Fox's RAWHIDE (1951) is quite a wonderful film! Elusive and available for years only on a VHS tape the powers that be at Fox, in their wisdom - bless their little hearts, have seen fit at last to put it out on DVD in a small box set with two other western classics - "The Gunfighter" (1950) and "Garden Of Evil" (1954).
Tyrone Power - making one of his rare forays into a western - stars with the beautiful Susan Hayward in "Rawhide" which is essentially a film noir in a western setting. The story set in a remote and isolated Stagecoach relay station has its occupants (Power and Hayward) being held hostage by a gang of outlaws intent on robbing the gold bullion when it arrives on the morning stage. The movie recounts the efforts of the captives to escape their captors and thwart their plans.
From a splendidly written screenplay by Dudley Nichols the film has a palpable dramatic thrust to it which it maintains throughout. Sharply photographed in glorious black & white by Milton Krasner this is edge of the seat stuff thanks to Henry Hathaway's seamless direction, the atmospheric music by Sol Kaplin and of course the excellent performances of the individual cast members. Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward are terrific in the leads and make a perfect match. Their scenes together are altogether appealing and engaging. Four years later they would be cast together again in the Fox colourful epic set in South Africa "Untamed". Outstanding also is Hugh Marlowe as Zimmerman the "educated" leader of the gang, the wonderful gravelly voiced Edgar Buccanan as Sam the ill-fated station boss, Dean Jagger as Yancy the quite harmless gang member laughingly referred to as "the one horse, horse thief", and making his debut Jack Elam (replacing Everett Sloane) as the unscrupulous, violent and womanizing gunman Tevis ( his wickedness being well displayed in a startling jaw-dropping scene towards the end when he snarlingly takes pot-shots at a baby toddler).
Listen out too for Gary Merill (uncredited) doing the narration over the opening and closing scenes ("Yes sir, they call it the Jackass Mail"). The following year Fox took the picture's basic premise and turned it into a movie called "Outcasts Of Poker Flat" starring Dale Robertson and Ann Baxter but it had little success. Pity Fox didn't include it here to allow for comparison. However as it stands it is an excellent thriller of a western! Bullseye Fox!
Classic line from "Rawhide"............. Ty Power asking Hayward why she is locking the door of her room and is it because she's afraid of coyotes? Hayward wryly replies - "Yeah, the kind with boots on".
Tyrone Power - making one of his rare forays into a western - stars with the beautiful Susan Hayward in "Rawhide" which is essentially a film noir in a western setting. The story set in a remote and isolated Stagecoach relay station has its occupants (Power and Hayward) being held hostage by a gang of outlaws intent on robbing the gold bullion when it arrives on the morning stage. The movie recounts the efforts of the captives to escape their captors and thwart their plans.
From a splendidly written screenplay by Dudley Nichols the film has a palpable dramatic thrust to it which it maintains throughout. Sharply photographed in glorious black & white by Milton Krasner this is edge of the seat stuff thanks to Henry Hathaway's seamless direction, the atmospheric music by Sol Kaplin and of course the excellent performances of the individual cast members. Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward are terrific in the leads and make a perfect match. Their scenes together are altogether appealing and engaging. Four years later they would be cast together again in the Fox colourful epic set in South Africa "Untamed". Outstanding also is Hugh Marlowe as Zimmerman the "educated" leader of the gang, the wonderful gravelly voiced Edgar Buccanan as Sam the ill-fated station boss, Dean Jagger as Yancy the quite harmless gang member laughingly referred to as "the one horse, horse thief", and making his debut Jack Elam (replacing Everett Sloane) as the unscrupulous, violent and womanizing gunman Tevis ( his wickedness being well displayed in a startling jaw-dropping scene towards the end when he snarlingly takes pot-shots at a baby toddler).
Listen out too for Gary Merill (uncredited) doing the narration over the opening and closing scenes ("Yes sir, they call it the Jackass Mail"). The following year Fox took the picture's basic premise and turned it into a movie called "Outcasts Of Poker Flat" starring Dale Robertson and Ann Baxter but it had little success. Pity Fox didn't include it here to allow for comparison. However as it stands it is an excellent thriller of a western! Bullseye Fox!
Classic line from "Rawhide"............. Ty Power asking Hayward why she is locking the door of her room and is it because she's afraid of coyotes? Hayward wryly replies - "Yeah, the kind with boots on".