Westbound (film)

Last updated

Westbound
Westbound 1959 Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Budd Boetticher
Screenplay byBerne Giler
Story by
  • Berne Giler
  • Albert S. Le Vino
Produced by Henry Blanke
Starring
CinematographyJ. Peverell Marley
Edited byPhilip W. Anderson
Music by David Buttolph
Color process Warnercolor
Production
company
Warner Bros.
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
  • April 25, 1959 (1959-04-25)
Running time
69 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Westbound is a 1959 American Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott, Virginia Mayo and Karen Steele.

Contents

The film was shot in September 1958 in Warnercolor at cost of a little more than half a million dollars. The Laramie Street set at Warner’s Burbank was used for the setting of Julesburg, Colorado. The Warner Ranch was used for other settings. David Buttolph composed the score. Westbound was released on April 25, 1959.

The film was not a part of the Ranown cycle of Westerns for which Boetticher, Scott and Harry Joe Brown partnered; Scott owed Warners one picture from an old contract, so Boetticher volunteered to direct it himself so as to protect their brand. Although Boetticher never went so far as to disown the film, he felt it was not part of the series and would only discuss it outside of that context.

Boetticher said this and Decision at Sundown were the only mediocre films of the Westerns he made with Randolph Scott. [1]

Plot

In 1864, Union army officer Captain John Hayes is asked to take charge of the Overland stagecoach line, which makes eastbound gold shipments from California that aid the Union's war effort.

Hayes travels to Overland headquarters in his hometown of Julesburg, Colorado. He meets a Union soldier, Rod Miller, who has lost an arm, and Miller's wife, Jeannie.

Clay Putnam has quit his position with Overland and is now secretly working for the Confederacy. He has the support of a quick-draw bandit, Mace, and also has married Hayes' former love, Norma.

Mace's men pick a fight with the one-armed Miller, calling him "half a man" and raising Jeannie's ire. Rod is distraught at his condition, unable to even cock a pistol now. Hayes decides to ask the Millers if they would agree to run the local Overland station out of their farm.

Mace wants to kill Hayes, but is talked out of it by Putnam, who fears the Union's response. He orders Mace's men to destroy Overland's stations and property instead and steal its deliveries of gold.

Putnam is jealous of Hayes, though, believing Norma is still interested in him. He orders his men to avoid bloodshed. But one of his men however, decides to try and kill Hayes, and mistakes Rod for Hayes and shoots the wrong man.

Mace drives a stagecoach off a cliff, killing passengers, including women and children. A disgusted Norma decides to leave Putnam and warns she will see him hang if anything should happen to Hayes.

A final confrontation in town results in townspeople offering Hayes their help. Putnam also comes looking for Mace to stop him from killing Hayes, but is shot, whereupon Mace is killed by Hayes.

Norma hopes to rekindle Hayes' love for her, but he appears more likely to have a future with Jeannie.

Cast

Reception

Critical reaction was subdued despite the presence of Scott and Boetticher, with the two collaborating on a cycle that has received favorable criticism in recent years. An article in American Cowboy in 2004 called Westbound "a forgotten potboiler that Boetticher directed simply to keep the collaboration going." The Scarecrow Video Movie Guide in 2004 called this "a contractual obligation Boetticher directed out of friendship" and "otherwise forgettable." A book, Stagecoach to Tombstone, describes the favorable elements: " ... only the presence of Karen Steele at her most tomboyish as Jeannie…and a vicious turn by B-movie hardman Michael Pate as hired gun Mace, are of note."

Home media

Warner Home Video released the film on DVD in June 2009 on the Warner Archives label.

See also

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<i>The Tall T</i> 1957 film by Budd Boetticher

The Tall T is a 1957 American Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott, Richard Boone, and Maureen O'Sullivan. Adapted by Burt Kennedy from the 1955 short story "The Captives" by Elmore Leonard, the film is about an independent former ranch foreman who is kidnapped along with an heiress, who is being held for ransom by three ruthless outlaws. In 2000, The Tall T was selected for the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julesburg, Colorado</span> Town in Colorado, United States

Julesburg is the statutory town that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Sedgwick County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,307 at the 2020 United States Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randolph Scott</span> American actor (1898–1987)

George Randolph Scott was an American film actor whose career spanned the years from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals, adventure tales, war films, and a few horror and fantasy films. However, his most enduring image is that of the tall-in-the-saddle Western hero. Out of his more than 100 film appearances over 60 were in Westerns. According to editor Edward Boscombe, "...Of all the major stars whose name was associated with the Western, Scott [was] most closely identified with it."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Maynard</span> American actor

Kenneth Olin Maynard was an American actor and producer. He was mostly active from the 1920s to the 1940s and considered one of the biggest Western stars in Hollywood.

<i>Behind Locked Doors</i> 1948 film by Budd Boetticher

Behind Locked Doors is a 1948 film noir directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Lucille Bremer, Richard Carlson and Tor Johnson. At the behest of a pretty reporter, an amorously forward private detective goes undercover as a patient in a private sanitarium in search of a judge hiding out from the police. The two plan to split the $10,000 reward for the judge's capture. As the reporter and detective begin to fall in love, the detective also falls deeper into danger from an abusive attendant and difficult inpatients. The latter include an arsonist and "The Champ," a lunatic ex-boxer who attacks anyone put into a room with him after he hears what sounds like a bell.

Oscar "Budd" Boetticher Jr. was an American film director. He is best remembered for a series of low-budget Westerns he made in the late 1950s starring Randolph Scott.

<i>Seven Men from Now</i> 1956 film by Budd Boetticher

Seven Men from Now is a 1956 American Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott, Gail Russell and Lee Marvin. The film was written by Burt Kennedy and produced by John Wayne's Batjac Productions.

Burton Raphael Kennedy was an American screenwriter and director known mainly for directing Westerns. Budd Boetticher called him "the best Western writer ever."

<i>Ride Lonesome</i> 1959 film by Budd Boetticher

Ride Lonesome is a 1959 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott, Karen Steele, Pernell Roberts, Lee Van Cleef, and James Coburn in his film debut. This Eastmancolor film is one of Boetticher's so-called "Ranown cycle" of westerns, made with Randolph Scott, executive producer Harry Joe Brown and screenwriter Burt Kennedy, beginning with Seven Men from Now.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Steele</span> American actress and model (1931-1988)

Karen Steele was an American actress and model with more than 60 roles in film and television. Her most famous roles include starring as Virginia in Marty, as Mrs. Lane in Ride Lonesome, and as Eve McHuron in the Star Trek episode "Mudd's Women".

<i>In Old Santa Fe</i> 1934 film by David Howard, Joseph Kane

In Old Santa Fe is a 1934 American Western film directed by David Howard, starring Ken Maynard, George "Gabby" Hayes and Evalyn Knapp and featuring the first screen appearance of Gene Autry, singing a bluegrass rendition of "Wyoming Waltz" accompanied by his own acoustic guitar with Smiley Burnette on accordion. Autry and Burnette were uncredited, but the scene served as a screen test for the duo for subsequent singing cowboy films, beginning with The Phantom Empire (1935), in which Autry had his first leading role.

<i>The Killer Is Loose</i> 1956 film

The Killer Is Loose is a 1956 American crime film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Joseph Cotten, Rhonda Fleming and Wendell Corey.

<i>Comanche Station</i> 1960 film by Budd Boetticher

Comanche Station is a 1960 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott. The film was the last of Boetticher's late 1950s Ranown Cycle. It was filmed in the Eastern Sierra area of Central California near Lone Pine, California, not far from the foot of Mount Whitney. The towering granitic boulders known as the Alabama Hills served as the backdrop for the film's opening and closing scenes.

<i>The Bounty Hunter</i> (1954 film) 1954 film by André de Toth

The Bounty Hunter is a 1954 American western film directed by Andre DeToth and starring Randolph Scott, Marie Windsor and Dolores Dorn. It was the last of six Randolph Scott westerns with DeToth and the first film to feature a bounty hunter as its hero. It was released by Warner Bros. It was filmed in 3-D but released in standard format, though a 3-D print exists in the Warner archives. Stock footage from the 1952 film Carson City is used at the beginning of the film. Portions of the film were shot on location in California at Red Rock Canyon and the Mojave Desert.

<i>East of Sumatra</i> 1953 film by Budd Boetticher

East of Sumatra is a 1953 American south seas adventure film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Jeff Chandler, Marilyn Maxwell, Anthony Quinn and Suzan Ball.

<i>Buchanan Rides Alone</i> 1958 film by Budd Boetticher

Buchanan Rides Alone is a 1958 American Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott, Craig Stevens, and Barry Kelley. Based on the 1956 novel The Name's Buchanan by Jonas Ward, the film is about a Texan returning home with enough money to start his own ranch. When he stops in the crooked town of Agry, he is robbed and framed for murder.

<i>Decision at Sundown</i> 1957 film by Budd Boetticher

Decision at Sundown is a 1957 American Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott. It is one of seven Boetticher/Scott western collaborations, including Seven Men from Now, The Tall T, Buchanan Rides Alone, Westbound, Ride Lonesome, and Comanche Station.

<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>The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond</i> 1960 American gangster film directed by Budd Boetticher

The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond is a 1960 crime film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Ray Danton, Karen Steele and Elaine Stewart. The supporting cast features Warren Oates, Jesse White and Robert Lowery. The picture marked the film debut of Dyan Cannon and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Howard Shoup.

Budd Leland Buster, usually credited as Budd Buster, was an American actor known for B western films. He sometimes was credited as George Selk in his later work.

References

  1. Budd Boetticher: The Last Interview Wheeler, Winston Dixon. Film Criticism; Meadville Vol. 26, Iss. 3, (Spring 2002): 52-0_3.