''Count Three and Pray'' is a 1955 American

CinemaScope CinemaScope is an anamorphic format, anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its cr ...

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

George Sherman George Sherman (July 14, 1908 – March 15, 1991) was an American film director and Film producer, producer of low-budget Western (genre), Western films. One obituary said his "credits rival in number those of anyone in the entertainment indus ...

and starring

Van Heflin Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin Jr. (December 13, 1908 – July 23, 1971) was an American theatre, radio, and film actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man. ...

and

Joanne Woodward Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward (born February 27, 1930) is an American retired actress. She made her career breakthrough in the 1950s and earned esteem and respect playing complex women with a characteristic nuance and depth of character. ...

in her first feature film. It was based on the story "Calico Pony" (also the

working title A working title is a preliminary name for a product or project. The usage is especially common in film and TV, gaming, music and publishing. It is often styled in trade publications as (wt) and is synonymous with production title and tentative ...

of the film) by Herb Meadow. It premiered in Woodward's home town,

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...

, at the Paris Theatre.

Plot

Former brawler and womanizer Luke Fargo returns from the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

to his Southern hometown a greatly changed man. Following his traumatic experience at the

Battle of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed th ...

, he has become a minister, intent on rebuilding the town's only church, which burned down. He is greeted with disbelief by his friends, including Matty, and with outright hostility by the rest of the townsfolk, as he fought on the Union side. Particularly opposed to him is Yancey Huggins, who sees a threat to his iron-fisted control of the town. Huggins gets the aptly named Big to fight Fargo, but Fargo wins. Fargo encounters two very different women from his past. Southern belle Georgina Descrais, impoverished by the war, tries to revive their romantic relationship, but he is not interested. Local

madam Madam (), or madame ( or ), is a polite and formal form of address for Woman, women in the English language, often contracted to ma'am (pronounced in American English and this way but also in British English). The term derives from the French la ...

Selma (an uncredited

Jean Willes Jean Donahue (born Jean Willes; April 15, 1923 – January 3, 1989) was an American film and television actress. She appeared in approximately 65 films in her 38-year career. Early years Born Jean Willesin Los Angeles to William Simmons Willes ...

) is pleased by his return and accepts him on his own terms. Meanwhile, teenage orphan tomboy Lissy, who has been living in the parsonage, initially dislikes him, but gradually her feelings undergo a reversal. She continues residing there, which causes Fargo a great deal of trouble, as the townspeople, aroused by Huggins, suspect him of falling back on his old scandalous ways. He does not help matters when he reluctantly gambles on a Sunday with prosperous businessman Albert Loomis, winning a horse race to obtain lumber for the church, and is goaded into fighting Yancey's men. Finally, the bishop is called in to resolve the situation. He learns that Fargo, not knowing any better, had not been

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

. After hearing how much good Fargo has done in the community, the bishop makes him a real minister and then tries to get him to marry Lissy. When Fargo proves reluctant, the exasperated Lissy hands the bishop her rifle to prod the hesitant (though not unwilling) groom.

Cast

as Luke Fargo *

as Lissy *

Philip Carey Philip Carey (born Eugene Joseph Carey, July 15, 1925February 6, 2009) was an American actor, well-known for playing the role of Asa Buchanan on the soap opera ''One Life to Live'' for nearly three decades. Early life and education On July 15 ...

as Albert Loomis *

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 ...

as Yancey Huggins *

Allison Hayes Allison Hayes (born Mary Jane Hayes; March 6, 1930 – February 27, 1977) was an American film and television actress and model. Early life Allison Hayes was born to William E. Hayes and Charlotte Gibson Hayes in Charleston, West Virginia. She ...

as Georgina Decrais *

Myron Healey Myron Daniel Healey (June 8, 1923 – December 21, 2005) was an American actor. He began his career in Hollywood, California during the early 1940s and eventually made hundreds of appearances in movies and on television during a career span ...

as Floyd Miller *

Nancy Kulp Nancy Jane Kulp (August 28, 1921 – February 3, 1991) was an American character actress, character actor, writer and comedian best known as The Beverly Hillbillies#Jane Hathaway, Miss Jane Hathaway on the CBS television series ''The Beverly Hill ...

as Matty Miller *

James Griffith James Jeffrey Griffith (February 13, 1916 – September 17, 1993) was an American character actor, musician and screenwriter. Early life and career Born in Los Angeles, California and raised in San Pedro, Griffith was the eldest of two born t ...

as Swallow * Richard Webb as Big *

Kathryn Givney Kathryn Givney (October 27, 1896 – March 16, 1978) was an American actress in theater and in films. Biography Givney was born Catharine Givney in Rhinelander, Wisconsin in 1896. In 1928, Givney was a member of the S. E. Cochran Repertor ...

as Mrs. Decrais, Georgina's mother * Robert Burton as Bishop *

as Selma ''(uncredited)''

References

External links

* * 1955 films 1955 romantic drama films 1955 Western (genre) films American romantic drama films American Western (genre) films Columbia Pictures films CinemaScope films 1950s English-language films Films scored by George Duning Films directed by George Sherman 1950s American films English-language Western (genre) films English-language romantic drama films {{1950s-US-drama-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links