Angel and the Badman is a 1947 American Western film written and directed by James Edward Grant and starring John Wayne, Gail Russell, Harry Carey and Bruce Cabot.[2] The film is about an injured gunfighter who is nursed back to health by a young Quaker woman and her family whose way of life influences him and his violent ways. Angel and the Badman was the first film Wayne produced as well as starred in, and was a departure for this genre at the time it was released.[3] Writer-director James Edward Grant was Wayne's frequent screenwriting collaborator.[2]
Wounded and on the run, notorious gunman Quirt Evans gallops onto a farm owned by Quaker Thomas Worth and his family and collapses. When Quirt urgently insists upon sending a telegram, Thomas and his daughter Penelope drive him into town in their wagon. After wiring a claim to the land recorder's office, Quirt passes out, and Penny cradles him. Ignoring the doctor's advice to rid themselves of the gunman, the compassionate Worth family tends to the delirious Quirt, and Penny becomes intrigued by his ravings about past loves.
Days later, when Quirt regains consciousness, Penny patiently explains the family's belief in non-violence. Three weeks later, Laredo Stevens and Hondo Jeffries ride into town looking for Quirt. When Penny's younger brother Johnny rushes home to warn Quirt of his visitors, Quirt quickly prepares to flee. Penny, now smitten with Quirt, offers to run off with him. At the sound of approaching horses, Quirt grabs his gun and discovers that it has been emptied. Training his weapon on the doorway, Quirt calmly greets Hondo and Laredo. Thinking that Quirt has the upper hand, Laredo offers to buy his claim. When Quirt sets the price at $20,000, Laredo hands over $5,000 in gold and challenges him to come for the balance when he is able – if he has the nerve.
Angel and the Badman (full movie, public domain)
Afterward, Quirt saddles his horse, but when Penny begs him to stay, he changes his mind. Later, Quirt learns that cantankerous rancher Frederick Carson has dammed up the stream that runs through the valley, thus draining the Worths' irrigation ditches. Quirt intimidates Carson into opening the dam.
One Sunday, Penny asks Quirt to accompany the family to a Quaker meeting. Before they leave, Marshal Wistful McClintock comes to question Quirt about a stagecoach robbery. The family swears that Quirt was with them at the time. The marshal then asks Quirt why he resigned as Wyatt Earp's deputy, sold his ranch and crossed over to the wrong side of the law soon after cattleman Walt Ennis was gunned down in a saloon brawl. When Quirt refuses to answer, the marshal leaves. Penny then begs Quirt to steer clear of Laredo, and he acquiesces because of his love for her.
As Quirt and the Worths ride to the Quaker gathering, Quirt's erstwhile sidekick, Randy McCall, tags along. Randy tells Quirt that Laredo plans to rustle a herd of cattle and suggests that they then steal the herd from Laredo and let him take the blame. During the meeting, Mr. Worth presents Quirt with a Bible with his name on the cover, as an expression of gratitude for his role in ending the water feud with Carson. Fearing that he will never be able to live up to Penny's expectations, Quirt abruptly leaves with Randy.
Quirt recovering under the care of the two women (from left to right: Rich, Russell, and Wayne)
Quirt and Randy steal the herd from the original rustlers. They then celebrate with showgirls Lila Neal and Christine Taylor. When Lila, sensing a change in her old flame, teases Quirt about his Bible, Quirt becomes angry and rides back to the Worth farm. Overjoyed, Penny throws her arms around him, just as the marshal arrives to question Quirt about the rustling. Quirt states that Lila can provide him with an alibi. Penny is hurt that Quirt was with his old flame. She heard him talk about Lila in his delirium, and thinks that Quirt prefers Lila's fair hair. Quirt realizes the depth of his feelings for Penny, and they kiss hungrily in the barn.
The marshal warns Quirt that he is the wrong man for Penny. Quirt decides to propose to her anyway. Instead of replying, Penny invites Quirt to join her picking blackberries. Quirt answers Penny's questions about his early life. Kindly Walt Ennis raised him after his parents were massacred by Indians; then Ennis was murdered.
On their way home, Quirt and Penny are ambushed and chased by Laredo and Hondo. Their wagon plunges over a cliff into the river. Penny develops a dangerous fever after the drenching. When the doctor informs Quirt that there is no hope for her, Quirt straps on his pistol and rides into town to exact revenge. After Quirt leaves, Penny's fever suddenly breaks.
In town, Quirt sends Bradley to tell Laredo and Hondo that he is waiting for them in the street. Penny and her family arrive. She gets Quirt to surrender his gun to her. As Laredo and Hondo draw their guns, Marshal McClintock shoots them both. Quirt rides off in the wagon with Penny. The marshal picks up Quirt's discarded weapon. Bradley comments that Quirt may need it, to which the marshal says, "Only a man who carries a gun ever needs one."
In 1993, Johnny Cash wrote and sang a song inspired by this film called "Angel and the Badman".
Reception
Upon the film's release, The New York Times reviewer wrote, "Mr. Wayne and company have sacrificed the usual roaring action to fashion a leisurely Western, which is different from and a notch or two superior to the normal sagebrush saga."[3] The reviewer continues:
James Edward Grant, who wrote and directed the story, has included the gun fights, slugging melées and scenic pursuits necessary to fill out the yarn. But, mainly, he has portrayed the change in Quirt Evans, a feared triggerman of the frontier southwest, who, when wounded, is not only nursed to health but subtly won over by Penelope Worth and her Quaker philosophy.[3]
The reviewer concludes, "John Wayne makes a grim and laconic, converted renegade, who is torn by love, a new faith and the desire for revenge on an arch enemy. Gail Russell, a stranger to Westerns, is convincing as the lady who makes him see the light."[3]
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↑ Lowry, Brian (July 1, 2009). "Angel and the Badman". Variety. Retrieved September 4, 2011. Hallmark gets maximum promotional hay out of casting Brendan Wayne—in what amounts to a cameo—in Angel and the Badman, this remake of his grandfather John Wayne's 1947 Western. Other than that footnote, alas, there's precious little reason to sit through this slow-moving oater, other than the camp allure of seeing Luke Perry snarling dialogue under an oversized eye patch.
↑ Kenny, Glenn (August 6, 1993). "Something Borrowed". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 4, 2011. Shared premise: A hardened man of action learns ways of peace when he is forced to enter a religious community.
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