''A Man Alone'' is a 1955 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

Ray Milland Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. He is often remembered for his portrayal of an alcoholic writer in Billy Wilder's ''The Lost Weekend'' (1945), which wo ...

and starring Milland, Mary Murphy,

Raymond Burr Raymond William Stacy Burr (May 21, 1917September 12, 1993) was a Canadian actor who had a lengthy Hollywood film career and portrayed the title roles in the television dramas '' Perry Mason'' and '' Ironside''. Burr's early acting career inclu ...

and

Ward Bond Wardell Edwin Bond (April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960) was an American character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and starred in the NBC television series ''Wagon Train'' from 1957 to 1960. Among his best-remembered roles are Bert th ...

. The story involves a man who stumbles onto the aftermath of a stagecoach robbery in the Arizona desert from which there were no survivors.

Plot

On foot in the desert after the mercy killing of his horse, Wes Steele finds a stagecoach and a number of dead passengers. He takes a horse and rides to

Mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge, or hill, bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and standing distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks, such as shales, capped by a ...

. The Acting Sheriff pulls a gun on him, after seeing the stagecoach horses return. Steele shoots him first, but not fatally. He runs and is pursued by members of the town. He enters the back door of the bank to hide and overhears the banker talking to his partner. A corrupt banker, Stanley, and his partner Joiner discuss their stagecoach holdup with Clanton, their hired gun. Joiner, upset over the deaths, begins to leave, but Stanley shoots him in the back. Stanley tells the townspeople that Steele is responsible for the robbery and murder. Steele hides in the cellar of the house of sheriff Gil Corrigan, who has yellow fever. Gil is under the care of his daughter Nadine and the home is quarantined. Steele nurses the sheriff back to health after Nadine collapses from fatigue. Nadine and Steele develop feelings for each other. Gil catches Nadine loading a pistol with the intention of giving it to Steele, and he explains his worries about Nadine's welfare and how taking bribes from Stanley over the years helped ensure her financial security. Gil allows Steele to escape. As word of this spreads through the town, a lynch mob forms and comes to Gil's house. They drag him through town to a tree and prepare to hang him, but Steele returns to rescue him. After freeing Gil, Steele kills Clanton while Gil places Stanley under arrest. It is suggested to Steele that he leave town, but he decides to remain.

Cast

as Wes Steele * Mary Murphy as Nadine Corrigan *

as Sheriff Gil Corrigan *

as Stanley *

Arthur Space Charles Arthur Space (October 12, 1908 – January 13, 1983) was an American film, television and stage actor. Today's audiences know him as the eccentric inventor opposite Laurel and Hardy in '' The Big Noise'' (1944), and as veterinarian Doc W ...

as Doctor Mason *

Lee Van Cleef Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef Jr. (January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989) was an American actor. He appeared in over 170 film and television roles in a career spanning nearly 40 years, but is best known as a star of spaghetti Westerns, particularly t ...

as Clanton * Alan Hale as Acting Sheriff Jim Anderson * Douglas Spencer as Henry Slocum * Thomas B. Henry as Maybanks * Grandon Rhodes as Luke Joiner *

Martin Garralaga Martín Garralaga (10 November 1894 – 12 June 1981) was a Spanish actor who worked in Hollywood from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was married to opera singer and actress Rosa Rey. Biography Garralaga first came to the United States wh ...

as Ortega * Kim Spalding as Sam Hall * Howard J. Negley as Wilson

Production

In August 1954, it was announced that

would direct and star in a

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

, ''The Gunman''. The film was based on an original script by John Tucker Battle and Talbot Jennings. Milland directed episodes of his 1953–55 sitcom '' Meet Mr. McNutley'' in order to prepare.

Louella Parsons Louella Rose Oettinger, (August 6, 1881 – December 9, 1972) known by the pen name Louella Parsons, was an American gossip columnist and a screenwriter. At her peak, her columns were read by 20 million people in 700 newspapers worldwide. She ...

: Ray Milland Shines Six-Shooter The Washington Post and Times-Herald 21 Jan 1955: 40. Filming began in March 1955. Parts of the film were shot in the sand dunes outside St. George, Utah. In April, the unit returned to Los Angeles. Milland received a percentage of the profits. After ''A Man Alone'', producer Herbert T. Yates hired Milland to direct one film per year for four years.

Reception

In a contemporary review for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', critic Philip K. Scheuer wrote: "Milland's direction is, on a scene-by-scene basis, professional enough. For the first 25 minutes or so there were even intimations that he might rise into the exceptional class, for in these his 'man alone' was required to rely mostly on silence and pantomime to get over what was happening to him. Unfortunately, too much happens to him to be very credible." In the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'', reviewer Will Leonard wrote: "Milland makes a pretty good western hero, once he finds his tongue after the first half hour.... The love stuff may be a little too thick for thoro cowhand fans, but the heavy doses of gunplay make up for some of the sentiment." Marjory Adams of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' called ''A Man Alone'' "rich in suspense and audience appeal".

References

External links