Cooper is discharged in disgrace from the U. S. Cavalry during the Civil War in order to join a band of Confederate horse raiders undercover. There follow lots of tribulations and considerable confusion.
It would be a strictly routine Western except for a few things. First, it has bankable stars, or at least one, in Gary Cooper. Second, there is some splendid horse riding on screen here -- he said, knowing absolutely nothing about horses except that they know a lot more than they're letting on. What is this "roan", anyway? Sadly missing are two outstanding horsemen. Ben Johnson was a picture of inspiration on a galloping horse, and Yakima Canutt seemed organic to the animal he rode.
"Winchester 73" came out in 1950 and it must have been a financial success because that's where this title came from -- "Springfield Rifle." It has little to do with a rifle. It's all about Cooper trying to keep his NOC status hidden, and about good-natured Confederate boys among whom are some trailer trash, and about colorful Union troopers in blue uniforms and capes with bright yellow liners, and horses and men falling downhill and rolling over and over in clouds of dust.
Phyllis Thaxter, as Cooper's wife, is in the mix somewhere but she's dispensable. In the 1940s and 50s it was believed that you needed to have a love interest in the movie. I don't know why. Maybe it was assumed that you needed to draw in the female audience who might otherwise be listening to "Craig's Other Wife". Maybe they thought it would keep the women interested in between the shootings and fist fights that kept the men tumescent.
Nice location photography by Edwin DuPar. Pedestrian direction by Andre De Toth. Philip Carey has an important supporting role. He's always reliable, a kind of second-string Charlton Heston.
It would be a strictly routine Western except for a few things. First, it has bankable stars, or at least one, in Gary Cooper. Second, there is some splendid horse riding on screen here -- he said, knowing absolutely nothing about horses except that they know a lot more than they're letting on. What is this "roan", anyway? Sadly missing are two outstanding horsemen. Ben Johnson was a picture of inspiration on a galloping horse, and Yakima Canutt seemed organic to the animal he rode.
"Winchester 73" came out in 1950 and it must have been a financial success because that's where this title came from -- "Springfield Rifle." It has little to do with a rifle. It's all about Cooper trying to keep his NOC status hidden, and about good-natured Confederate boys among whom are some trailer trash, and about colorful Union troopers in blue uniforms and capes with bright yellow liners, and horses and men falling downhill and rolling over and over in clouds of dust.
Phyllis Thaxter, as Cooper's wife, is in the mix somewhere but she's dispensable. In the 1940s and 50s it was believed that you needed to have a love interest in the movie. I don't know why. Maybe it was assumed that you needed to draw in the female audience who might otherwise be listening to "Craig's Other Wife". Maybe they thought it would keep the women interested in between the shootings and fist fights that kept the men tumescent.
Nice location photography by Edwin DuPar. Pedestrian direction by Andre De Toth. Philip Carey has an important supporting role. He's always reliable, a kind of second-string Charlton Heston.