The Tall T (1957)

Thanks for the memories!

Must See Movie...

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

There seems to be an aura of reverence for the Boetticher/Scott Western collaborations by any number of fans, but each time I see one I come away with the impression that I just watched a fairly competent movie but nothing really special. Ditto here with "The Tall T", I liked it well enough but it doesn't break new ground for the genre. What impressed me were the little things, like the mules instead of horses pulling the stagecoach in the early going; that was different. And the description of Randolph Scott's horse, it was a claybank; I never heard that one before. The term was used a couple of times, once by the young kid Jeff when he saw Pat Brennan (Scott) riding toward the way station, and later on by Rintoon (Arthur Hunnicutt) asking Brennan where his claybank was. It sounded cool, but I couldn't figure out what made it a claybank, it looked like a fairly average looking horse to me.So Brennan finds himself in a desperate situation against an outlaw bunch headed by Frank Usher (Richard Boone). The other two desperadoes were kind of interesting, a cocky murderer by the name of Chink, admirably portrayed by Henry Silva, and a somewhat less than self confident gunman played by Skip Homeier. The dynamic here involves the seed of distrust Brennan plants with Chink when Usher takes off to secure a ransom demand from the wealthy father of a newlywed passenger (Maureen O'Sullivan) on the stage they just held up. Then Brennan conjures up a scenario for the kid intimating that the new widow Mims (Maureen O'Sullivan) might be open to a tryst with her husband put away by the bad guys.The way Brennan takes out these two is convincing enough, but when Usher returns, I didn't quite understand why Brennan just didn't ambush him from the get-go. He had the time to set up for it, but instead allowed the competition to be met on fairer terms. From an earlier conversation between the two men, it was pretty transparent where this one was going, so I guess a more climactic showdown was called for. Personally, I would have taken the safer route.One thing about Scott though, his character never loses his cool, even after learning about the station agent and his son in the well. You could tell he was seething but circumstances didn't warrant getting killed over it. You have to admire the man's supreme confidence and positive outlook on life, especially when it's all over and he confidently assures Doretta - "Come on now. It's gonna be a nice day".

Losing his horse in a bet at "The Tall T" ranch, grizzled cowboy Randolph Scott (as Patrick "Pat" Brennan) hitches a ride on the trail with coach driver Arthur Hunnicutt (as Ed Rintoon). Inside the coach are newlywed heiress Maureen O'Sullivan (as Doretta) and her cowardly husband John Hubbard (as Willard Mims). They are quickly abducted by ruthless Richard Boone (as Frank Usher) and his two young guns, uneducated Skip Homeier (as Billy Jack) and slouching Henry Silva (as Chink). They want $50,000 in exchange for Ms. O'Sullivan, who has a wealthy father. This was the second of Mr. Scott's successful series of westerns directed by Budd Boetticher, which feature several other personnel duplications. This one is notable for the characterizations, especially the hero-villain banter between Scott and Mr. Boone. Also, watch for three memorable last scenes featuring the outlaws, especially the one coming after a thwarted rape.******* The Tall T (4/1/57) Budd Boetticher ~ Randolph Scott, Richard Boone, Maureen O'Sullivan, Skip Homeier

Robbers hold a rich woman and her cohorts hostage while seeking ransom. It gets off to a slow, meandering start, but really takes off once the bad guys arrive. Boetticher directs with great efficiency, eliciting terrific performances. Scott, in the second of seven westerns he made with Boetticher, is solid as the low-key hero. O'Sullivan is supposed to be an unattractive woman, but looks fine. Boone, Silva, and Homeier make amusing villains, with Silva especially funny. The dialog is smart and witty. There are similarities to writer Leonard's "Hombre," including Boone playing a baddie who holds up a stagecoach both here and in the 1967 film.

Bud Boetticher rides again, with scribe Burt Kennedy ridin' shotgun. Toss in rugged Randolph Scott (whose face, it's been suggested, was carved from stone) and Richard Boone, Henry Silva, and Skip Homier as three dry-gulchers up to no dang good and you've got yourself another classic. As ever, Boetticher's economy of motion serves him (and his cast) in good stead. He doesn't even clutter the scenery with bodies: when the boy and his father are murdered, they're dumped into a well- "out of sight, out of mind," as Boone's loquacious character might see it. (His attempts to engage Scott in conversation just so he won't have to listen to the insipid banter of his two cohorts is hilarious. Henry Silva is particularly loathsome as the sleepy-eyed, cold-blooded killer who'd shoot a man just to see the expression on his face when he did it. Homier, as his tag-along buddy a couple of rounds short of a six-shooter, is just as bad.) Scott sums it up best when he points out that "there's some things a man can't just ride around." Bravo.