''Firecreek'' is a 1968 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

Vincent McEveety Vincent Michael McEveety (August 10, 1929 – May 19, 2018) was an American film and television director and producer. Career Vince McEveety directed numerous Emmy Award-winning television series, including '' The Untouchables'', 35 episodes o ...

and starring

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...

and

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor whose career spanned five decades on Broadway theatre, Broadway and in Hollywood. On screen and stage, he often portrayed characters who embodied an everyman image. Bo ...

, the latter in his first of two roles that year as a villain (the second being

Sergio Leone Sergio Leone ( ; ; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian filmmaker, credited as the pioneer of the spaghetti Western genre. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema. Leone's film-making style ...

's '' Once Upon a Time in the West''). The film is similar to ''

High Noon ''High Noon'' is a 1952 American Western (genre), Western film produced by Stanley Kramer from a screenplay by Carl Foreman, directed by Fred Zinnemann, and starring Gary Cooper. The plot, which occurs in Real time (media), real time, centers ...

'' in that it features an entire town that refuses to help a peace officer against outlaws. Stewart plays an unlikely hero, forced into action when his conscience will not permit evil to continue. The supporting cast features

Inger Stevens Inger Stevens (born Ingrid Stensland; October 18, 1934 – April 30, 1970) was a Swedish-born American film, stage, and Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe–winning television actress. Early life Inger Stevens was born in Stockholm, Swede ...

Dean Jagger Dean Jagger (November 7, 1903 – February 5, 1991) was an American film, stage, and television actor who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Henry King's '' Twelve O'Clock High'' (1949). Early life Dean Jeffri ...

Ed Begley Edward James Begley Sr. (March 25, 1901 – April 28, 1970) was an American actor of theatre, radio, film, and television. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film '' Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1962) an ...

Jay C. Flippen John Constantine Flippen Jr. (J.C. or Jay C.) (March 6, 1899 – February 3, 1971) was an American character actor who often played crusty sergeants, police officers or weary criminals in many 1940s and 1950s pictures, particularly in film noir ...

Jack Elam William Scott "Jack" Elam (November 13, 1920 – October 20, 2003) was an American film and television actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films and, later in his career, comedies (sometimes spoofing his villaino ...

and

John Qualen John Qualen (born Johan Mandt Kvalen, December 8, 1899 – September 12, 1987) was a Canadian-American character actor of Norwegian heritage who specialized in Scandinavian roles. Early years Qualen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, ...

. Offscreen close friends Stewart and Fonda's first film together had been in a section of the episodic

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

'' On Our Merry Way'' two decades earlier, in which they played two musicians named "Slim" and "Lank", and they would make '' The Cheyenne Social Club'' two years after ''Firecreek''. They had also both appeared in '' How the West Was Won'' but had no scenes together despite their characters in the film being depicted as best friends. ''Firecreek'' was partially filmed at North Ranch in

Oak Park, California Oak Park is an unincorporated community in southeastern Ventura County, California, United States. When developed in the Simi Hills in the late 1960s, a single road provided the only access to the community from Agoura Hills, California, in neigh ...

, and

Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, located in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles. Approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown Los Angeles, it is named after the many oak trees pr ...

Plot

After years of backing away from criminals and gunfights, one resident of the small western town of Firecreek decides to fight back. Part-time sheriff Johnny Cobb decides to avenge the death of a young man against gunmen led by Bob Larkin. Cobb has a lot on his mind, particularly with his wife Henrietta about to give birth. He is a peace-loving farmer whose childishly made sheriff's badge is practically an honorary one. Larkin's men ride into town and disrupt the peace. Earl, Norman and Drew run roughshod over the local citizens and Larkin has no inclination to stop it, despite Cobb's requests. Larkin is more interested in getting to know an attractive widow named Evelyn. The only person in town willing to help Cobb is a slow-witted stable boy named Arthur. When one of Larkin's men attacks a woman, Arthur kills the man. Cobb's wife goes into labor and he has to leave town. While he is gone, Larkin's men hang Arthur and no one in the town tries to stop them. Cobb returns to town to discover that Arthur has been hanged in the stable. He lowers the body, then demands that the apathetic shopkeeper eyewitness, Whittier, hand over his own gun. Cobb then goes after Larkin and his men, one of whom gets caught in a rope tied to his horse, which bolts off, dragging him. Cobb manages to kill the last two men in individual struggles, and then faces off against Larkin in the middle of the main street; Larkin easily outshoots Cobb and gives him the option of living if he stops his vendetta, but Cobb refuses to quit, Larkin prepares to kill Cobb but is shot with a rifle by the widow Evelyn from a 2nd-story window, as he is about to shoot Cobb.

Cast

as Johnny Cobb *

as Bob Larkin *

as Evelyn Pittman * Jacqueline Scott as Henrietta Cobb * Gary Lockwood as Earl *

as Whittier *

as Preacher Broyles *

as Mr. Pittman *

as Norman *

James Best Jewel Franklin Guy (July 26, 1926 – April 6, 2015), known professionally as James Best, was an American television, film, stage, and voice actor, as well as a writer, director, acting coach, artist, college professor, and musician. Duri ...

as Drew * BarBara Luna as Meli * Brooke Bundy as Leah * J. Robert Porter as Arthur *

Morgan Woodward Thomas Morgan Woodward (September 16, 1925 – February 22, 2019) was an American actor who is best known for his recurring role as Marvin "Punk" Anderson on the television soap opera ''Dallas'' and for his portrayal of Boss Godfrey, the sungla ...

as Willard *

as Hall *

Louise Latham Johnie Louise Latham (September 23, 1922 – February 12, 2018) was an American actress, perhaps best known for her portrayal of Bernice Edgar in Alfred Hitchcock's 1964 film '' Marnie''. Background Latham was born on September 23, 1922, in Hami ...

as Dulcie * Athena Lorde as Mrs. Littlejohn

Critical reaction

Contemporary critical reaction to ''Firecreek'' was generally positive. Howard Thompson of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' called it "a good, sturdy and occasionally powerful little Western", especially praising screenwriter Calvin Clements but claiming, "James Stewart is plain wonderful and Henry Fonda almost matches him."

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

of the ''

Chicago Sun Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

'' gave ''Firecreek'' three stars. However, despite the rating and praise for actors James Stewart, Jacqueline Scott, Henry Fonda and

, Ebert felt that "somehow the parts don't quite come together" and "things move at too leisurely a pace".

References

External links

* * * {{Vincent McEveety 1968 films 1968 Western (genre) films American Western (genre) films 1960s English-language films Films directed by Vincent McEveety Films scored by Alfred Newman Warner Bros. films 1968 directorial debut films Revisionist Western (genre) films 1960s American films English-language Western (genre) films

Plot

Cast

Critical reaction

See also

References

External links