''Run for Cover'' 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

Nicholas Ray Nicholas Ray (born Raymond Nicholas Kienzle Jr., August 7, 1911 – June 16, 1979) was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. Described by the Harvard Film Archive as "Hollywood's last romantic" and "one of postwar American cinem ...

and starring

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

Viveca Lindfors Elsa Viveca Torstensdotter Lindfors (December 29, 1920 – October 25, 1995) was a Swedish-American stage, film, and television actress. She won an Emmy Award and a Silver Bear for Best Actress. Biography Lindfors was born in Uppsala, Swed ...

John Derek John Derek (born Derek Delevan Harris; August 12, 1926 – May 22, 1998) was an American actor, filmmaker and photographer.

, and in his final film,

Jean Hersholt Jean Pierre Carl Buron (12 July 1886 – 2 June 1956), known professionally as Jean Hersholt, was a Danish-American actor. He is most famous for starring on the CBS radio series '' Dr. Christian'' from 1937–1954, which later inspired a TV se ...

. Distributed by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

, this film was made in

VistaVision VistaVision is a higher resolution, widescreen variant of the 35 mm motion picture film format that was created by engineers at Paramount Pictures in 1954. Paramount did not use anamorphic processes such as CinemaScope but refined the ...

Plot

At a watering hole, Matt Dow meets young cowboy Davey Bishop for the first time. As they take turns shooting at a hawk, a train that has recently been robbed goes by. Mistaking the shooting for another attack by train robbers, the men on the train toss a bag of money toward the two men. Realizing that a posse will be looking for them, Dow and Bishop head straight to the next town on the line to return the money, but the expecting posse ambushes them before they get there. Bishop is wounded, and taken to the Swenson farm to recover. Once back in town in the sheriff's office, Dow confronts the trainmen and explains what happened. Dow then goes out to the Swenson farm to check on Bishop, and is made welcome by Helga Swenson and her father. The townspeople regret the shooting of Bishop, whose limp will be permanent. Dow accepts a job as sheriff, giving Bishop the job of deputy. Dow begins to spend more and more time with Helga, eventually proposing successfully. An outlaw named Morgan and another man are spotted planning a bank robbery. The second man is captured, but Morgan escapes. Dow leaves the prisoner with Bishop, and pursues and captures Morgan on his own. On his return to the town, he discovers that Bishop has been scared into turning his prisoner over to a lynch mob. Dow tasks Bishop with taking Morgan to the marshal for his safety, and then proceeds to arrest the lynch mob. The lenient judge, though, only fines the mob $10 each for the lynching. Bishop returns injured and empty-handed, relating that Morgan overpowered him and escaped. Morgan and some other outlaws, including one named Gentry, return to rob the town's bank, killing Helga's father as they escape. Gentry recognizes Dow, which makes the townsfolk worry that Dow might be in on the robbery. Dow tells them that he shared a prison cell with Gentry for six years, having been unjustly imprisoned in a case of mistaken identity, for which he was finally pardoned. His explanation is accepted with some reservation. A posse is formed and gives chase, and after a hard fruitless ride takes them into

Comanche The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Tribe (Native American), Native American tribe from the Great Plains, Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the List of federally recognized tri ...

territory, most of the posse wants to abandon the pursuit. Dow insists on continuing, but all the others turn back, with only Bishop sticking with him. As they continue on, Bishop shoots Dow, injuring his arm. Dow manages to overpower Bishop, who confesses that he was not only in on the robbery, but that he helped plan it. Instead of taking Bishop back, Dow forces him on, and they eventually come across most of the thieves who have been killed by the Comanche and find the money. Dow sets out to capture the survivors, and takes Bishop with him. Dow and Bishop are trapped by Comanches and hide the money. A wounded Dow tries to make it across a river, but Bishop leaves him to drown. He clings to a log and follows Bishop to some ruins, where he finds him with Morgan. Bishop and Morgan discuss how to get the money back. Dow confronts them and shoots Morgan in self defense. He tells Bishop that he will take him back to town to be hanged, where he will serve as an example to others, the only thing he is good for. Morgan regains consciousness and reaches for his gun. Bishop spots him and shoots, but Dow thinks that Bishop is drawing on him, and shoots Bishop. He realizes that, in the end, Bishop was not beyond redemption. In the final scene, Dow returns home, giving the recovered money back with "Davey's compliments". Helga asks about Davey, to which Dow replies, "Davey did fine."

Cast

as Matt Dow *

as Helga Swenson *

John Derek John Derek (born Derek Delevan Harris; August 12, 1926 – May 22, 1998) was an American actor, filmmaker and photographer.

as Davey Bishop *

as Mr. Swenson *

Grant Withers Granville Gustavus Withers (January 17, 1905 – March 27, 1959), known professionally as Grant Withers, was an American film actor. He began working in motion pictures during the last years of the silent era. Withers moved into sound films, ...

as Gentry * Jack Lambert as Larsen *

Ernest Borgnine Ernest Borgnine ( ; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perf ...

as Morgan *

Ray Teal Ray Elgin Teal (January 12, 1902The book ''Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory'' gives Teal's birth date as January 12, 1908. – April 2, 1976) was an American actor. His most famous role was as Sheriff Roy Coffee on the televis ...

as Sheriff *

Irving Bacon Irving Ernest Bacon (September 6, 1893 – February 5, 1965) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 500 films. Early years Bacon was the son of entertainers Millar West Bacon (who was a teenager) and Myrtle Vane. He was born ...

as Scotty *

Trevor Bardette Trevor Bardette (born Terva Gaston Hubbard; November 19, 1902 – November 28, 1977) was an American film and television actor. Among many other roles in his long and prolific career, Bardette appeared in several episodes of ''Adventures of Su ...

as Paulsen *

John Miljan John Miljan (November 9, 1892 – January 24, 1960) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1924 and 1958. Biography Born in 1892, Miljan was the tall, smooth-talking villain in Hollywood films for almost four deca ...

as Mayor Walsh *

Gus Schilling August "Gus" Schilling (June 20, 1908 – June 16, 1957) was an American film actor who started in burlesque comedy and usually played nervous comic roles, often unbilled. A friend of Orson Welles, he appeared in five of the director's films � ...

as Doc Ridgeway

Production

The film was based on a story by Harriet Frank Jr., and

Irving Ravetch Irving Dover Ravetch (November 14, 1920 – September 19, 2010) was an American screenwriter and film producer who frequently collaborated with his wife Harriet Frank Jr. Early life Ravetch was born to a Jewish family in Newark, New Jersey, t ...

. They were a married couple who worked separately for ten years then decided to collaborate. They worked on a number of stories together, including ''Run for Cover'' before becoming established as a major screenwriting team with ''

The Long, Hot Summer ''The Long, Hot Summer'' is a 1958 American drama film starring Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Anthony Franciosa and Orson Welles. It was directed by Martin Ritt, with a screenplay by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr., based in part on three ...

'' (1958). Of ''Run For Cover'' Frank later said, "We weren't very picky in those days. What was presented was written." The movie was made by

Pine-Thomas Productions Pine-Thomas Productions was a prolific B-picture unit of Paramount Pictures from 1940–1957, producing 81 films. Co-producers William H. Pine (February 15, 1896 – April 29, 1955) and William C. Thomas (August 11, 1903 – April 2, 1984) were kno ...

who were best known for their low-budget motion pictures. By 1954 however they had switched to concentrating on "A" movies.

William Dieterle William Dieterle (July 15, 1893 – December 9, 1972) was a German-born actor and film director who emigrated to the United States in 1930 to leave a worsening political situation. He worked in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood primarily a ...

was originally signed to direct. In March 1954,

signed to direct. It would be Ray's second Western, after the ''

Johnny Guitar ''Johnny Guitar'' is a 1954 American independent Western film directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge, Ernest Borgnine, and Scott Brady. It was produced and distributed by Republic Pictures. ...

''. James Cagney agreed to star, his first western since ''

The Oklahoma Kid ''The Oklahoma Kid'' is a 1939 Western film starring James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. The film was directed for Warner Bros. by Lloyd Bacon. Cagney plays an adventurous gunslinger in a broad-brimmed cowboy hat while Bogart portrays his bl ...

'' (1939). (Cagney's third and last Western would be ''

Tribute to a Bad Man ''Tribute to a Bad Man'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Robert Wise and starring James Cagney about a rancher whose harsh enforcement of frontier justice alienates the woman he loves. It was based on the short story "Hanging's for ...

'' released in 1956.) John Derek signed to play the second male lead. Scenes were filmed at the

Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, often abbreviated as the D&SNG, is a 3 ft gauge railways, 3 ft (914 mm) Narrow-gauge railway, narrow-gauge heritage railway, heritage railroad that operates on of track between Durango, C ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

and at the

Aztec Ruins National Monument The Aztec Ruins National Monument in northwestern New Mexico, United States, consists of preserved structures constructed by the Pueblo Indians. The national monument lies on the western bank of the Animas River in Aztec, New Mexico, about n ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

. Most of the film was shot in the

Four Corners Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. Most of the Four Corners regio ...

region of those states with some interior shots done at the

studio in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Reception

''Filmink'' wrote "Cagney is always compelling, and Viveca Lindfords 'sic''is great; although Derek plays a weak character yet again, the film could've done with a better actor in his part."

Soundtrack

The

title song Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...

''Run for Cover'' featured music by Howard Jackson and lyrics by

Jack Brooks Jack Brooks may refer to: *Jack Brooks (cricketer) (born 1984), English cricketer *Jack Brooks (footballer) (1904–1973), English footballer *Jack Brooks (lyricist) (1912–1971), British-American lyricist *Jack Brooks (American politician) (1922� ...

.Geoff Andrew -The films of Nicholas Ray: the poet of nightfall 2004 -p181 "; art dir: Hal Pereira, Henry Bumstead; set: Sam Comer, Frank McKelvy; ed: Howard Smith; mus: Howard Jackson; song 'Run for Cover' by Jackson and Jack Brooks. Ip: James Cagney (Matt Dow), John Derek (Davey Bishop), ..."

References

External links

*
''Run for Cover''
at BFI
''Run for Cover''
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...

Review
at ''Variety'' {{Pine-Thomas 1955 films 1955 Western (genre) films American Western (genre) films Films directed by Nicholas Ray Paramount Pictures films Revisionist Western (genre) films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films English-language Western (genre) films Films scored by Howard Jackson (composer) Comanche in popular culture VistaVision films