1959: Ride Lonesome (19th)

What else happened this year? From memory, some Soviet stuff? and was it the invention of the birth control pill? Checked - Pill was that year, and 1959 was a Camp David agreement between the US and the Soviets, so that was all sorted. Yeah, not bad.

  What is the plot - in one sentence? In the 'Wild West,' we follow a group who for various reasons are trying to bring a prisoner to trial.

I don't have time, just spoil it for me? Here's the crew: An old bounty hunter, who has in his command the convict captured in the movies first scenes; these two are later joined by a pretty lady whose husband was killed, and is looking to head to a city; and two other guys (played by Adam Carthwright and a very young, very skinny James Coburn), who are looking for a fortune to buy an amnesty for some previous crimes, as they desire to buy land and work it - on the straight and narrow. 

  The bounty hunter (played by Randolph Scott) had captured this particular criminal because a long time ago, this criminal's brother had killed the bounty hunter's wife. He lures the convict's brother and his gang to a meadow with a tree in the middle. It turns out that tree is where the bounty hunter's wife was hanged. At the end of a fight - the elder brother is dead, his gang dispersed, and the tree burned down in an act of catharsis. The original criminal is handed to the two other guys, who look forward to cashing in on the bounty. They bring the lady with them, and the bounty hunter remains on his own. The end. That was a tough one to summarise, but it serves you right for asking. 

 

What's the meaning of the title? I guess the main bounty hunter is riding on his own because he wants vengeance and to complete his mission. Others joining his party is only temporary, as he's alone at the end too. 

She's brushing her hair, and they're talking about her knockers. Can't blame 'em.

Anything that's not aged well? Does a woman get slapped around? Au contraire! The woman (note singular) in this movie is largely independent, she's not totally useless in battle, and she's able to fend off the advances of various men despite her husband dying THAT DAY. Seriously they discover her husband's body and Adam Cartwright and a Native American guy start hitting on her. She's also squeezed into those weird 1950s bras that make the boobs look like pyramids, which is a pro and a con.

Yes, a huge part of the plot revolves around getting revenge for someone killing the guy's wife...Yes, ... they were going to trade the woman in for a horse, but they don't, and it was a VERY good looking horse, so we've got to look to the positives here.

Any thoughts?

   I liked this movie. It had good performances, some good action and it drove along. Despite that, the fight with the 'Indians' was largely pointless except to add some action to the story, and it led to them sleeping in the old farm that they'd been using as cover for the gunfight. They have some quite serious conversations there - the woman's husband had died that day, for one - but the corpses aren't mentioned, and there would have been a few of them around.

Of note is James Coburn appearing here as an emaciated youngster with the same face he'd always have, in what must have been a very early role for him. The other question remains, what happens to the woman in the end? Will she just marry Adam from Bonanza? Is that what's going to happen? Let's say yes, but if that happens, what will happen to James Coburn? His character seems besotted with his mate, and responds to being asked to be a business partner the same way most female characters of this time would if proposed to.

Also of note is that the only woman in the movie (tm) complains about Randolph Scott killing people for money throughout the movie, despite a) him saving her life, and b) the fact that she works out that there's more to the story than he's letting on, and that she owes her life to him. Just chill, pointyboobs, there's always a plan.

Would you recommend this?

Yeah, I liked this. I have a lot of time for straight up, 1950s morality westerns, so I'll reccommend this. Lee Van Cleef is the older brother of the convict fella, but while they aren't anywhere near age appropriate as brothers, Lee does manage to bring some menace to the procedings. That's all I need to say there.

Final thoughts? 

There are long scenes of riding, with the scenery captured in cinemascope, which is a technique which was a precursor to widescreen or imax. It's nice, and it showcases the scenery well, but I'll admit it though, that watching it on a small TV doesn't quite do it justice.

Final thought: The Native American guy who tries to capture the woman in the movie looks like Alice Cooper. There, I said it. 

 

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