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This week I watched RIDE LONESOME (1959) starring Randolph Scott, Karen Steele, Pernell Roberts, James Best, James Coburn, and Lee Van Cleef. Directed by Budd Boetticher.
Bounty hunter Ben Brigade (Scott) catches outlaw Billy John (Best) and starts taking him in to town for hanging. On the way he meets old friend Sam Boone (Roberts) and his partner Whit (Coburn), a couple of wandering minor crooks. They tell Brigade that the governor has put out posters on Billy John saying he will give amnesty to any crook that brings him in....and they want that. They ask Brigade to let them have him....he says no...but they continue to ride along with him (and many times along the way ask him to change his mind). They come to a stage way station. The guy who runs it has left his beautiful wife Carrie Lane (Steele) there alone as he goes in search of some runaway horses. They spend the night. Billy John tries an escape. Boone saves Brigade from him and keeps Billy from getting away. Boone also starts becoming enamored of Mrs. Lane. The next morning some Indians show up saying they want to make a trade....they offer a horse for Mrs. Lane....who recognizes it as her husbands. They run them off and everyone heads for town. The Indians attack, and Mrs. Lane shows she isn't the typical 'B' movie woman in distress by grabbing a gun and shooting couple of them. Boone tells Mrs. Lane how much he wants to take care of her. As they continue on their way, we the viewer finds out that Billy John's brother Frank (Van Cleef) and his gang are on their way to free Billy. We also find out that years ago, when Brigade was a sheriff, Frank had killed his wife by hanging her in the tree they are now stopped at. Frank and his gang show up, and even though Boone and Brigade just had a big argument about how much Boone and Whit needed to turn Billy in for the amnesty, they join with him in a shootout with Frank and his gang. Frank is killed, his men run off, and Brigade (who we find out had just been using Billy as bait) lets Boone and Whit have him to turn in for the amnesty. As they, with Mrs. Lane, ride off towards town....Brigade burns the hanging tree.
A good little action drama. Very fine performances from Pernell Roberts and Karen Steele. Some beautiful mountain scenery in the beginning. This was James Coburn's film debut.
Bounty hunter Ben Brigade (Scott) catches outlaw Billy John (Best) and starts taking him in to town for hanging. On the way he meets old friend Sam Boone (Roberts) and his partner Whit (Coburn), a couple of wandering minor crooks. They tell Brigade that the governor has put out posters on Billy John saying he will give amnesty to any crook that brings him in....and they want that. They ask Brigade to let them have him....he says no...but they continue to ride along with him (and many times along the way ask him to change his mind). They come to a stage way station. The guy who runs it has left his beautiful wife Carrie Lane (Steele) there alone as he goes in search of some runaway horses. They spend the night. Billy John tries an escape. Boone saves Brigade from him and keeps Billy from getting away. Boone also starts becoming enamored of Mrs. Lane. The next morning some Indians show up saying they want to make a trade....they offer a horse for Mrs. Lane....who recognizes it as her husbands. They run them off and everyone heads for town. The Indians attack, and Mrs. Lane shows she isn't the typical 'B' movie woman in distress by grabbing a gun and shooting couple of them. Boone tells Mrs. Lane how much he wants to take care of her. As they continue on their way, we the viewer finds out that Billy John's brother Frank (Van Cleef) and his gang are on their way to free Billy. We also find out that years ago, when Brigade was a sheriff, Frank had killed his wife by hanging her in the tree they are now stopped at. Frank and his gang show up, and even though Boone and Brigade just had a big argument about how much Boone and Whit needed to turn Billy in for the amnesty, they join with him in a shootout with Frank and his gang. Frank is killed, his men run off, and Brigade (who we find out had just been using Billy as bait) lets Boone and Whit have him to turn in for the amnesty. As they, with Mrs. Lane, ride off towards town....Brigade burns the hanging tree.
A good little action drama. Very fine performances from Pernell Roberts and Karen Steele. Some beautiful mountain scenery in the beginning. This was James Coburn's film debut.
