''Face of a Fugitive'' is a 1959 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

Paul Wendkos Abraham Paul Wendkos (September 20, 1925 – November 12, 2009) was an American television and film director. Early life and education Wendkos was born in Philadelphia to parents Simon Wendkos and Judith Wendkos. Wendkos served in World War I ...

. It stars

Fred MacMurray Frederick Martin MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films and a successful television series, in a career that spanned nearly a half-century. His career as a major film le ...

, Lin McCarthy, Myrna Fahey,

James Coburn James Harrison Coburn III (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.AllmoviBi ...

and Dorothy Green and was based on the

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

"Long Gone" by Peter Dawson, the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

of Jonathan H. Glidden (older brother of Luke Short). Dawson was the author of 120 Western short stories and

novelettes Novelette may also refer to: * ''Novelette'' (ballet), a solo modern dance work choreographed by Martha Graham * Novelette (music), a short piece of lyrical music * Novelette (literature), a work of narrative prose fiction that is longer than a ...

as well as 15 book length Western serials. The

working title A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...

was ''Justice Ends with a Gun''.

Plot

Bank robber Jim Larsen is handcuffed to Deputy

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

George Allison on his way to begin a 5–to-10-year prison sentence. Without animosity, Larsen says he will use his time in prison to plan more robberies. Larsen feels he was only caught by using a partner; the next time will be singlehanded. Boarding the train, Larsen overpowers the deputy, takes his pistol and handcuffs him to the rear car of the train. Larsen's younger brother Danny comes to free Larsen, who chides Danny that he does not need help from anyone. Danny has brought Jim a horse and they flee. The deputy produces a hidden

derringer A derringer is a small handgun that is neither a revolver nor a semi/ fully automatic pistol. It is not to be confused with mini-revolvers or pocket pistols, although some later derringers were manufactured with the pepperbox configuration. ...

from an ankle holster, aiming at them. He mortally wounds Danny, who kills the deputy. The two board another train by hiding in the baggage car. Jim explains his escape plans to Danny en route, but Danny dies. Jim places his brother's corpse in a mail sack, throws it off a bridge passing over a river and vows to be alone in the future. The train's first stop is the Enterprize Mine where Jim changes into his father's business suit which Danny brought, and Jim reboards the train as a passenger. The only vacant seat is next to Alice a six-year-old girl who has been visiting her grandfather, an employee at the Enterprise mine. The talkative Alice guesses that since she does not recognise Jim, he must be a visiting mining inspector. Using the name Ray Kincaid, Larsen plays along with her guess and gathers information on the next town, Tangle Blue, Wyoming. Mark Riley, an earnest but inexperienced sheriff who is young Alice's uncle, and a group of deputies stop the train to search for the deputy's murderer by asking for passengers' identification; they are satisfied with "Ray Kincaid the mining inspector" due to his travelling with Alice. The deputies say that a wanted poster for their deputy's killer (which will have Jim Larsen's face on it) will be arriving on the next day's train and everyone will be checked entering or leaving the town. Larsen/Kincaid arrives in town, meeting Alice's mother, the widow Ellen Bailey. Uncle Mark is having problems with rich landowner Reed Williams fencing off government land open range which he has claimed as his for many years. Larsen/Kincaid uses his remaining money to have a shave then buy a horse and

tack TACK is a group of archaea acronym for Thaumarchaeota (now Nitrososphaerota), Aigarchaeota, Crenarchaeota (now Thermoproteota), and Korarchaeota, the first groups discovered. They are found in different environments ranging from acidophilic ...

, a set of work clothes, and a pistol, belt and ammunition to replace the pistol he threw away during the search on the train. Larsen/Kincaid finds all the roads away from Tangle Blue are guarded by deputies who are preventing anyone leave the town until the wanted posters come in. Returning to town and desperate for cash, he decides to earn some money as being a deputy for Mark. Larsen/Kincaid attends a dance with Ellen who says she wants to leave Tangle Blue. He proves his ability as a lawman by preventing a showdown between Williams' gang and Mark. Escorting Ellen and Alice home, they pass some deputies who have discovered Danny's unidentified body in the sack that the river has brought to town. Though Larsen/Kincaid tries to avoid getting involved with Ellen, they fall in love. As part of his duties in enforcing the law, Mark cuts down Williams' barbed wire fences, that Williams' men rebuild. Sheriff Mark reminds Larsen/Kincaid of Danny, and Mark is being threatened by Williams who says he will kill Mark if he cuts down the fence one more time. Returning to town to drink, Williams and his gang menace Larsen/Kincaid who responds by beating up Williams in a fair fight, but Larsen/Kincaid is then worked over by Williams' gang working together. The next day Larsen/Kincaid is the only deputy willing to go with Mark to cut down Williams' fence. They go to an area overlooking the fence and find it unrepaired; Mark prepares to go back to meet the train with the wanted posters, which would leave Larsen/Kincaid free to leave town by the very road he was supposed to guard. But then Purdy, one of Williams' hired men, arrives at the fence and repairs it. When Mark discovers this he comes back to cut it again. Purdy draws a gun and is about to shoot Mark when Larsen/Kincaid see this from the overlook and chooses not to escape the town but instead to go help Mark. Using a rifle, he disarms Purdy, and then also shoots the barbed wire which snaps back and tangles around Purdy. Mark goes on to meet the train, leaving Larsen/Kincaid to slowly untangle the wire around Purdy. Soon Williams and several more of his men arrive and immediately shoot at Larsen/Kincaid who escapes on horseback back to town. Pursued by them, he tries to defend himself from the roof of a boarded-up house on a main street. After killing several of the men but getting wounded, he falls through the rotted roof, landing next to an old bed losing his gun and injuring his leg, he struggles to crawl downstairs, getting to the stairs' landing; Williams begins to break through one of the boarded-up doors from the street. Purdy, the last of Williams' men, jumps down from the hole in the roof and makes it to the top of the dark stairway just as Williams finally gets the door open and immediately shoots the figure in the dark, killing Purdy. As the dead man falls down the stairway, Larsen/Kincaid retrieves the man's gun and uses it to kill Williams. When Mark and others finally arrive at the scene, one of the men looks at the wounded and unconscious Larsen/Kincaid, then at the wanted poster he is holding, and says, "Thats him, all right." Mark then says, "Well maybe, maybe not", as they carefully take him to a doctor; Mark states that he will testify for Larsen/Kincaid at his trial.

Cast

Production

The film was shot at the Bell Moving Picture Ranch,

Corriganville __NOTOC__ Corriganville Movie Ranch was a working film studio and movie ranch for outdoor location shooting, as well as a Western-themed tourist attraction. The ranch, owned by actor and stuntman Ray "Crash" Corrigan, was located in the foothi ...

(the ghost town) and on the

Sierra Railroad The Sierra Railroad Corporation is a privately owned common carrier. Its Sierra Northern Railway freight division handles all freight operations for all branches owned by the Sierra Railroad. The company's Mendocino Railway group operates th ...

. It also features an early film score by the prolific composer

Jerry Goldsmith Jerrald King Goldsmith (February 10, 1929July 21, 2004) was an American composer and conductor known for his work in film and television scoring. He composed scores for five films in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and three in the ''Rambo'' franc ...

(credited as Jerrald Goldsmith).Clemmensen, Christian
Jerry Goldsmith (1929-2004) tribute
at Filmtracks.com. Retrieved 2011-04-14.

References

External links

* * * * {{Paul Wendkos 1959 films Columbia Pictures films American Western (genre) films 1959 Western (genre) films Films based on short fiction Films directed by Paul Wendkos Films scored by Jerry Goldsmith Revisionist Western (genre) films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films

Plot

Cast

Production

See also

References

External links