3:10 to Yuma (1957 film)

Last updated

3:10 to Yuma
3 10 to Yuma (1957 film poster).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Delmer Daves
Screenplay byHalsted Welles
Based on"Three-Ten to Yuma"
1953 short story
by Elmore Leonard (1925-2013)
Produced byDavid Heilweil
Starring Glenn Ford
Van Heflin
Felicia Farr
Cinematography Charles Lawton Jr.
Edited by Al Clark
Music by George Duning
Color process Black and white
Production
company
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • August 7, 1957 (1957-08-07)(USA)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.85 million dollars (US and Canadian rentals) [1]

3:10 to Yuma is a 1957 American Western film directed by Delmer Daves (1904-1977) and starring Glenn Ford and Van Heflin. Based on a 1953 short story of the same name by Elmore Leonard (1925-2013), the plot concerns an impoverished rancher who takes on the risky job of escorting a notorious outlaw to justice.

Contents

In 2012, the film was selected for preservation in the United States on the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." [2] [3] The film was remade in 2007, directed by James Mangold and starring Russell Crowe with Christian Bale.

The title song, "The 3:10 to Yuma", was written by George Duning (music) and Ned Washington (lyrics), and sung at the beginning and end of the film by the noted Western and Country music singer Frankie Laine (1913-2007), who also did several other popular Western film / TV series musical theme songs. He recorded the song for Columbia Records also in 1957 with the Jimmy Carroll Orchestra when the feature film was released, and later repeated in 1960 with the Johnny Williams Orchestra (future famous film music theme composer, born 1932). It was also recorded again seven years later by Sandy Denny in 1967 for Island Records.

Plot

In the old Arizona Territory (1863-1912, later succeeded by the 48th State of Arizona) during the 1880s of the American frontier, struggling rancher Dan Evans and his two sons witness a gang led by notorious outlaw Ben Wade rob a passing coach of the famous Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line. When the stagecoach driver manages to overpower one of the robbers, Wade calmly shoots both men dead. On the way south to the border with Mexico, the robbers stop at a saloon in Bisbee for drinks. Wade alerts the town marshal of the nearby robbery and the murders. A posse is called out for and assembled and badman Wade instructs his gang to ride quickly across the border to safety until he can rejoin them, while the posse heads back toward the stage. The posse meets up with Dan and the well-known Butterfield stagecoach company's prominent owner, Mr. John Butterfield (1801-1869), who accompany the lawmen as they head to the saloon. Charlie Prince, Wade's second in charge, returns to Bisbee to see what is delaying Wade just before the posse arrives back in town. Evans distracts Wade, allowing the marshal to approach Wade from behind and arrest him. Prince is shot in the hand but escapes on his horse to summon and retrieve the rest of the gang to help out.

The marshal requests two volunteers to escort Wade to nearby Contention City to catch the 3:10 train going further west to Yuma, Arizona, on the Southern Pacific Railroad's new trans-continental line near the western territorial border with California and a larger major town, where he can be held for trial. Butterfield offers to pay any volunteer $200, and Dan and a drunkard posse member named Alex Potter volunteer their services. The marshal has a man pretending to be Wade placed on a stagecoach leaving town that evening, hoping to mislead Wade's men and buy Dan and Potter some time. Wade is taken to Dan's ranch, where Alice Evans, his wife, learns of her husband's decision. Wade is subsequently moved to Contention City, where Dan and Potter meet Butterfield in a hotel room to wait for the train. Wade tries to bribe Dan into releasing him but is impressed by Dan's refusal.

The slain stagecoach driver's brother, Bob Moons, arrives and barges into the hotel room seeking revenge. Dan wrestles his gun away, but it fires. Prince, having secretly tracked the party to Contention, hears the gunshot and alerts Wade's gang. The local sheriff is out of town, so Butterfield hires five men to provide security while Wade is taken to the rail station. As the gang surrounds the hotel, the locals flee, once again leaving only Dan, Alex and Butterfield. Alex saves Dan from gunfire from an outlaw on the roof, but Prince shoots Alex in the back and has the men hang him from the hotel chandelier. Butterfield is horrified and offers to give Dan his money, planning to release Wade. Alice arrives and tries to change her husband's mind, but he is committed to see Wade brought to justice. Dan takes Wade out a back door, skillfully moving him across town as the outlaws fire at them.

The outlaws finally reach Dan as the train starts to leave. Prince shouts for Wade to take cover so he can shoot Dan. Instead, Wade tells Dan to jump into the passing car, and they leap to safety together. The gang runs after the train, but Dan shoots Prince dead and the rest abandon the pursuit. Wade explains that he owed Dan a favor for saving his life earlier, and he claims that he has escaped from the infamous Yuma Territorial Prison before, meaning Dan will be able to claim his reward honestly. Alice sees Dan leave safely on the train as rain pours down on her, breaking the long drought.

Cast

Production

David Heilweil brought the story to the Associates and Aldrich, the production company of Robert Aldrich. [4] Halsted Welles wrote a script, which Aldrich sold to Columbia for $100,000. [5]

Reception

In a contemporary review for The New York Times , critic Bosley Crowther noted the strong thematic similarity between 3:10 to Yuma and High Noon (1952). He wrote: "[D]espite the similarity, '3:10 to Yuma' is a good Western film, loaded with suspenseful situations and dusty atmosphere. .... A good, lively script has been written by Halsted Welles, and sharp, business-like direction has been contributed by Delmer Daves. What's more, the whole thing is neatly acted." [6]

Legacy

In 1958, 3:10 to Yuma was nominated for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts award for Best Film and the Laurel Award for Top Male Action Star, which was awarded to Van Heflin. [7]

The film was remade in 2007, directed by James Mangold and starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, and it was successful with critics. [8] [9]

In 2012, the film was entered into the National Film Registry for its historical, cultural and aesthetic relevance.[ citation needed ]

The film caused "Yuma" to enter the lexicon of Cuban slang as a pejorative term for American visitors, while "La Yuma" is the United States. [10]

Home video

A Region 1 DVD was released in 2002. [11] A region A/1 Blu-ray version of the film was released as part of the Criterion Collection in 2013. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>My Darling Clementine</i> 1946 film by John Ford

My Darling Clementine is a 1946 American Western film directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp during the period leading up to the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. The ensemble cast also features Victor Mature, Linda Darnell, Walter Brennan, Tim Holt, Cathy Downs and Ward Bond.

<i>The Ox-Bow Incident</i> 1943 film

The Ox-Bow Incident is a 1943 American Western film directed by William A. Wellman, starring Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews and Mary Beth Hughes, with Anthony Quinn, William Eythe, Harry Morgan and Jane Darwell. Two cowboys arrive in a Western town, when news arrives that a local rancher has been murdered and his cattle stolen. The townspeople, joined by the two cowboys and cowboys from other ranches, form a posse to catch the perpetrators. They find three men in possession of the cattle, and are determined to see justice done on the spot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuma Territorial Prison</span> 19th-century prison in Arizona, US

The Yuma Territorial Prison is a former prison located in Yuma, Arizona, United States, that opened on July 1, 1876, and shut down on September 15, 1909. It is one of the Yuma Crossing and Associated Sites on the National Register of Historic Places in the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area. The site is now operated as a historical museum by Arizona State Parks system as Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn Strange</span> American actor (1899–1973)

George Glenn Strange was an American actor who appeared in hundreds of Western films. He played Sam Noonan, the bartender on CBS's Gunsmoke television series, and Frankenstein's monster in three Universal films during the 1940s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom London</span> American actor (1889–1963)

Tom London was an American actor who played frequently in B-Westerns. According to The Guinness Book of Movie Records, London is credited with appearing in the most films in the history of Hollywood, according to the 2001 book Film Facts, which says that the performer who played in the most films was "Tom London, who made his first of over 2,000 appearances in The Great Train Robbery, 1903. He used his birth name in films until 1924.

<i>Warlock</i> (1959 film) 1959 film directed by Edward Dmytryk

Warlock is a 1959 American Western film produced and directed by Edward Dmytryk starring Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, Anthony Quinn and Dorothy Malone. The picture is an adaptation of the novel Warlock by American author Oakley Hall. The film is both set and filmed in Utah.

<i>Gunfight at the O.K. Corral</i> (film) 1957 film by John Sturges

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is a 1957 American Western film starring Burt Lancaster as Wyatt Earp and Kirk Douglas as Doc Holliday, and loosely based on the actual event in 1881. The film was directed by John Sturges from a screenplay written by novelist Leon Uris. It was a remake of the 1939 film Frontier Marshall starring Randolph Scott and of John Ford's 1946 film My Darling Clementine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Lauter</span> American actor (1914-1990)

Herman Arthur "Harry" Lauter was an American character actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Tyler</span> American actor (1903–1954)

Tom Tyler was an American actor known for his leading roles in low-budget Western films in the silent and sound eras, and for his portrayal of superhero Captain Marvel in the 1941 serial film The Adventures of Captain Marvel. Tyler also played Kharis in 1940's The Mummy's Hand, a popular Universal Studios monster film.

<i>Colorado Territory</i> (film) 1949 film by Raoul Walsh, Anthony Veiller

Colorado Territory is a 1949 American Western film noir directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Joel McCrea, Virginia Mayo, and Dorothy Malone. Written by Edmund H. North and John Twist, and based on the novel High Sierra by W.R. Burnett, the film is about an outlaw who is sprung from jail to help pull one last railroad job.

<i>3:10 to Yuma</i> (2007 film) 2007 film by James Mangold

3:10 to Yuma is a 2007 American Western action drama film directed by James Mangold and produced by Cathy Konrad, starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale in the lead roles, with supporting performances by Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol, Ben Foster, Dallas Roberts, Alan Tudyk, Vinessa Shaw, and Logan Lerman. Bale plays a rancher impoverished by drought, who takes on the dangerous but lucrative job of taking a notorious outlaw (Crowe) to justice.

<i>Western Union</i> (film) 1941 American Western film

Western Union is a 1941 American western film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Robert Young, Randolph Scott, and Dean Jagger. Filmed in Technicolor on location in Arizona and Utah. In Western Union, Scott plays a reformed outlaw who tries to make good by joining the team building a telegraph line across the Great Plains in 1861. Conflicts arise between the man and his former gang, as well as between the team stringing the wires and the Native Americans through whose land the new lines must run. In this regard, the film is not historically accurate; Edward Creighton was known for his honest and humane treatment of the tribes along the right of way and this was rewarded on the part of the Indians by their trust and cooperation with Creighton and his workers. The installation of telegraph wires was met with protest from no one.

The Fastest Gun Alive is a 1956 American western film directed by Russell Rouse and starring Glenn Ford, Jeanne Crain, and Broderick Crawford. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<i>Sagebrush Trail</i> 1933 film

Sagebrush Trail is a 1933 American Pre-Code Western film with locations filmed at Bronson Canyon starring John Wayne and featuring Lane Chandler and Yakima Canutt. It was the second Lone Star Productions film released by Monogram Pictures. It was shown as An Innocent Man in the UK, and this version was later released in a colorized version on home video.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddy Waller</span> American actor (1889–1977)

Edward Waller was an American stage, film and television actor.

<i>Arctic Blue</i> 1993 American film

Arctic Blue is a 1993 action thriller film directed by Peter Masterson and starring Rutger Hauer, Dylan Walsh, Rya Kihlstedt, and John Cuthbert.

<i>The Hangman</i> (1959 film) 1959 film

The Hangman is a 1959 American western film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Robert Taylor, Tina Louise and Fess Parker. It was distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film is based on the short story of the same name by Luke Short.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bisbee massacre</span> 1884 homicides in Cochise County, Arizona

The Bisbee massacre occurred in Bisbee, Arizona, on December 8, 1883, when six outlaws who were part of the Cochise County Cowboys robbed a general store. Believing the general store's safe contained a mining payroll of $7,000, they timed the robbery incorrectly and were only able to steal between $800 and $3,000, along with a gold watch and jewelry. During the robbery, members of the gang killed five people, including a lawman and a pregnant woman. Six men were convicted of the robbery and murders. John Heath, who was accused of organizing the robbery, was tried separately and sentenced to life in prison. The other five men were convicted of murder and sentenced to hang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Cason (actor)</span> American actor (1918–1961)

John Lacy Cason, also credited as Bob Cason and John L. Cason, was an American actor active in both films and television. During his 20-year career he appeared in over 200 films and television shows. He is best known for his work on the television program The Adventures of Kit Carson, where he appeared in several roles from 1951 to 1953.

Marshal of Reno is a 1944 American Western film directed by Wallace Grissell starring Wild Bill Elliott in the role of Red Ryder. It was the second of twenty-three Red Ryder feature films that would be produced by Republic Pictures. The picture was shot on the studio’s back lot along with outdoor locations at Iverson Ranch, 1 Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

References

  1. "Top Grossers of 1957". Variety . January 8, 1958. p. 30. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  2. King, Susan (December 19, 2012). "National Film Registry selects 25 films for preservation". The Los Angeles Times.
  3. "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  4. COMEDIANS TO DO SEPARATE TURNS: Martin and Lewis Get Wallis' Permission to Split Up for 'One Motion Picture Only' Of Local Origin By OSCAR GODBOUT SNew York Times (June 20, 1956: 28.
  5. WYLER AND PECK TO TEAM ON FILM: Director and Actor Will Be Partners in Production of 'Thieves Market' By THOMAS M. PRYOR New York Times11 Dec 1956: 49.
  6. Crowther, Bosley (August 29, 1957). "Screen: '3:10 to !Yuma'". The New York Times . p. 22.
  7. Sculthorpe, Derek (March 9, 2016). Van Heflin: A Life in Film. McFarland. p. 224. ISBN   978-0-7864-9686-0.
  8. "3:10 to Yuma". Rotten Tomatoes . Flixster. Archived from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  9. "3:10 to Yuma (2007): Reviews". Metacritic . CBS. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved October 26, 2007.
  10. Sokol, Brett (October 8, 2007). "3:10 to Yuma in Cuba: How a Western changed the way Cubans speak". Slate.
  11. 3:10 to Yuma (DVD (region 1)). Columbia TriStar Home Video. January 1, 2002.
  12. 3:10 to Yuma (Blu-ray (region 1/A)). The Criterion Collection. May 14, 2013. This release is a restored version of the film, containing interviews with author Elmore Leonard and with Peter Ford, the son (and biographer) of actor Glenn Ford.

Further reading