The Romance of Rosy Ridge

Last updated
The Romance of Rosy Ridge
Romance of Rosy Ridge poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Roy Rowland
Screenplay by Lester Cole
Based onThe Romance of Rosy Ridge
1937 novel
by MacKinlay Kantor
Produced by Jack Cummings
Starring Van Johnson
Thomas Mitchell
Janet Leigh
CinematographySidney Wagner
Edited by Ralph E. Winters
Music by George Bassman
Color process Black and white
Production
company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • August 4, 1947 (1947-08-04)
Running time
106 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2,117,000 [1]
Box office$2,445,000 [1]

The Romance of Rosy Ridge is a 1947 American Western film directed by Roy Rowland, about a rural community bitterly divided during the aftermath of the American Civil War. It stars Van Johnson, Thomas Mitchell, and Janet Leigh in her film debut. It was adapted from the novel of the same name by MacKinlay Kantor.

Contents

Plot

Henry Carson, a schoolteacher before the Civil War, shows up in a rural region of the Missouri hills. He spends the night with a family consisting of Gill MacBean, his wife Sairy, and two of their children, young woman Lissy Anne and youngster Andrew. Another son, Ben, had run off to fight in the war; the family's hope that he will someday return is gradually waning.

Gill does not welcome the stranger, unsure of his allegiance, but the others like the good-natured young man, especially Lissy Anne. Henry offers to help with the farming; the MacBeans desperately need more hands, but Gill remains very suspicious of his motives. A band had been burning the barns of those still loyal to the defeated Confederacy; the MacBeans had been the latest victims. Henry, however, proves to be a hard worker.

When storekeeper and unofficial banker Cal Baggett visits the family to ask about repayment of a loan, Henry talks him into hosting a "play party", inviting everyone, regardless of affiliation, to help heal the rift in the community. Gill is strongly opposed to it, but Henry tricks him into bringing his family.

At first, the two groups do not mix, but Sairy talks Northern sympathizer Dan Yeary into dancing with her, breaking the ice. Soon, everyone is having a very good time. However, an argument breaks out about the playing of a tune associated with the North. To forestall a fight, Cal calls for a vote. Unfortunately, it is a tie. Gill calls upon Henry to cast the deciding vote. Henry is finally forced to reveal that he fought for the Union. After that, the party quickly breaks up, much to the secret delight of John Dessark and his son Badge.

Henry is no longer welcome at the MacBeans. He does not leave the area though; he starts building a schoolhouse.

Eventually, Lissy Anne can no longer bear to be apart from Henry. She walks away into the night with him, without her father's knowledge but with her mother's approval. Gill tracks them down with a bloodhound, intending to shoot his would-be son-in-law. When five masked nightriders approach, Henry strikes Gill unconscious and seizes his rifle. The horsemen start shooting to kill. Taking cover Henry kills four and captures the fifth after a lengthy footchase and fistfight at a burnt-out dwelling. It is Badge Dessark. He confesses that his father is behind the raids, not out of loyalty to the South, but simply for financial profit. With the Dessarks hanged, the community starts to heal.

Finally, Henry reveals why he sought out the MacBeans. In a flashback, it is revealed that he first met Ben as they were walking across the hills to enlist in the war. As they traveled together singing and laughing, they became good friends. Approaching the turn-off signpost they decided in jest on a foot race to see who could be the first to reach it. Henry ended up on the north branch, with Ben on the south. They were stunned by their differing allegiances. Henry ultimately persuaded Ben into coming with him. Two days before the war's end, Ben was killed suddenly. Before dying, he made Henry promise to help the family with the harvest. After hearing this, a teary-eyed Gill gives Henry and Lissy Anne his blessing to get married.

Cast

Reception

According to MGM records, the film earned $1,820,000 in the US and Canada and $625,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $533,000. [1] [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Marvin</span> American actor (1924–1987)

Lee Marvin was an American film and television actor. Known for his bass voice and premature white hair, he is best remembered for playing hardboiled "tough guy" characters. Although initially typecast as the "heavy", he later gained prominence for portraying anti-heroes, such as Detective Lieutenant Frank Ballinger on the television series M Squad (1957–1960). Marvin's notable roles in film included Charlie Strom in The Killers (1964), Rico Fardan in The Professionals (1966), Major John Reisman in The Dirty Dozen (1967), Ben Rumson in Paint Your Wagon (1969), Walker in Point Blank (1967), and the Sergeant in The Big Red One (1980).

<i>East of Eden</i> (film) 1955 drama film directed by Elia Kazan, loosely based on the 1952 novel by John Steinbeck

East of Eden is a 1955 American period drama film directed by Elia Kazan and written by Paul Osborn, loosely based on the fourth and final part of the 1952 novel of the same name by John Steinbeck. It stars James Dean as a wayward young man who, while seeking his own identity, vies for the affection of his deeply religious father against his favored brother, thus retelling the story of Cain and Abel. Appearing in supporting roles are Julie Harris, Raymond Massey, Burl Ives, Richard Davalos, and Jo Van Fleet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elsie MacGill</span> First female aircraft designer

Elizabeth Muriel Gregory "Elsie" MacGill,, known as the "Queen of the Hurricanes", was the world's first woman to earn an aeronautical engineering degree and was the first woman in Canada to receive a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. She worked as an aeronautical engineer during the Second World War and did much to make Canada a powerhouse of aircraft construction during her years at Canadian Car and Foundry (CC&F) in Fort William, Ontario. After her work at CC&F, she ran a successful consulting business. Between 1967 and 1970, she was a commissioner on the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada, which reported in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orson Bean</span> American actor, comedian, writer, and producer (1928–2020)

Orson Bean was an American film, television, and stage actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He was a game show and talk show host and a "mainstay of Los Angeles’ small theater scene." He appeared frequently on several televised game shows from the 1960s through the 1980s and was a longtime panelist on the television game show To Tell the Truth. "A storyteller par excellence", he was a favorite of Johnny Carson, appearing on The Tonight Show more than 200 times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MacKinlay Kantor</span> American journalist (1904–1977)

MacKinlay Kantor, born Benjamin McKinlay Kantor, was an American journalist, novelist and screenwriter. He wrote more than 30 novels, several set during the American Civil War, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1956 for his 1955 novel, Andersonville. He also wrote the novel Gettysburg, set during the Civil War.

<i>Sharpe</i> (TV series) British television series

Sharpe is a British television drama series starring Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe, a fictional British soldier in the Napoleonic Wars, with Irish actor Daragh O'Malley playing his second in command Patrick Harper. Sharpe and Harper are the heroes of the Sharpe series of novels by Bernard Cornwell; most, though not all, of the episodes are based on the books. Produced by Celtic Films and Picture Palace Films for the ITV network, the series was filmed mainly in Crimea, with recording of other episodes in Turkey, England, Portugal and Spain. The two final episodes were filmed in Jaipur, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gail Davis</span> American actress and horseback rider

Gail Davis was an American actress and singer, best known for her starring role as Annie Oakley in the 1950s television series Annie Oakley.

<i>Cimarron</i> (1960 film) 1960 film

Cimarron is a 1960 American Western film based on the Edna Ferber novel Cimarron. The film stars Glenn Ford and Maria Schell and was directed by Anthony Mann and Charles Walters, though Walters is not credited onscreen. Ferber's novel was previously adapted as a film in 1931; that version won three Academy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall Thompson</span> American actor (1925–1992)

James Marshall Thompson was an American film and television actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Dingle</span> American actor (1887–1956)

Charles Dingle was an American stage and film actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Simpson (actor)</span> American actor (1880–1959)

Russell McCaskill Simpson was an American character actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Kavanagh (actor)</span>

John Kavanagh is an Irish actor who has acted on the stage, in over twenty films including Cal (1984), Braveheart (1995) and Alexander (2004), and on television. Most recently, he is known for his portrayal of The Seer in the History Channel series Vikings. He has received a number of accolades, including a Drama Desk Award nomination in 1989 for his role in a revival of Juno and the Paycock.

<i>Cheyenne</i> (1947 film) 1947 film by Raoul Walsh

Cheyenne is a 1947 American western film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Dennis Morgan, Jane Wyman, Janis Paige and Bruce Bennett. It was produced and released by Hollywood major Warner Bros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Bishop (actor)</span> American actor (1918–1959)

William Paxton Bishop was an American television and movie actor from Oak Park, Illinois.

<i>Manushyamrugam</i> 2011 Indian film

Manushya Mrugam is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language mystery film written, directed and starring Baburaj and Prithviraj Sukumaran. It was produced by his wife Vani Viswanath; the film co-stars Kiran Rathod, and Oviya. The story is about sexual exploitation of young girls. The film was released on 15 July 2011. It was dubbed and released in Tamil as Police Rajyam (2017) and in Hindi as Police Raaj (2020).

<i>Aloha</i> (2015 film) 2015 film by Cameron Crowe

Aloha is a 2015 American romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Cameron Crowe. It stars Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, Bill Murray, John Krasinski, Danny McBride and Alec Baldwin. Its story follows former US Air Force officer Brian Gilcrest who returns to Hawaii when he is rehired by a former boss to oversee the launch of a privatized weapons satellite in the skies over Hawaii.

<i>Rosies of the North</i> 1999 Canadian film

Rosies of the North is a 46-minute Canadian documentary film made in 1999 by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and directed by Kelly Saxberg. The film recounts the story of the women at the Canadian Car and Foundry in Fort William, Ontario, who built fighter and bomber aircraft needed for the war effort in the Second World War. It also is the story of female engineer Elsie MacGill, who became known as the "Queen of the Hurricanes". The title of the film is an allusion to the wartime iconic image of Rosie the Riveter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethan Hardy</span> Fictional character from the BBC medical dramas Casualty and Holby City

Ethan Hardy is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Casualty, played by actor George Rainsford. He first appeared in the series twenty-eight episode "Bad Timing", broadcast on 11 January 2014. Rainsford's casting was announced alongside Richard Winsor who had been hired to play Ethan's brother Caleb Knight. The pair were described by the show's executive producer Oliver Kent as completely different characters who would change the dynamic on Casualty. Ethan is a Specialist registrar in emergency medicine and is an excellent medic who had worked hard to achieve his position in the profession. He is characterised as a shy, socially awkward person with a serious and attentive attitude. Throughout his inclusion in the show Ethan has shared an on-screen friendship with like minded Lily Chao. He has had romantic stories alongside the character Honey Wright. Writers developed Ethan's relationship with his brother Cal into a sibling rivalry. This has provided both characters with dramatic stories.

East of Eden is a 1981 American television miniseries based on John Steinbeck's 1952 novel of the same name. It aired in three parts on ABC from February 8–11, 1981. It was directed by Harvey Hart from a teleplay by Richard Shapiro, and starred Timothy Bottoms, Jane Seymour, Bruce Boxleitner, Soon Tek-Oh, Sam Bottoms, Hart Bochner, Karen Allen and Lloyd Bridges. It ran for roughly 382 minutes.

<i>Roses for the Prosecutor</i> 1959 West German film

Roses for the Prosecutor is a 1959 West German comedy film directed by Wolfgang Staudte and starring Martin Held, Walter Giller and Ingrid van Bergen. It was one of the few German movies of the 1950s which openly addressed the German Nazi era.

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  2. Variety says the film earned $2.2 million in US rentals - see "Top Grossers of 1947", Variety, 7 January 1948 p 63