Texas (1941 film)

Last updated

Texas
Directed by George Marshall
Screenplay by Horace McCoy
Michael Blankfort
Lewis Meltzer
Story by Michael Blankfort
Lewis Meltzer
Produced by Samuel Bischoff
Starring William Holden
Glenn Ford
Claire Trevor
CinematographyGeorge Meehan
Edited by William A. Lyon
Music by Sidney Cutner
Ross DiMaggio
Carmen Dragon
Color process Black and white
Production
company
Columbia Pictures
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • October 9, 1941 (1941-10-09)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Texas is a 1941 American Western film directed by George Marshall and starring William Holden, Glenn Ford and Claire Trevor. Texas was an early picture for both Holden (his seventh credited performance) and Ford (his ninth). [1] The film was designed by Columbia as a follow-up, though not a sequel, to the previous year's Arizona , which also starred Holden.

Contents

Plot

Two Confederate veterans, broke and homeless, are making their way to Texas to start fresh. After comedic adventures getting into and out of trouble, just trying to make enough money to get to Texas, they witness a stagecoach robbery and manage to hold up the outlaws and take back the cash. At that point they have a difference of opinion; the "good" one Tod Ramsey (Glenn Ford) wants to give it back, the "bad" one Dan Thomas (William Holden) wants to keep it and keep going. Goodness wins out, and both are off the hook.

Tod takes a job with the biggest local rancher who has a beautiful and friendly daughter, "Mike" King (Claire Trevor). Dan stumbles into a different kind of job—with another rancher who specializes in rustling. They both have heads turned by the lovely lady and the battle of good and evil continues. The key to the action is the need to get the entire town/valley's cattle past all the rustlers up to the railroad at Abilene.

Dan is falsely accused of taking a shot at Tod. As he tries to escape the angry townsfolk, he shoots both the men behind the attempt on Tod's life, but he is shot and killed by the second one, Doc Thorpe, who is also the town's dentist. Tod appears at the door just after Doc Thorpe and Dan have shot each other. Tod closes the door to shield Mike's eyes from the sight of Dan's body. Ultimately, Tod and Mike go back to herding cattle together as they ride side by side while holding hands.

Cast

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn Ford</span> Canadian actor (1916–2006)

Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, who had a career that lasted more than 50 years. Although he played in many genres of movies, some of his most significant roles were in the film noirs Gilda (1946) and The Big Heat (1953), and the high school angst film Blackboard Jungle (1955). However, it was for comedies or westerns that he received acting laurels, including three Golden Globe Nominations for Best Actor in a Comedy movie, winning for Pocketful of Miracles (1961). He also played a supporting role as Superman's mild mannered alter-ego Clark Kent's adoptive farmer father, Jonathan Kent, in the first film of the franchise series Superman (1978).

<i>The First Traveling Saleslady</i> 1956 film by Arthur Lubin

The First Traveling Saleslady is a 1956 American western comedy film directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Ginger Rogers, Carol Channing and Barry Nelson. Commercially unsuccessful, it was among the films that helped to close the already struggling RKO Pictures. Future western stars Clint Eastwood and James Arness have supporting roles in the film.

<i>3:10 to Yuma</i> (1957 film) American western film by Delmer Daves

3:10 to Yuma is a 1957 American Western film directed by Delmer Daves, starring Glenn Ford and Van Heflin. Based on a 1953 short story by Elmore Leonard, it is about a drought-impoverished rancher who takes on the risky job of escorting a notorious outlaw to justice. In 2012, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The film was remade in 2007, directed by James Mangold and starring Russell Crowe with Christian Bale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul C. Vogel</span> American cinematographer

Paul C. Vogel, A.S.C. was an American cinematographer. His credits included The Tell-Tale Heart (1941), Angels in the Outfield (1951), The Tender Trap (1955), High Society (1956), The Time Machine (1960), The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962), Hold On!, and Return of the Seven.

<i>The Man from Colorado</i> 1948 film by Henry Levin

The Man from Colorado is a 1948 American Western film directed by Henry Levin, produced by Jules Schermer for Columbia Pictures, and starring Glenn Ford as a Union officer who becomes addicted to killing during the American Civil War, William Holden as his best friend, and Ellen Drew as their common love interest. Robert Andrews and Ben Maddow based the screenplay on a story by Borden Chase. Although Ford received top billing as the mentally ill villain, Holden's role as the sympathetic hero is slightly larger.

<i>Cowboy</i> (1958 film) 1958 film by Delmer Daves

Cowboy is a 1958 American Western film directed by Delmer Daves and starring Glenn Ford, Jack Lemmon, Anna Kashfi and Brian Donlevy. This film is an adaptation of the Frank Harris semi-autobiographical novel My Reminiscences as a Cowboy. Lemmon's character is based on Harris. The opening animated title sequence was created by Saul Bass. The screenwriters were Edmund H. North and Dalton Trumbo - the latter received no screen credit at the time because he had been blacklisted as one of the Hollywood Ten.

<i>Gunsmoke</i> (film) 1953 film starring Audie Murphy directed by Nathan H. Juran

Gunsmoke is a 1953 American Western film directed by Nathan Juran and starring Audie Murphy, Susan Cabot, and Paul Kelly. The film has no connection to the contemporary radio and later TV series of the same name. The film was based on the 1951 novel Roughshod by Norman A. Fox.

<i>The Last Challenge</i> 1967 film by Richard Thorpe

The Last Challenge is a 1967 American Western in Panavision, produced and directed by Richard Thorpe. The film starred Glenn Ford and Angie Dickinson and centered around a town sheriff contending with his reputation as the "fastest gun in the West." It is also known under the titles of Pistolero and The Pistolero of Red River.

<i>Man Without a Star</i> 1955 film by King Vidor

Man Without a Star is a 1955 American Western film starring Kirk Douglas, Jeanne Crain, and Claire Trevor. Directed by King Vidor, it is based on the novel of the same name, published in 1952, by Dee Linford (1915–1971). A remake was made for television in 1968 entitled A Man Called Gannon. In February 2020, the film was shown at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, as part of a retrospective dedicated to King Vidor's career.

<i>The Earl of Chicago</i> 1940 American film

The Earl of Chicago is a 1940 American drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Robert Montgomery, Edward Arnold, Reginald Owen and Edmund Gwenn. Made during 1939 and released in January 1940, it was the first MGM film of the 1940s.

<i>The Desperadoes</i> 1943 film by Charles Vidor

The Desperadoes is a 1943 American Western film directed by Charles Vidor and starring Randolph Scott, Claire Trevor, Glenn Ford, Evelyn Keyes and Edgar Buchanan. Based on a story by Max Brand, the film is about a wanted outlaw who arrives in town to rob a bank that has already been held up. His past and his friendship with the sheriff land them both in trouble. The Desperadoes was the first Columbia Pictures production to be released in Technicolor.

<i>Springtime in the Rockies</i> (1937 film) 1937 film

Springtime in the Rockies is a 1937 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and Polly Rowles. Written by Gilbert Wright and Betty Burbridge, the film is about a ranch owner who brings a flock of sheep into cattle country and faces the opposition of local ranchers with the help of her ranch foreman.

<i>The Adventures of Martin Eden</i> 1942 film

The Adventures of Martin Eden is a 1942 black-and-white adventure film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring Glenn Ford and Claire Trevor. It is based on Jack London's novel Martin Eden (1909).

<i>The Singing Hill</i> 1941 film by Lew Landers

The Singing Hill is a 1941 American Western film directed by Lew Landers and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and Virginia Dale. Based on a story by Jesse Lasky Jr. and Richard Murphy, the film is about a singing cowboy and foreman of a ranch that may be sold to an unscrupulous banker by the young madcap heiress who is unaware that the sale will result in the local ranchers losing their free grazing land and their ranches. In the film, Autry performed the 1940 song "Blueberry Hill", first recorded by Sammy Kaye, which would become a standard recorded by such artists as Louis Armstrong (1949), Fats Domino (1956), and Elvis Presley (1957). The song became one of Autry's best-selling recordings. In 1987, "Blueberry Hill" received an ASCAP Award for Most Performed Feature Film Standards on TV.

<i>Lucy Gallant</i> 1955 film

Lucy Gallant is a 1955 American drama film directed by Robert Parrish and written by John Lee Mahin and Winston Miller. The film stars Jane Wyman, Charlton Heston, Claire Trevor, Thelma Ritter, William Demarest and Wallace Ford. The film was released on October 20, 1955, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Hoppy Serves a Writ</i> 1943 film by George Archainbaud

Hoppy Serves a Writ is a 1943 Western film directed by George Archainbaud and starring William Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy, the 43rd of 66 Cassidy features. The supporting cast features his regular sidekicks Andy Clyde and Jay Kirby, as well as Victor Jory and George Reeves. The film remains noteworthy today as one of the earliest screen performances of unshaven newcomer Robert Mitchum, who made an impression upon the studio by generating a surprising fan mail response exactly as Clark Gable had after playing an extremely similar unshaven role in The Painted Desert, a Western starring William Boyd produced a dozen years earlier.

<i>The Woman of the Town</i> 1943 film by George Archainbaud

The Woman of the Town is a 1943 American Western film directed by George Archainbaud and written by Aeneas MacKenzie. The film stars Claire Trevor, Albert Dekker, Barry Sullivan, Henry Hull, Porter Hall, Percy Kilbride and Clem Bevans.

<i>Law of the Pampas</i> 1939 film by Nate Watt

Law of the Pampas is a 1949 American Western film directed by Nate Watt and written by Harrison Jacobs. The film stars William Boyd, Russell Hayden, Sidney Toler, Steffi Duna, Sidney Blackmer, Pedro de Cordoba and William Duncan. The film was released on November 3, 1939, by Paramount Pictures. Hungarian-born Steffi Duna plays a convincing Argentine senorita and Sidney Toler plays a comic character. Contrary to previously published reports, David Niven does not appear in Law of the Pampas, unbilled or otherwise.

<i>Wide Open Town</i> 1941 film by Lesley Selander

Wide Open Town is a 1941 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Harrison Jacobs and J. Benton Cheney. The film stars William Boyd, Russell Hayden, Andy Clyde, Evelyn Brent, Victor Jory, Morris Ankrum and Cara Williams. The film was released on August 8, 1941, by Paramount Pictures.

The Lone Rider in Texas Justice is a 1942 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Steve Braxton. The film stars George Houston as the "Lone Rider", Al St. John as his sidekick "Fuzzy" Jones and Dennis Moore as Sheriff Smoky Moore, with Hillary Brooke, Karl Hackett, Lee Powell and Forrest Taylor. The film was released on June 12, 1942, by Producers Releasing Corporation.

References

  1. Arnold, Jeremy. "Texas (1941)". TCM.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2021.