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The Westerner

"THE RAW UNTAMED ADVENTUROUS WEST...LIVES AGAIN!"

1940-09-18 Western 1hr 40m

Drifter Cole Harden is accused of stealing a horse and faces hanging by self-appointed Judge Roy Bean, but Harden manages to talk his way out of it by claiming to be a friend of stage star Lillie Langtry, with whom the judge is obsessed, even though he has never met her. Tensions rise when Harden comes to the defense of a group of struggling homesteaders who Judge Bean is trying to drive away.

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The Westerner
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Storyline

Drifter Cole Harden is accused of stealing a horse and faces hanging by self-appointed Judge Roy Bean, but Harden manages to talk his way out of it by claiming to be a friend of stage star Lillie Langtry, with whom the judge is obsessed, even though he has never met her. Tensions rise when Harden comes to the defense of a group of struggling homesteaders who Judge Bean is trying to drive away.

  • Released
    1940-09-18
  • Revenue
    n/a
  • Budget
    n/a
  • Runtime
    1hr 40m
  • Genre
    Western
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    7.3
  • Production
    Samuel Goldwyn Productions

Crew

William Wyler
Director
Niven Busch
Screenplay
Samuel Goldwyn
Producer
Keywords:
horse thief

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Cast

Gary Cooper

Gary Cooper
Cole Harden
Walter Brennan

Walter Brennan
Judge Roy Bean
Doris Davenport

Doris Davenport
Jane Ellen Mathews
Fred Stone

Fred Stone
Caliphet Mathews
Forrest Tucker

Forrest Tucker
Wade Harper
Paul Hurst

Paul Hurst
Chickenfoot
Chill Wills

Chill Wills
Southeast
Lilian Bond

Lilian Bond
Lily Langtry
Dana Andrews

Dana Andrews
Hod Johnson
Charles Halton

Charles Halton
Mort Borrow
Trevor Bardette

Trevor Bardette
Shad Wilkins
Tom Tyler

Tom Tyler
King Evans
Lucien Littlefield

Lucien Littlefield
The Stranger
C.E. Anderson

C.E. Anderson
Hezekiah Willever (uncredited)
Stanley Andrews

Stanley Andrews
Sheriff (uncredited)
Arthur Aylesworth

Arthur Aylesworth
Mr. Dixon - Homesteader (uncredited)
Bill Beauman

Bill Beauman
Man Getting Haircut (uncredited)
Hank Bell

Hank Bell
Deputy (uncredited)
Gertrude Bennett

Gertrude Bennett
Abigail (uncredited)
Danny Borzage

Danny Borzage
Joe Yates (uncredited)
Charles Coleman

Charles Coleman
Lily Langtry's Manager (uncredited)
Heinie Conklin

Heinie Conklin
Man at Ticket Window (uncredited)
Philip Connor

Philip Connor
John Yancy (uncredited)
Buck Connors

Buck Connors
Abraham Wilson (uncredited)
Frank Cordell

Frank Cordell
Man (uncredited)
Jim Corey

Jim Corey
Lee Webb (uncredited)
Joe De La Cruz

Joe De La Cruz
Mex (uncredited)
Helen Foster

Helen Foster
Janice (uncredited)
William Gillis

William Gillis
Leon Beauregard (uncredited)
Roger Gray

Roger Gray
Eph Stringer - Homesteader (uncredited)
Aleth Hansen

Aleth Hansen
Walt McGary (uncredited)
Lew Kelly

Lew Kelly
Ticket Man (uncredited)
Connie Leon

Connie Leon
Lily Langtry's Maid (uncredited)
Art Mix

Art Mix
Seth Tucker (uncredited)
Corbet Morris

Corbet Morris
Orchestra Leader (uncredited)
Buck Moulton

Buck Moulton
Charles Evans (uncredited)
Jack Pennick

Jack Pennick
Henry Williams (uncredited)
Julian Rivero

Julian Rivero
Juan Gomez (uncredited)
Henry Roquemore

Henry Roquemore
Stage Manager (uncredited)
Annabelle Rousseau

Annabelle Rousseau
Elizabeth (uncredited)
Miriam Sherwin

Miriam Sherwin
Martha (uncredited)
William Steele

William Steele
Tex Cole (uncredited)
Phil Tead

Phil Tead
Prisoner (uncredited)
Lupita Tovar

Lupita Tovar
Teresita (uncredited)
Blackjack Ward

Blackjack Ward
Buck Harrigan (uncredited)
Ted Wells

Ted Wells
Joe Lawrence (uncredited)

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Movie Reviews

Reviews for The Westerner
reviewer avatar

A Review by John Chard 7

Written by John Chard on 2016-07-10

Law West of the Pecos. The Westerner is directed by William Wyler and written by Niven Busch, Jo Swerling and Stuart N. Lake. It stars G... read more

Law West of the Pecos. The Westerner is directed by William Wyler and written by Niven Busch, Jo Swerling and Stuart N. Lake. It stars Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Fred Stone and Doris Davenport. Music is by Dimitri Tiomkin and cinematography by Gregg Toland. Story is a fictionalised account about Judge Roy Bean (Brennan), who here rules Vingaroon Town by his own law and punishment. When suspected horse thief Cole Harden (Cooper) comes under his judicial system, they become odd friends due to Harden claiming to know personally Lily Langtree - the object of Bean's worship. Lots of uncredited work was involved in the making of The Westerner, while Cooper famously sulked about not having the main character role, so much so his part was expanded and he performed under contract but under protest! Fact is is that it is as everyone has said before, Brennan steals the film regardless, winning a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in the process. Cooper needn't have worried, he's very good here, turning in a number of various strains to Harden's character, bouncing off of Brennan to the pics eternal benefit. At the core of the plot is a good old fashioned thread involving Homesteaders versus Cattlemen, with Bean throwing his weight around and Harden forced to reevaluate his standing in the town when he falls for Jane Ellen Mathews (Davenport). The Lily Langtree (Lilian Bond) strand gives the pic an offbeat sensibility, making this a sort of dramatic comedy oater, but it works really well. Toland's photography is superb, sharp black and white sequences are given ethereal qualities, hinting at the fact this at times fun picture might be leading to a darker path? Davenport is weak and most of the supporting players struggle to make much of an impact, but come the attention grabbing finale you know you have been fed a wholesome western of substance. Propelled by two acting legends. 7/10

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2022-06-23

Though not given top billing in this cracking cowboy adventure - the film certainly belongs to Walter Brennan. He, rather uncharacteristical... read more

Though not given top billing in this cracking cowboy adventure - the film certainly belongs to Walter Brennan. He, rather uncharacteristically, portrays the quite nasty piece of work "Judge Roy Bean" of Vinegarroon. When "Cole Harden" (Gary Cooper) arrives in this backwater Texan town, he's accused of and summarily convicted of stealing a horse. Some quick thinking, a few coins and a photo of actress Lily Langtree manage to save his bacon long enough for him to befriend the judge before he gets involved in a ruthless turf war between the local cattlemen against the homesteaders. Brennan is smashing. Evil, but his adoration of Langtree gives him a smidge of humanity too. Cooper is fine but very much in Brennan's Oscar winning shadow. William Wyler keeps this taut and focussed, and with the added contributions of Forest Tucker, Chill Wills and Dana Andrews who help it all along well, too, it is one of these largely forgotten westerns that if you get a chance, you definitely ought to watch.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by John Chard

Law West of the Pecos. The Westerner is directed by William Wyler and written by Niven Busch, Jo Swerling and Stuart N. Lake. It stars Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Fred Stone and Doris Davenport. Music is by Dimitri Tiomkin and cinemato...

reviewer avatar

A Review by John Chard 7

Written by John Chard on 2016-07-10

Law West of the Pecos. The Westerner is directed by William Wyler and written by Niven Busch, Jo Swerling and Stuart N. Lake. It stars Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Fred Stone and Doris Davenport. ...

read more
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2022-06-23

Though not given top billing in this cracking cowboy adventure - the film certainly belongs to Walter Brennan. He, rather uncharacteristically, portrays the quite nasty piece of work "Judge Roy Bean" ...

read more