''Tennessee's Partner'' 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

Allan Dwan Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan was ...

, written by: Graham Baker, D.D. Beauchamp, Milton Krims and Teddi Sherman, with uncredited rewrites by Dwan, and starring: John Payne,

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

, Rhonda Fleming and Coleen Gray. The film was released by

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...

, which was then owned by industrialist

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...

. While the film is based upon one of

Bret Harte Bret Harte ( , born Francis Brett Hart, August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a caree ...

's most popular short stories, " Tennessee’s Pardner", it departs significantly from the original storyline. The 1869 Harte story has also been filmed as '' Tennessee's Pardner'' (1916), '' The Flaming Forties'' (1924) and '' The Golden Princess'' (1925).

Plot

Tennessee is a gambler and partners with Duchesse Elizabeth Farnham. Tennessee has few friends and makes enemies by winning most of the time. One night Tennessee is ambushed by Clifford, who lost a lot of money to Tennessee. A stranger who calls himself Cowpoke sees this and saves Tennessee. Cowpoke is in love with Goldie, who arrives on a riverboat. Tennessee recognizes Goldie from his past. Cowpoke gives Goldie $5,000 in gold. Tennessee is torn between telling Cowpoke about her past or keeping quiet. Reynolds, also a gambler, arrives on the same boat as Goldie, planning to kill Tennessee. He gambles with Tennessee. A crowd assembles to watch them play. Reynolds accuses Tennessee of cheating. Reynolds draws a gun and Tennessee shoots him, in self defence. Tennessee visits Goldie and kisses her. He tries to persuade her to go to San Francisco with him, showing her the $50,000 he made at the card table. She agrees. He tells her he’ll meet her at the riverboat. When Cowpoke arrives to meet Goldie, Duchesse tells him she left with her luggage and Tennessee. The town is aware and Cowpoke is humiliated and feels betrayed. Tennessee escorts her onto the boat, then leaves her there. Cowpoke plans to follow Tennessee and kill him. He goes to work his claim to get money to travel after Tennessee. Cowpoke meets up with Grubstake, who has made his strike. Grubstake goes to Duchesse, who tells her girls to give him a bath. Tennessee returns to Duchesse and explains that he sent Goldie away to protect Cowpoke. He has Cowpoke’s $5,000. Tennessee takes Grubstake away from the crowd and puts him to bed. Since Tennessee staked him, he’s entitled to a share of the strike. He hides Grubstake’s map, and goes to see Cowpoke. He yells Cowpoke the truth about Goldie. Cowpoke hits Tennessee but he refuses to hit him. He gives Cowpoke his $5,000 and explains he sent her away to protect him. Grubstakes is killed and Tennessee is suspected. The sheriff goes looking for Tennessee with a posse. Duchesse warns Tennessee to leave. Cowpoke stays behind to hold off the posse, which is really the gold hungry mines. Cowpoke holds them off with a gun, giving Tennessee a chance to explain. The sheriff takes Tennessee back to his place, but the map has been stolen. Cowpoke provides Tennessee with an alibi but the sheriff is skeptical and arrests Tennessee. Cowpoke, who drew the map, knows where the gold is. He and Tennessee disarm the deputy and escape. They go to Duchesse to ensure she and the girls are OK, then go to the mine. They find a horse there and think that whoever is there killed Grubstake. It’s Turner and a gunfight ensues. The sheriff and deputy arrive. Turner surrenders, then pulls another gun, aiming for Tennessee. Cowpoke blocks the bullet, and dies. Tennessee chases after Turner. The sheriff stops Tennessee from killing him. Tennessee looks at Cowpoke and says “I never even knew his name”. Tennessee marries Duchesse and they leave on the riverboat.

Cast

* John Payne as Tennessee *

as Cowpoke * Rhonda Fleming as Elizabeth "Duchess" Farnham * Coleen Gray as Goldie Slater * Tony Caruso as Turner *

Morris Ankrum Morris Ankrum (August 28, 1897 – September 2, 1964) was an American radio, television, and film character actor. Early life Ankrum was born in Danville in Vermilion County in eastern Illinois, and pursued a career in law. After graduating ...

as Judge Parker * Leo Gordon as the Sheriff *

Chubby Johnson Charles Randolph "Chubby" Johnson (August 13, 1903 – October 31, 1974) was an American film and television supporting character actor with a genial demeanor and warm, country-accented voice. Early years Johnson was the son of entertaine ...

as Grubstake McNiven * Joe Deviln as Prendergast *

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 Reynolds * John Mansfield as Clifford *

Angie Dickinson Angie Dickinson (born Angeline Brown; September 30, 1931) is an American retired actress. She began her career on television, appearing in many Anthology series#Television, anthology series during the 1950s, before gaining her breakthrough rol ...

(''uncredited'') as Abby Dean

Legacy

This film inspired one of the greatest hits of The Four Seasons. As the character based on

Bob Gaudio Robert John Gaudio (born November 17, 1942) is an American songwriter, singer, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist and backing vocalist of the pop/rock band the Four Seasons. Gaudio wrote or co-wrote the vast majority of the ban ...

explains in the musical ''

Jersey Boys ''Jersey Boys'' is a jukebox musical with a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is presented in a documentary-style format that dramatizes the formation, success and breakup of the 1960s rock 'n' roll group The Four Seasons. The mus ...

:'' "I'm watching the million dollar movie. Some cheesy John Payne western. He hauls off and smacks Rhonda Fleming across the mouth and says: 'What do you think of that ?'. She looks up at him defiant, proud, eyes glistening – and she says: ' Big girls don't cry'."

References

External links

* 1955 films RKO Pictures films 1955 Western (genre) films American Western (genre) films Films based on short fiction Films directed by Allan Dwan Films shot in Los Angeles Films based on works by Bret Harte 1950s English-language films 1950s American films Films scored by Howard Jackson (composer) English-language Western (genre) films {{1950s-US-Western-film-stub