Ride The High Country/Gunsmoke

[stuart.uk]

Spoiler Alert

I was watching Ride The High Country yesterday and was struck of how the ending reminded me of several of James Arness' outstanding Gunsmoke movies of the 90s.

At the end of RTHC Randolph Scott says to Joel McRea How about it partner to which the reply was Head To Head. This was meant to suggest that they challange 3 of the bad guys to an out in the open gunfight. In the fight Mcrea is killed and Scott survives.

In at least 2, maybe 3 of the Gunsmoke movies, Matt Dillion and his sidekick would be out numbered. The sidekick would ask How Do You Want to play it Matt. to which he'd reply Head To Head. More often than not the sidekick would be killed in the gunfight with Matt at worst wounded in either the shoulder or leg.

I wondered if the writer or writers of the Gunsmoke movies were inspired by Ride The High Country. Gunsmoke was also similiar in the fact it was about an aging ex-lawman surviving in the old west, as were Mcrea and Scott in the movie.

I also thought Mcrea's death scene was great

[moira finnie]

Hi Stuart!
Great to see you around again. I hope you're well. I have seen so many times when writers recycled phrases, situations and almost line by line scenes in tv programs, I suspect that borrowing from a movie as good as Ride the High Country might have seemed like an homage--and a darn good idea.

The writers of the original movie, N.B. Stone Jr. and the uncredited Sam Peckinpah and Robert Creighton Williams, may have been the ones who came up with the "Head to Head" phrase you describe, though authorship on some movies seems a bit hazy. Isn't it possible that Joel McCrea or Randolph Scott thought of this? Most of the time when there is anything occurring that is really a direct and disputed "steal, or uncredited borrowing," professional screenwriters seem to use the WGA to investigate the matter quietly.

Btw, the only time that I've seen a writer sue and win for having his original work ripped off was when Harlan Ellison realized that two scripts for the old Outer Limits show had been the premise of the movie, The Terminator. According to published reports:

While [director James] Cameron was doing interviews to publicize The Terminator, he was asked what inspired the storyline, and he frequently mentioned two episodes of the original Outer Limits, "Demon with a Glass Hand" and "Soldier". What Cameron may not have noticed, but science-fiction author Harlan Ellison certainly did, was that Ellison had written both those episodes -- and their disparate plotlines, merged together, had a hell of a lot in common with the story Cameron had written. Ellison sued, and the case was quickly settled for an undisclosed amount and an amended "acknowledgment to the works of Harlan Ellison" in the movie's credits.

In 2009, Harlan, (who is a great writer and even greater curmudgeon) was again prompted to sue "CBS Paramount Television for failure to pay residuals to Ellison for the Star Trek episode "The City on the Edge of Forever". Ellison is also suing writers' union the Writers Guild of America, west (WGA), of which he is a member, for failing to diligently pursue Ellison's royalties from Paramount." Don't know if there is any outcome yet, but Mr. Ellison never lets sleeping dogs lie.

Sorry for the tangent, but your noticing this element made me think about the issue of authorship and "borrowing" more.

[movieman1957]

Having seen most of those "Gunsmoke" movies the one that really stands out with your comments I think is "To The Last Man" and you may have quoted that one. Pat Hingle costars and Morgan Woodward plays that fight with Arness. However improbable two old men going against a group of thugs, in either case, it is still pretty exciting.

[stuart.uk]

Chris

I liked the 2nd one The Last Apache where Matt discovers he has an adult daughter with the actress, who played ma Walton in the Walton's. In this film the sidekick, who was engaged to the mother was killed helping Matt in a head to head with the bad guys.

Earl Holliman was killed off in the same way in the 1st movie Return To Dodge. Then in the 2 final movies James Brolin and
Bruce Boxleitner suffered a similiar fate

[stuart.uk]

Moria

One of the worst was when an early episode of The Virginian was ripped of Man Without A Star with Brian Keith in the Kirk Douglas role

An embarrasing one happened within half an hour of each other on American tv. Monty Berman who along with Roy Baker were co-producers of The Saint, however, Roger Moore and Monty didn't get on, so he left to produce The Baron with Steve Forrest. On of the shows writers, who also worked on The Saint recycled one of his old Saint scripts for The Baron. It was those two shows that aired on American tv within half an hour of each other

[moira finnie]

One of the worst was when an early episode of The Virginian was ripped of Man Without A Star with Brian Keith in the Kirk Douglas role

I saw that episode of The Virginian recently with Brian Keith and Geraldine Brooks in the Kirk Douglas and Jeanne Crain roles from Man Without a Star!

It was such a clear steal! Btw, since Man Without a Star and The Virginian were both produced by Universal-International, it's entirely possible that the production company owned the rights to the story and were merely recycling their scripts.

One premise that I've seen remade nine thousand times in movies and tv is the story from the Jean Simmons-Dirk Bogarde movie, So Long at the Fair (1950), based on an urban legend that may or may not be true. For those who haven't seen this one, it was set during the Paris Exhibition of 1896 when a brother and his younger sister visit the fair in the overcrowded city. The siblings have separate rooms in their hotel and, after the young girl's brother says he is very tired, he retires for the night. Next morning, the brother is gone, his room has disappeared, and the concierge and staff say that the young woman arrived alone without any companion. The plot takes off from there very nicely.

It's one of those woman in jeopardy movies, but with a really great twist--and who can resist Jean Simmons?

A couple of other movies with similar plots:
Eyes of Mystery (1932)
Dangerous Crossing (1953)

I'm sure there are more retreads on both tv and the movies!

[ChiO]

One possible explanation of the tie between Gunsmoke (and certain other TV Westerns) and RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY (and certain other movie Westerns):

Don Siegel was asked to produce and direct a new TV series, Gunsmoke. He turned it down for a variety of reasons, including that he thought James Arness was too big physically to be a sympathetic character, but he gave several of the scripts for looking over to an assistant who'd worked with him on RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11, PRIVATE HELL 36, ANNAPOLIS STORY, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS and CRIME IN THE STREETS -- Sam Peckinpah.

Peckinpah started writing for Gunsmoke. Most of the scripts were adaptations of radio plays. Within a year, he was also writing scripts for Broken Arrow, Blood Brother (I don't remember that one), Tales of Wells Fargo and Have Gun, Will Travel.

A script for Gunsmoke that Peckinpah thought was one of the best he'd written was turned down. He reworked it, took it to Dick Powell at Four Star Productions and it became the pilot episode for The Rifleman. He wrote four episodes in 1958 and 1959. His vision was that the show really be about Johnny Crawford growing up to learn how to be a man. The producers didn't share that vision.

Memo to Peckinpah: Remember, we're doing this for the children.
Peckinpah's reply memo: I'm not doing this for children; I'm doing this for me.

Peckinpah then quit. Two years later, he directed his first feature film, THE DEADLY COMPANIONS, and a year after that, RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY. A few more followed.

[pvitari]

Ray Bradbury sued and won (on appeal) a plagiarism case against an episode of Playhouse 90 entitled "A Sound of Different Drummers." It basically was Fahrenheit 451, slightly repackaged.

Steve Bowie details it all at his Classic TV History blog.

http://classictvhistory.wordpress.com/2 ... e-drummer/

There's a Google Books link in Bowie's account to a book that has an even more detailed description of the case.

[movieman1957]

Ride The High Country stars two cowboy icons, Randolph Scott (cue chorus) and Joel McCrea. As long as those two are on screen it is a joy to watch. Scott plays against type as McCrea's old friend who initially comes to help McCrea on a gold transport job. A young girl, Mariette Hartley, and a little greed get in the way of the job along the way.

Enter the Hammond family. This is where it comes off the rails a little for me. They're nuts. It's not a matter of the gold and their greed for it but their attempts for recover Hartley from our heroes after her unfortunate marriage to one of the Hammond boys.

I guess in the plot delivery there may not be much difference between stealing gold and Hartley. The Hammond honor has been insulted when Hartley walks out after their wedding night when all the brothers want to consumate the marriage. It shouldn't have come as much of a surprise about the family but Harltey has to get away from her overbearing (and unfortunately sterotypical) Bible quoting father who sees no value in anyone much less that of one interested in his daughter. Her father is set as the real evil one that sets everything else in motion. He's cruel, domineering, brutal and unloving though he claims that what he does is because he loves her. (Others have suggested there may have been an incestuous relationship. If there was I sure missed it.)

I think this slows the whole middle down. Once the plot gets back to Scott and McCrea and their disagreement over the gold it picks up for me. Then they finally come together again at the finale when the Hammonds finally catch up with them and the shoot out begins.

The rapport and chemistry between Scott and McCrea is great and their characters are well written. The characters have a long and good friendship and know each other well. They light up the screen.

Parts of the film feel like a distraction to the main plot. Hartley is a burden to them which if the focus had been on the gold it may have taken on a different flavor. Take out McCrea and I don't think it is as good as some of Scott's later 50's westerns. But kudos to whoever got McCrea and Scott together for this film. Without them it wouldn't be near the film it is now. But that's just me.

[JackFavell]

You know, when i watched this movie, Chris, I was all aglow with the performances of McCrea and Scott, and I was really just overwhelmed by the great ending. But as I look back on Ride the High Country, I realize that the love story could fall completely away, and I wouldn't care, so it's not just you.

The movie on the whole was well done, even the younger story, for what it was, but there was no deep resonance to that young part of the story, no overwhelming humanity like there was in the part with the two older actors. But it was still enough to carry me out with a good feeling about the film.

Could the movie stand on just the one older plotline? Or does it need the younger one thrown in as a macguffin to get the older fellas where they need to be? I don't remember enough to know the answer.

If the answer is yes, you need the young couple, wouldn't it have been great if Nick Ray had directed the young couple part, and left Peckinpah to direct the older part?

[mrsl]

.
I personally don't think the young 'love story' was necessary at all. At the time, the older actors were leaving the big screens and going to the TV as guest stars because new material was not being written for their ages, and the young folks were brought in to attract the younger crowd. With that said, I think Mary Ann Hartley could have been written in as simply wanting to get away from her over zealous father and joined their trip just because they were leaving. The whole marriage was too sad, and the relationship formed between Mary Ann and the fellow traveling with them just never seemed very chemistry ridden. If they needed filler material, they could have had the father folllow them for a time, and underatandably (for him), quit and to home because his daughter (to him) was already ruined.

As for what you said about the two older guys carrying the film, it reminds me of the recent The Holiday, 2006 with Kate Winslet, and several others, but mainly her discussions with Eli Wallach giving her lists of old movies to watch and her enchantment with the likes of Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis, etc., which is really what drives all of us here to this site - namely the talents of the golden age stars.

[JackFavell]

I just watched Ride The High Country again and I loved it, maybe more this time around.

I think I was so wrong when I said that the younger story had no resonance, like the older part did. What I discovered was that the two parts of the story are inextricably linked together, and couldn't come undone with any amount of teasing apart.

The young actors don't have the presence of the older actors, but that actually works to the film's advantage, contrasting the experience and common sense of the elders, and the inexperience and foolhardiness of the youngsters. And even the old timers can make foolish mistakes in judgment. In fact, I think mistakes and judgment are what this film is about. All kinds of mistakes, and all kinds of judgment, including God's.

I love that Peckinpah takes this for his theme. He seems to take great care in telling his story from the side of the strong, benevolent underdog. Both Steve and Gil seem like men who could have become great, rich fellows, but they followed a different path. Their code is one of service and freedom. They are miles away from the men they encounter, for whom the love of money or power over people is also their weakness. Being an outsider can also be a strength.

When the film starts, we see Steve (Joel McCrea) riding into a small town, surprised that everyone seems to be cheering him on. We find out rudely and quickly that he has misjudged the situation.... he has accidentally strolled into a parade and race, and is in imminent danger of being run over by a camel. He is yelled at by every townsperson he runs into, who take one look at him and decide he is an addled old man.

First impressions and Images are often mistaken, and in this case almost everyone present underestimates Steve. Peckinpah carefully sets up this dichotomy between image and reality. Age can disguise some fine gifts - reason, a sense of purpose, goodness, skill, and even brilliance. It also disguises a lack of interest in monetary gain or power.

We meet Gil (Randolph Scott, cue chorus), Steve's old deputy, literally wearing a false beard and moustache. He resembles Buffalo Bill in his outrageous costume. It's a canny disguise, designed to wring the last few cents from even the closest pocket. Due to financial difficulty, he has become a carny sideshow impressario. One senses that there has always been a bit of the con artist about him, but he is good natured and we instantly like him, despite his seeming interest in money.

Steve is less known to us at first. He is prone to the offhand biblical reference. He seems a bit irritated, but is highly trustworthy. He offers Gil a job that could turn lucrative, 250, 000 dollars worth, transporting gold from a mining camp high up in the mountains back down to the bank. Steve knows that Gil is a good man and the best with a gun. They hire Gil's helper, Heck, a youth who although emotional, is able to take care of himself.

Steve goes to meet with the bankers who are to employ him and Gil. They are two fat men in suits. This scene really stood out for me this time, maybe because it is so familiar to me in everyday life right now. The fat men, who are too weak to bring their own gold down from the mountaintop, look over Steve, and immediately doubt he is able to accomplish the task. He seems too old and easygoing for such a dangerous job.

We suddenly realize why Steve is irritable, having to submit to the judgment of men who cannot do anything but talk. I think I feel this way every day of my life lately. Those men who have chosen power and money over skill or service to their community are in the driver's seat. They call the shots and provide the jobs for stronger men like Steve. Peckinpah lets us know briefly that Steve once was a sheriff, a highly honorable job we can assume he gave his life to. Gil makes it clear that Steve lost his only love through his dedication to the job.

So we see a huge contrast between Steve's old life and this modern life. The fairly clear-cut western society may be raw, but there is something clean and noble about it. It has been built up by men like Steve and Gil, but is fast being taken over by an up and coming emphasis on business and grabbers of every kind. There are more contrasts to come.

When Steve, Gil and Heck meet Mr. Knudsen and his daughter Elsa, we see that Steve and Knudsen have something in common. They both know the bible backwards and forwards. But whereas Knudsen has completely cut himself off from society, finding evil everywhere, Steve is good-natured and still feels a sense of service to the future. His responses to Knudsen's bible verses are hilarious, but they also show a keener understanding of people and how to get along in life, something important to the young people who are also present at table. Steve parries the tone of Knudsen's comments with aplomb. We now know that Knudsen and Steve are as far apart as can be. Though both profess Christianity, Steve is the real deal, while Knudsen uses his religion as a weapon and a shield, and to propel his own wants and needs.

Knudsen has lost his wife, and her grave bears that horrible epitaph, marking her as a fallen woman. We never know what happened to her, but that loss of love he and Steve have in common. Steve carries his grief over losing his love with grace, never blaming her or anyone else for it. Knudsen still seems angry and bitter, blocking out emotion but as much a victim of it. He seems to be taking out his hatred for his wife on the world and on his daughter.

The young people are a contrast to the older generation. They are all open emotion - pride and attraction, mostly. Steve and Gil look on with a benevolent eye, ready again to serve youth when needed.

I loved how these two worked as a team, even to the very end, and while fighting amongst themselves. They knew what was important, and what was foolish desire even within their own hearts. They knew when to go in to help the kids, and when to hold back and let the children take care of themselves. Time and again they helped one another, no matter what their personal desires were, never asking for any thanks. They both had seen enough of the world to know what is unavoidable - like the love between Elsa and Heck; and what was only greed - like the actions of the Hammonds.

The scenes with the Hammonds before and during the wedding were some of the most vulgar I can remember seeing. Again, Peck holds his card close to the vest, Billy Hammond seems nice at first, but we get a bad bad feeling as we are introduced to the family. Finally, we see that Billy is not much better than his brothers, when he plans his wedding in a whorehouse. The girls' overly made up tear-stained faces as they watch the wedding is at once awful and beautiful, like a Fellini image. It was repellent but I can't help remembering it. Why is it assumed that a girl should just join in when men are partying? That the innocent is the one who is wrong, that she is not a game girl, if she doesn't want to join the party? This section actually felt rather modern to me.

One of my favorite scenes was the one where Gil bypasses the law and finds "judge" Edgar Buchanan.... in order to steal his credentials. He knows something Steve doesn't about what it will take to keep the Hammonds from taking Elsa or killing them all. He skirts the law completely and cuts right to the heart of the matter, no messing around with what is right or wrong. I really really loved him for this, no matter that it was "wrong" or ignoble.
He got the job done.

I find it amazing that Gil and especially Steve end up fighting their last fight over something considered so unimportant - a girl and a boy and their love. They realize that honor and the future are more valuable than the gold they are carrying. The job is unimportant in the scheme of things, the job well done is everything.

[knitwit45]

wow, Jacks...now I have to hunt down the movie and watch it again. I remember seeing it (probably at a drive-in) when it first came out, and falling in love with Joel McCrea. I was young enough to really identify with the young couple, but old enough to yearn for the wisdom and goodness of the older men..

Thanks, this is a great write up!!!

[JackFavell]

Joel is such a darling in the picture, it's McCrea boiled down to the essence. He's so fabulous in the film that I don't really know what he did - when I tried to write it up, I couldn't find the words to explain what it is about him that is so great. Words simply can't convey his sweetness and experience.

I find it fascinating that you fell for Joel, when everyone at that time was probably falling for poor Ron Starr, who played the young man and never really did anything else. You had good taste!

[movieman1957]

There is an essence or aura about McCrea. I have read where he was a genuinely nice man. That carries through in his films. I don't recall him playing a bad guy. I think he may have in "Four Faces West" but that all goes away when he comes across the sick family. He's hard not to like. He meets all the requirements. He's tall, handsome, soft spoken but can mean business when he needs to but is all about doing what is right. (I'd have to watch it again but "Ft. Massacre" may give him a darker role for a change.)

Encore Westerns has been showing many of his 50s westerns over the last few months. A couple are available for streaming on Netflix. Several examples I have seen recently include "Saddle Tramp," "Cattle Drive," "The Lone Hand" and a couple of others.