Man in the Shadow | |
---|---|
Directed by | Jack Arnold |
Written by | Gene L. Coon |
Produced by | Albert Zugsmith |
Starring | Jeff Chandler Orson Welles Colleen Miller Ben Alexander |
Cinematography | Arthur E. Arling |
Edited by | Edward Curtiss |
Color process | Black and white |
Production company | Universal Pictures |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $600,000 [1] |
Box office | $1.53 million |
Man in the Shadow is a 1957 American CinemaScope crime Western film directed by Jack Arnold and starring Jeff Chandler, Orson Welles, Colleen Miller and Ben Alexander.
The cow town of Spurline is effectively ruled by Virgil Renchler, owner of the Golden Empire ranch.
One night, some of Renchler's hands beat young laborer Juan Martín to death. The newly elected sheriff of Spurline, Ben Sadler, decides to investigate the murder, but must contend with Renchler's henchmen and the fierce opposition of the townspeople, who fear that Spurline would be ruined without the Golden Empire's business.
Ranch foreman Ed Yates admits to Renchler that he killed Martin, but employee Chet Huneker is persuaded to tell the law that he had hit Martin accidentally with a car. Renchler's daughter Skippy tells the sheriff what she remembers from the night of Martin's death.
Sadler is beaten by Yates and Huneker, then dragged through town, tied to the back of a truck. Sadler retrieves a shotgun, tosses aside his badge and, with help from cropper Aiken Clay, pursues Renchler and his men, defeating them with the help of the townspeople, who then return Sadler's badge to him.
The film was originally titled Pay the Devil. [2] It was Jeff Chandler's last film under his exclusive deal with Universal. [3]
Albert Zugsmith claimed that the film's budget was $600,000, much of which was overhead. [1]
The part of Virgil Renchler was originally to be played by Robert Middleton, but agents from the William Morris Agency suggested Orson Welles, who badly needed the money ($60,000) to pay back taxes. [1] It was Welles' first Western role. While making the film, Welles rewrote sections of the script. He also formed a relationship with Zugsmith, who produced Welles' next film as director, Touch of Evil (1958). [4] Director Jack Arnold said that he experienced one incident with Welles on Welles' first day of shooting, but after that, Welles was "wonderful" to work with and offered many good ideas. [5]
Filming began in October 1956. [6]
Touch of Evil is a 1958 American film noir written and directed by Orson Welles, who also stars in the film. The screenplay was loosely based on the contemporary Whit Masterson novel Badge of Evil (1956). The cast included Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff and Marlene Dietrich.
Edward Sidney Devereaux, better known professionally as Ed Devereaux, was an Australian actor, director, and scriptwriter who lived in the United Kingdom for many years. He was best known for playing the part of Matt Hammond the head ranger in the Australian television series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. He was also involved in the series behind the scenes, Devereaux writing the script and directing the episode The Veteran (1969), for which he received much critical acclaim. Devereaux based the story of the episode "Double Trouble" on an idea conceived by his children, wrote the screenplay of "Summer Storm" and the script for "The Mine". He also played the part of Joe in the Australian 1966 film They’re a Weird Mob. The film was a local success.
Broken Arrow is a 1950 American revisionist Western film directed by Delmer Daves and starring James Stewart, Jeff Chandler, and Debra Paget. The film is based on historical figures, but fictionalizes their story in dramatized form. It was nominated for three Academy Awards, and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Film Promoting International Understanding. Film historians have said that the film was one of the first major Westerns since the Second World War to portray Native Americans sympathetically.
Jeff Chandler was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Cochise in Broken Arrow (1950), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was one of Universal Pictures' more popular male stars of the 1950s. His other credits include Sword in the Desert (1948), Deported (1950), Female on the Beach (1955), and Away All Boats (1956). He also performed as a radio actor and as a singer.
The Roots of Heaven is a 1958 American adventure film made for 20th Century Fox, directed by John Huston and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. The screenplay by Romain Gary and Patrick Leigh Fermor is based on Romain Gary's 1956 Prix Goncourt-winning novel of the same name. The film stars Errol Flynn, Juliette Gréco, Trevor Howard, Eddie Albert, Orson Welles, Paul Lukas, Herbert Lom and Grégoire Aslan. Huston later said that Roots of Heaven "could have been a very fine film. And largely owing to me was not a good film at all."
George Garfield Nader, Jr. was an American actor and writer of Lebanese descent. He appeared in a variety of films from 1950 to 1974, including Sins of Jezebel (1953), Congo Crossing (1956), and The Female Animal (1958). During this period, he also did episodic television and starred in several series, including NBC's The Man and the Challenge (1959–60). In the 1960s he made several films in Germany, playing FBI agent Jerry Cotton. He is remembered for his first starring role, in the low-budget 3-D sci-fi film Robot Monster (1953), known as "one of the worst films ever made."
"The Third Man Theme" is an instrumental written and performed by Anton Karas for the soundtrack to the 1949 film The Third Man. Upon release the theme proved popular, spending eleven weeks at number one on Billboard's United States Best Sellers in Stores chart. Multiple versions have been performed and recorded, selling tens of millions of copies, and its success influenced the release strategy of later film singles.
John Archer was an American actor.
Albert Zugsmith was an American film producer, film director and screenwriter who specialized in low-budget exploitation films through the 1950s and 1960s.
Drango is a 1957 American Western film produced by Jeff Chandler's production company Earlmar Productions, written and directed by Hall Bartlett, and released by United Artists. Starring Chandler in the title role, the film also features Ronald Howard, Joanne Dru, Julie London and Donald Crisp. Set in the town of Kennesaw, Georgia in the months immediately following the American Civil War, the story depicts the efforts of a resolute Union Army officer who had participated in the town's destruction during Sherman's March determined to make amends.
The Tattered Dress is a 1957 American CinemaScope film noir crime film released by Universal Pictures and directed by Jack Arnold. It stars Jeff Chandler, Jeanne Crain, Jack Carson, Gail Russell and Elaine Stewart.
Istanbul is a 1957 American CinemaScope film noir crime film directed by Joseph Pevney, and starring Errol Flynn and Cornell Borchers. It is a remake of the film Singapore, with the location of the action moved to Turkey. The plot involves an American pilot who becomes mixed up with various criminal activities in Istanbul.
Virgil William Vogel was an American television and film director. His career spanned nearly sixty years, directing episodes of Wagon Train, Bonanza, The Big Valley, and Mission: Impossible, among other series. Earlier in his career he was also a film editor. He also directed the pilot episode of Street Hawk. He and the star of that show Rex Smith, both being pilots, enjoyed many adventures, with Virgil as pilot in command and Rex as co-pilot. Virgil was recipient of the Air Medal for 50 missions commanding the B-29 over the skies of Japan. Rex relates, “We worked till late on Friday’s but always were up a six, to play tennis, then fly our military style ‘missions’, followed by dinner and drinks. He had the energy of a man half his age, and it was a challenge to keep up him!” I miss and admire and am proud to have been accepted as a co pilot and friend, I miss the man and adventures shared.”
Gun Glory is a 1957 American Metrocolor Western film directed by Roy Rowland starring Stewart Granger and Rhonda Fleming.
Sign of the Pagan is a 1954 American historical drama film directed by Douglas Sirk, shot in CinemaScope, and released by Universal Pictures. The film stars Jeff Chandler, Jack Palance, Ludmilla Tchérina, and Rita Gam.
Tall Man Riding is a 1955 American Western Warnercolor film directed by Lesley Selander and starring Randolph Scott, Dorothy Malone, and Peggie Castle. Based on the novel Tall Man Riding, by Norman A. Fox, the film is about a cowboy (Scott) seeking revenge against a ranch owner for publicly whipping him years earlier and for breaking up his relationship with the ranch owner's daughter (Malone).
Tip on a Dead Jockey is a 1957 American drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Robert Taylor and Dorothy Malone. It is based on The New Yorker 1954 short story by Irwin Shaw.
This is a bibliography of books by or about the director and actor Orson Welles.
John Hugh Elliott was an American actor who appeared on Broadway and in over 300 films during his career. He worked sporadically during the silent film era, but with the advent of sound his career took off, where he worked constantly for 25 years, finding a particular niche in "B" westerns.
The Comey Rule is an American political drama television miniseries written and directed by Billy Ray, based on the book A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership by former FBI director James Comey. The miniseries stars Jeff Daniels as Comey and Brendan Gleeson as President Donald Trump. It aired in two parts from September 27 to September 28, 2020, on Showtime.