Borgnine). The palpable tension between the characters portrayed by Scott and Marvin is actually one of the highlights of the film. Rounding out the cast of villains is Alfonso Bedoya who portrays a Mexican bandit, Degas. His performance, almost certainly designed to be comical, ends up nothing less than cringe-worthy.
In a not unfamiliar plot twist, Travis (Scott) has second thoughts about joining forces with Mourret (Macready) and ends up siding with the Conroys against his former employer. There’s just not all much to the plot besides that. The potential love interest between Travis and Shelby Conroy (Weldon) is never developed. As far as the supposed love between Travis and Josie, it’s hardly anything of note given that the chemistry between Scott and Trevor barely registers.
All told, The Stranger Wore a Gun definitely has its moments, such the final showdown between Travis (Scott) and Kurth (Marvin) and a harrowing saloon-on-fire sequence. But the film ends up feeling like a bit of a disappointment, especially when watching it in standard 2-D. If you’re a De Toth fan, it’s probably worth watching just to compare it with his other Westerns. That said, most everyone would likely agree that Scott, Macready, Marvin, and Borgnine have all been in much better Westerns than this one.
September 23rd, 2014 at 3:42 pm
They had story structure and censorship problems that would not have been an issue just a few years later. I do not know the details; but relatively simple to imagine while watching the film, or immediately after — the development simply does not work. I think all the players, including Trevor just fine, Weldon is weakest, but so too is her part.
September 23rd, 2014 at 4:15 pm
Jon and I watched this movie together, and I too wondered why, with such a good cast, the end result was so poor. I don’t know anything about censorship problems, and if so, I’d like to know more. It was the screenplay, that as filmed, was very weak. A bunch of good moments strung together by baling wire, duct tape, and good wishes.
For some light analysis and anecdotes about the file, try this link, leading to a page or so from THE FILMS OF RANDOLPH SCOTT.
http://books.google.com/books?id=LnONAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT148&dq=stranger+wore+a+gun&hl=en&sa=X&ei=kOIhVNbAHe3qigKb6YHIAw&ved=0CCEQ6AEwATgU#v=onepage&q=stranger%20wore%20a%20gun&f=false
September 23rd, 2014 at 4:30 pm
Assume that one-eyed director De Toth put 3-D to better use in that year’s House of Wax.
September 23rd, 2014 at 4:40 pm
After seeing the Scott/DeToth collaboration MAN IN THE SADDLE (with a generally weaker cast of heavies) I was expecting a lot from this, but as you say, it’s pretty tepid.
September 23rd, 2014 at 4:42 pm
I have to go with the consensus, this was just plain ordinary, a western by rote. No one is bad in the film, the direction and script are okay, but nothing much happens that wouldn’t fit any western of the era.
Re censorship the only thing I can think of is that Trevor’s role might have been a bit more explicit and the violence greater, but other than that it is hard to imagine there was anything here to bother a censor.
Most 3D westerns suffer from this blandness for some reason. The form seems to have stifled many B western directors. Obviously there were exceptions like HONDO,
HOUSE OF WAX works because it is played over the top and the effects are deliberately thrown at the audience to capture their attention. Here and in other westerns they are trying to film a standard western and not a gimmick film, and the result in 2D is flat and curiously two dimensional in all senses.
Watching this one I recall that it was over before it ever seemed to get started good.
September 23rd, 2014 at 9:14 pm
This title at TCM notes makes reference to ‘shocking violence’ that was rejected.