User Reviews

The Rawhide Years is directed by Rudolph Maté and adapted from the Norman A. Fox novel by Earl Felton, Robert Presnell Jr. & D.D. Beauchamp. It stars Tony Curtis, Colleen Miller, William Demarest, Arthur Kennedy, William Gargan & Peter Van Eyck. It's a Technicolor production with photography by Irving Glassberg and the music is scored by Frank Skinner & Hans J. Salter.

Plot finds Curtis as Ben Matthews, a riverboat card player who along with his elder partner, Carrico (Donald Randolph), cheat unsuspecting players. But during one particular sting on The Montana Queen, Ben is found out by an observer, Minor Watson (Matt Comfort), who quietly pulls Ben aside to let him know he has been rumbled and that he has destroyed the life of one of the older players. This gives Ben an attack of consciousness who fixes the next game so that Matt can win enough money to pay the old fella back. After breaking the partnership with Carrico, Ben has a meeting with Matt who offers him a job back on his ranch in Galena. It's food for thought but later that night Matt is murdered and Ben and Carrico are chief suspects. Forced to go on the run as Ben Martin, he finds work but eventually feels he can't sit still in one place and he hooks up with shifty guide Rick Harper (Kennedy), for he knows at some point he must get back to Galena to solve the murder, clear his name and win back his true love, Zoe Fontaine (Miller).

Little known, probably forgotten and rarely seen, is this fun, entertaining but formulaic Western in the cannon of Tony Curtis. Running at just under an hour and half, Maté (D.O.A.) and his team make sure they fill out the picture with as many Western movie staples as they can. Only thing missing here is Indians, tho we do get a cigar store wooden Indian that's the Macguffin of the piece. The story is a safe one to execute, with its murder mystery core, romantic strands and shifty villains waiting to be knocked down a peg or two, it is never less than interesting. It also looks very nice in Technicolor, especially when the film goes off stage and out into Lone Pine, California, where Glassberg (Backlash) uses the backdrop to great effect. There's also a trio of pleasing songs to enjoy, "The Gypsy With Fire In His Shoes", "Happy Go Lucky" and "Give Me Your Love".

The cast, perhaps unsurprisingly for a B Western, is a very mixed bag. Curtis is very unconvincing as a cowboy type, but he's very handsome here and his character is one that's easy to get on side with as he seeks to achieve his goals. Curtis is aided by Kennedy (Where the River Bends), who is playing the material the way it should be played (with tongue in cheek and glint in the eye), they form a nice double act and Kennedy shines as the lovable rogue type. Miller sadly is very poor and her scenes with Curtis lack spark or conviction, while Van Eyck is just wooden as the chief villain. Demarest (The Jolson Story) is his usual reliable and stoic self, while the bonus turn comes from William Gargan (They Knew What They Wanted) who does a nice line in officialdom as Marshal Sommers. All told it's a more than adequate time filler for fans of Curtis and light entertainment Westerns. From gunfights to fisticuffs, to horseback pursuits, there's enough here to offset some of the ham and cheese formula that comes with such a production. 6.5/10

I watched THE RAWHIDE YEARS (1956) on the Encore Western-HD channel, mainly to revel in the beautiful Technicolor photography and picturesque settings ranging from western locations in Lone Pine, California to well-appointed Universal Studio sets and backlots. I'm assuming that the riverboat used in several scenes is the one left over from earlier Universal westerns with a riverboat setting, namely BEND OF THE RIVER (1952), THE MISSISSIPPI GAMBLER (1953), and THE FAR COUNTRY (1954). The director, Rudolph Maté, was a former cinematographer who also directed THE MISSISSIPPI GAMBLER and knew how to make the most of the studio's ample resources to craft good-looking films no matter how ludicrous the story might get. In this case, I'm guessing the studio's directive was to create a Tony Curtis vehicle that made use of the standing riverboat and waterfront sets. The plot is wildly unpredictable and full of twists and turns that come at the viewer pretty fast, although the absurdities begin to pile up as well and the final set of plot twists, while thoroughly unexpected, are just too implausible to allow us to take this very seriously. There's a reason why we see these films on Encore's Western channel and not in Tony Curtis western box sets.

Curtis plays a gambler's shill who, on the run from a murder accusation, goes out west to become a cowboy and make enough money to come back to Galena, the river town where the trouble started, to try to clear his name. Along the way he picks up a fast-talking hustler played by Arthur Kennedy who makes no bones about trying to separate Curtis from his money belt. As they share adventures, they develop a symbiotic relationship and wind up getting each other out of jams from one incident to the next. Kennedy's character may be seen as a softened version of the good-bad guy he played in BEND OF THE RIVER who initially sides with James Stewart but eventually turns against him. Curtis is handsome, charming, and athletic (although doubled in the more strenuous fights and stunts), but he looks like a carefully groomed movie star in every shot and not a western hero, although his legions of fangirls in 1956 would not have complained.

The real surprise for me in this movie came from seeing German actor Peter van Eyck in the role of Boucher, the oily Frenchman who runs the saloon and gambling hall in Galena. I'm familiar with him from several of his German films (Fritz Lang's THE THOUSAND EYES OF DR. MABUSE) and the international productions he appeared in during the 1960s (THE LONGEST DAY, THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD, SHALAKO, etc.), but I'd forgotten about his Hollywood period in the mid-1950s. I found the sight of him alongside such stalwart Hollywood veterans as William Demarest and William Gargan an amusing bit of culture contrast, a bridge between two distinct eras of film history.

Colleen Miller plays the pretty showgirl from whom Curtis is separated for three long years. During that time she takes up with Boucher, which creates problems when Curtis finally comes back to town. She sings three songs in the saloon and one of them was written by Peggy Lee and Laurindo Almeida and even includes a Spanish dancer as backup. Whoever dubbed Ms. Miller's vocals has a great voice and I'd sure like to know who she was, but IMDb doesn't identify her.

The title, THE RAWHIDE YEARS, would seem to refer to that period in the film when Curtis' character has fled west to work as a cowboy for three years, a montage segment that lasts for maybe two or three minutes of the film's 85-minute running time before he starts his trek back east, with Kennedy tagging along. Perhaps that section was longer in the novel on which this film is based, in which case the title might have made sense. It doesn't here.

The only western that Tony Curtis was to star in his long career was The Rawhide Years. In the tradition of B westerns I'm not sure what Rawhide had to do with the story.

Despite that, it's a decent enough western which starts out on a riverboat where Curtis is the protégé/come-on shill of gambler Donald Randolph. After feeling sorry for a sucker they trimmed one night, Curtis allows a friend of the sucker played by Minor Watson to win the money back. Later on during a pirate raid on the riverboat Watson is killed, Curtis thrown overboard and later suspected of Watson's death.

His fugitive status also puts his marriage plans on hold with Colleen Miller. Curtis comes back after three years and finds she's married to saloon owner Peter Van Eyck. But it all gets straightened out in the end.

Arthur Kennedy is also in The Rawhide Years, a rather rouguish trail companion that Curtis picks up along the way back to Miller. You're never quite sure whether he'll be friend of foe in the end. He gets the acting honors in The Rawhide Years.

In his memoirs Curtis liked doing the film as a change of pace from what Universal usually cast him in. And he liked hanging around with stuntmen who gave him some good tips about behavior in front of the camera. Something they have to know as well as the players they are doubling for.

The Rawhide Years is solid western entertainment a good credit in the Tony Curtis filmography.

Tony Curtis is a riverboat gambler who has a murder pinned on him, so he heads out west to find out who did the deed before he is lynched.

It had been six years since Curtis had last been in a western. In that time he had risen from someone barely on the first cast card to one of Universal's biggest stars, so he is well supported in this movie, with the familiar players including William Demarest, Arthur Kennedy and William Gargan. Under the usually psychologically twisted direction of Rudolph Maté, he gives a competent, although not particularly interesting performance.... except, of course, to the young girls whose appeal lay in his beautiful face and lower-class accent. I suppose it made him seem approachable. The resulis a good if not outstanding star vehicle.

This is the story of Ben Matthews , a gambling man who followed his Luck...his Love and a killer's trail from the brawling river ports to the golden glitter of Antoines . Ben Matthews gives up the flashy and roguish life of a riverboat gambler, hoping to settle down in Galena with his sweetheart , a luscious entertainer , dancer and singer called Zoe Fontaine (Colleen Miller who sings and dances some wonderful songs) . But Galena's leading citizen is killed on the ¨Montana Queen¨ Riverboat . He flees from the riverboat to clear himself a murder charge . Ben, on arrival, finds a lynch mob after his neck, and flees one again . Ben , then , is wanted : dead or alive , for the murder of Matt Comfort (Minor Watson) . Three years of wandering later, Zoe's letters stop coming , Ben goes back to find her and along the way he meets a rogue gunslinger (Arthur Kennedy) . Both of them join forces against a malicious villain , the Andre Saloon's proprietor called Andre Boucher (Peter van Eyck) . Lusty, Loving, Brawling days when Ben Matthews ruled the river with Rick, the thief to back his play...and a perfumed plaything named "Zoe" danced for love and a living! Down The Wide Missouri They Rolled...The Gamblers...The Gunfighters...The Gals In Satin And Silks! .They Risked Their Luck On A Turn Of A Card...Their Lives On The Draw Of A Gun!

An enjoyable but simple tale is almost rudimentary though full of clichés, as the monotonous script lines too often settle for crude routine ; however containing some surprising twists and turns . Suspense and tension builds over the time in which the rogue gambler Curtis is mercilessly pursued and the starring awaits to clear his name . It is a passable and agreeable Western , but little seen action film . The shootouts and chases are decently made , as the nasties shoot without remission and take on the sympathetic duo : Curtis and Kennedy . The highlights of the film are the facing off between Curtis and his enemies and the climatic showdown on the ending .Tony Curtis gives an acceptable acting -in his usual style- as Ben Matthews , a swindler who is wrongly accused for killing and he must find the real killer before the lynch mob finds him while attempting the hopeless task of clearing himself . His colleague and helper is nicely performed by Arthur Kennedy as a doublé-shaded and genial ruffian, delivering another of his competently done portrayals . Earl Fenton storyline from magnificent novella by Norman A Fox that gives many opportunities to score off one another .There stands out the great Tony Curtis , including his NY acccent . Curtis was hired by the powerful Universal Picture Studios, where Curtis was offered a seven-year contract. After changing his name to what he saw as an elegant, mysterious moniker--"Tony Curtis" (named after the novel Knight Adverse (1936) by Hervey Allen and a cousin of his named Janush Kertiz)--Curtis began making a name for himself by appearing in small, offbeat roles in small-budget productions. His first notable performance was a two-minute role in Criss cross (1949), with Burt Lancaster, in which he makes Lancaster jealous by dancing with Yvonne De Carlo. This offbeat role resulted in Curtis's being typecast as a heavy for the next few years, such as playing a gang member in City across the river (1949).Curtis continued to build up a show reel by accepting any paying job, acting in a number of bit-part roles for the next few years. It wasn't until late 1949 that he finally got the chance to demonstrate his acting flair, when he was cast in an important role in an action western, Sierra (1950). On the strength of his performance in that movie, Curtis was finally cast in a big-budget movie, Winchester 73 (1950). While he appears in that movie only very briefly, it was a chance for him to act alongside a Hollywood legend, James Stewart . As his career developed, Curtis wanted to act in movies that had social relevance, ones that would challenge audiences, so he began to appear in such movies as Espartacus (1960) and Fugitivos (1958). He was advised against appearing as the subordinate sidekick in Espartacus (1960), playing second fiddle to the equally famous Kirk Douglas. However, Curtis saw no problem with this because the two had recently acted together in dual leading roles in The Vikings (1958) . At the time Tony Curtis played a number of swashbucklers and adventure movies as Purple mask , The prince who was a thief , Son of Ali Baba . Tony Curtis is excellently accompanied by a top-notch support cast , such as : Peter van Eyck , William Demarest , William Gargan , Minor Watson and the usual baddie Robert J Wilke .

It displays an atmospheric and moving score by Herman Stein and Frank Skinner . Colorful cinematography in Universal style by director of photography Irving Glassberg . The motion picture was professionally directed by Rudolph Mate , keeping the flick at a lively pace .Polish-born (Cracovia) and passed away Beverly Hills (1964) Mate was an assistant cameraman for Alexander Korda and later worked throughout Europe with noted cameraman Karl Freund , director Carl Theodor Dreyer and Erich Pommer . Dreyer was so impressed with his work that they hired him as cinematographer on The Passion of Joan of Arc . Mate is considered to be one of the best cameramen of cinema story . Mate was soon working on some of Europe's most prestigious films, cementing his reputation as one of the continent's premier cinematographers. Hollywood came calling in 1935, and Mate shot films there for the next 12 years before turning to directing in 1947 . Unfortunately, while many of his directorial efforts were visually impressive ,especially his sci-fi ¨When the worlds collide¨ (1951) , his labour as cameraman was excellent . He realized a variety films of all kind of genres as Adventures : ¨The Black Shield of Falworth¨ , ¨Seven Seas to Calais¨ , Western about themes of card players on riverboat as ¨The Mississipi gambler¨(1963) , ¨The rawhide years¨(1956) , about family conflict as ¨Thre violent people¨and about conflicts between Indians and cavalry as ¨In the siege at Red River¨(1954) and Noir films : ¨Union Station¨ , ¨Second chance¨ . He also directed Epic films as ¨The Barbarians¨ and ¨The 300 Spartans¨ . The films themselves were for the most part undistinguished, with his best work probably being the film-noir classic ¨DOA¨ (1950). ting : Passable , decente and acceptable , almost notable film 6,5/10 . Well worth watching .

This has to be one of the "best looking" films around. Very scenic, as a Western should be. Maybe the best looking two leads together ever.

It's a "fluff" Western, and that isn't always an insult. That's what this was meant to be. Lots of B Westerns were made with different goals, but roughly 2/5 were made like this, to be just eye candy, with a few side dishes added on.

Here, Arthur Kennedy is the "mystique" character. he comes on with too much of a likable rogue, and we wonder if he'll be the masked murderer who leaves Tony Curtis with the blame for a killing of a respected cattle baron.

This is lifted up a bit over the usual fluff with a few red herrings, as we get a bit of a mystery. And the clues come to us the same way they come to the character played by Curtis, which is refreshing. We actually feel along the way with him, as this is very well directed.

The review that claims Korman may have copied the villain for Blazing Saddles looks to be close to the mark I dare say. That kind of gives it a retro appeal that they hadn't counted on in 1955. It is an appealing film. Not memorable, but appealing.

Riverboat gambler Ben has to flee town and his girl after he's suspected of killing a leading citizen. Now he's got to clear himself with shaky help from horse thief, Rick Harper.

Going in, I figured the movie would amount to a vehicle for one of Universal's new, young stars, Tony Curtis. Well, the first 20-minutes had me figuring otherwise. First, Curtis's Ben gets caught cheating at cards, then he gets spurned by his girlfriend, and finally does something totally unWestern—loses a fist-fight to a bad guy and ends up tossed unceremoniously into the river. By this point, I wondered whether someone in Hollywood had mixed up the reels.

But no, after this unexpected opening the film settles into the more familiar western heroics, with Ben getting his share, plus the girl. However, there are several more offbeat touches in the works, including a lynching where Ben refrains from intervening after calculating the odds. No heroics here. Then too, there's the great actor Arthur Kennedy as Ben's sometimes buddy and full-time horse thief, Harper. Now Kennedy's usual style is to low-key his parts, which he does effectively, e.g. The Man From Laramie (1955). Here, however, he pulls out all the stops with an over-the-top performance that steals many a scene from the more subdued Curtis. I'm surprised the studio didn't intervene, since its Curtis's career that's presumably being advanced.

Anyhow, it's a kind of offbeat western and not just a showcase for pretty boy Curtis. Nothing special, but still more unpredictable than most oaters.

I never cared for tony curtis and arthur kennedy even less ... i'm reminded of his role in "nevada smith" where he played yet another evil character that got arrested for bank robbery and "bend in the river" where he hijacked jimmy stewart's food supplies ... he's always been a liar and a thief

Have a high appreciation for Westerns and 'The Rawhide Years' has some very talented names in front of and behind the camera. 'The Rawhide Years' was yet another film too recommended to me, finding myself on an unexpected but interesting Tony Curtis film completest quest. He may not have been the greatest of actors but there was a great deal of likeability about him.

'The Rawhide Years' turned out to be a fun watch. Not one of the best Western films by any stretch, but does its job well and for a film that didn't try to be one of the greats, try and do more than necessary, knew its target audience and what it wanted to be 'The Rawhide Yeats' is generally successful. It is good fun and there is not an ounce of shame having watched it, would hesitate in calling it a favourite but it is deserving of more attention than the near-obscure one it has as of now.

Admittedly, 'The Rawhide Years' is reasonably formulaic and the script has some campiness and doesn't always flow.

Coleen Miller is pretty bland here, not much to her performance, and her chemistry with Curtis does not convince in the slightest, it doesn't ever have spark or passion.

However, regardless of whether he convinces as the type of character he's playing (not quite), Curtis is very heroic and likeable, his acting was getting more comfortable, with some steel that makes his plight worth rooting for. The supporting cast standouts are a stoic William Demarest, deliciously hissable Peter Van Eyck and particularly humorously roguish Arthur Kennedy, his chemistry with Curtis being the most convincing in terms of character interaction of the film.

Visually, 'The Rawhide Years' is handsomely photographed and designed, and directed with assurance. The story is always exciting and easy to follow, some familiar genre tropes here but handled with enough freshness and charm. The characters and enough of the script are fun and amiable and the music fits nicely. The songs may be anachronistic somewhat and may not add much to the story but are lovely in their own right, "The Gypsy with Fire in His Shoes" especially.

In short, entertaining and an easy watch if not something to be blown away by. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Having been falsely accused aboard a riverboat of the murder of a rich rancher named "Matt Comfort" (Minor Watson), a gambler by the name of "Ben Matthews" (Tony Curtis) makes his escape and heads out west as fast as can. However, after not receiving any letters from his girlfriend "Zoe Fontaine" (Colleen Miller) for a number of months he decides to ride back to the same town where the friends of Matt currently reside. Yet, even though he has adopted a totally different name, on the way back he meets a con-man by the name of "Rick Harper" (Arthur Kennedy) who knows all about him and insists upon tagging along for the chance of making a quick buck-legitimate or otherwise. If that wasn't bad enough, the rich owner of a saloon where Zoe works named "Andre Boucher" (Peter van Eyck) not only knows everything about Ben but also wants Zoe all to himself and will stop at nothing to have his way. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this started out pretty well but the plot seemed to take a few more twists along the way than was really necessary. Likewise, some of the scenes were just a bit too convenient to be taken at face value as well. In any case, I thought that this was an okay western and have rated it accordingly. Average.

One thing that bothers me about typical reviews of Hollywood westerns is that every modest picture with horses, six-guns and saloons gets thrown into the same 'just another western' sack. If it's not The Big Country, or High Noon, or Rio Bravo, or a John Ford classic, then it's usually 'just another routine oater'.

Of course, way too many westerns are cliché ridden and flat. But there are scores of really good ones. Westerns that not only hold your interest, but also make you marvel at what a difference a good director, a good cast and a good script can make.

The Rawhide Years is one such picture. Expertly directed by Rudolph Maté and flawlessly filmed by Irving Glassberg, this movie has an exciting story, a terrific cast and carefully distilled themes of betrayal, friendship, courage and redemption.

It's on a par with the best westerns of Anthony Mann or Budd Boetticher. I've seen it many times, and it never disappoints. Very highly recommended, even for viewers who don't usually cater to oats.

Back in the 1940s and 50s, studios would sign actors and actresses to contracts with no clear intention of how they'd use them. Because of this, some actors were put in strange roles that, in hindsight, made little sense....but since they were under contract they did want to keep the actors busy and have them earn their keep. This is why you can see Rock Hudson starring as an American Indian in one film and Tony Curtis playing a riverboat gambler and cowboy in "The Rawhide Years". So, despite his Brooklyn accent and pretty looks...here he is!

The story begins with Ben Matthews (Curtis) working as a shill for a riverboat gambler. Matthews is sick of the life and quits...at just the perfect time! Soon, his ex-partner is hung and some masked man tossed him overboard into the river! But he IS alive...which is far more than can be said for the partner!

Time passes and Matthews is aboard another riverboat with his less than honest associate, Rick Harper (Arthur Kennedy). But this time Matthews is legitimate and looking to live the straight life...when the boat is boarded by river pirates...all sporting masks like the guy who tossed him overboard some time ago. Afterwards, Matthews swears he's going to find out who is in charge of this gang and bring them to justice.

Apart from the ridiculous and anachronistic songs belted out by Colleen Miller, the film turns out to be pretty good and entertaining. I also was shocked because in some of the fight scenes, it clearly IS Curtis and not a stuntman...so he apparently wasn't just some pretty boy from Brooklyn! Worth your time...and a most unusual western.

Although Tony Curtis' filmography includes above average performances in SOME LIKE IT HOT, THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, THE BOSTON STRANGLER, TRAPEZE, and THE GREAT RACE, I have never rated him an exceptional actor. But he certainly delivers a solid performance in THE RAWHIDE YEARS, and he is matched by the ever reliable Arthur Kennedy (in what appears to be a self-parodying role in which he keeps switching from crook to goody and back) and the smooth, classy and devious villain, Peter Van Eyck.

The lovely Colleen Miller certainly does not hurt with her sultry singing and beautiful brown eyes.

Rudolph Maté's direction is more than competent, cinematography is very good, action sequences and stunts are first rate, and the script carries enough surprises and twists to keep you riveted.

I see from other reviews that RAWHIDE is supposed to be a B pic. Well, it certainly does not look like one, to me. And the cast is better than the typical B.

Really enjoyed it - certainly exceeded my expectations!

Remember MISSISSIPPI GAMBLER, also from the same director starring this time Tyrone Power, or also Henry Levin's GAMBLER FROM NATCHEZ; all those films have the common point to take place in Louisiana, Mississippi during the nineteenth century and involving riverboats, more or les French speaking people, gamblers, duels with old fashioned pistols, in a field, at dawn. This movie is the most western oriented of those three. It is purely in the Universal style, which is not so far from the Paramount one, colourful, romance provider, action packed.... Tony Curtis was the glamourous star here for his "home" company: Universal.