Ride Lonesome
Ride Lonesome is the fifth film in Budd Boetticher’s seven film “Ranown cycle”. Why start there? Kirk Ellis, Emmy Award winning screen writer with creds to know calls Ride Lonesome a “turning point” in western film genre. Strong stuff for a low budget film. Budget is not solely determinative of artistic success. Cast, screenplay, and direction count for more.
Bounty hunter Ben Brigade (Randolph Scott) captures outlaw Billy John who is wanted for murder. On the way to Santa Cruz and the bounty on Billy’s head, members of his gang attempt to free him. Brigade holds them off with the threat of killing Billy. The gang takes word of Billy’s plight to the boy’s brother Frank.
Brigade and his prisoner make it to a stage stop where they encounter Sam Boone (Pernell Roberts) and his partner Whit (James Coburn in his debut performance), who have designs on relieving Brigade of his prisoner not for bounty but in exchange for amnesty for their own crimes. All four are greeted by rifle wielding Carrie Lane (Karen Steele), wife of the station master who is off in search of horses run off by Indians.
Indians attack the station. The chief comes forward to parlay. He offers Brigade a horse for Carrie. Brigade convinces her to play along. Fancy talk even for Scott. The horse turns out to be her husband’s. Hysterical, Carrie refuses the trade. Brigade and his party attempt to escape. The Apache attack is broken when Carrie kills the chief with a rifle shot. On the way to Santa Cruz Boone explains the prospect of amnesty and offers to pay the bounty on Billy. Brigade refuses.
Meanwhile Billy’s brother Frank and his gang are on the boy’s trail. Frank is puzzled. Brigade has made no attempt to cover his tracks. Not far from Santa Cruz Brigade pauses to camp beside a hanging tree. He knows Frank is following. Billy is bait for his trap. Brigade tells Carrie as sheriff in Santa Cruz, he arrested Frank who later abducted Brigade’s wife and hung her from the tree. He strings Billy up mounted on a horse. When Frank and his men attack, the horse bolts. Billy is saved when Brigade shoots the rope. Boone and Wit take him in. Brigade burns the tree.
Shot in seventeen days, including the rope, at a budget less than five hundred thousand, Ellis calls Boetticher and Kennedy’s film “a masterpiece of artistic achievement” in Western film.
Next Week: 7 Men from Now
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
Bounty hunter Ben Brigade (Randolph Scott) captures outlaw Billy John who is wanted for murder. On the way to Santa Cruz and the bounty on Billy’s head, members of his gang attempt to free him. Brigade holds them off with the threat of killing Billy. The gang takes word of Billy’s plight to the boy’s brother Frank.
Brigade and his prisoner make it to a stage stop where they encounter Sam Boone (Pernell Roberts) and his partner Whit (James Coburn in his debut performance), who have designs on relieving Brigade of his prisoner not for bounty but in exchange for amnesty for their own crimes. All four are greeted by rifle wielding Carrie Lane (Karen Steele), wife of the station master who is off in search of horses run off by Indians.
Indians attack the station. The chief comes forward to parlay. He offers Brigade a horse for Carrie. Brigade convinces her to play along. Fancy talk even for Scott. The horse turns out to be her husband’s. Hysterical, Carrie refuses the trade. Brigade and his party attempt to escape. The Apache attack is broken when Carrie kills the chief with a rifle shot. On the way to Santa Cruz Boone explains the prospect of amnesty and offers to pay the bounty on Billy. Brigade refuses.
Meanwhile Billy’s brother Frank and his gang are on the boy’s trail. Frank is puzzled. Brigade has made no attempt to cover his tracks. Not far from Santa Cruz Brigade pauses to camp beside a hanging tree. He knows Frank is following. Billy is bait for his trap. Brigade tells Carrie as sheriff in Santa Cruz, he arrested Frank who later abducted Brigade’s wife and hung her from the tree. He strings Billy up mounted on a horse. When Frank and his men attack, the horse bolts. Billy is saved when Brigade shoots the rope. Boone and Wit take him in. Brigade burns the tree.
Shot in seventeen days, including the rope, at a budget less than five hundred thousand, Ellis calls Boetticher and Kennedy’s film “a masterpiece of artistic achievement” in Western film.
Next Week: 7 Men from Now
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
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