Ride the High Country (1962)

An ex-union soldier is hired to transport gold from a mining community through dangerous territory. But what he doesn't realize is that his partner and old friend is plotting to double-cross him.

Director:

Sam Peckinpah

Writer:

N.B. Stone Jr.

Stars:

Joel McCrea, Randolph Scott, Mariette Hartley

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Randolph Scott	...	Gil Westrum
Joel McCrea	...	Steve Judd
Mariette Hartley	...	Elsa Knudsen
Ron Starr	...	Heck Longtree
Edgar Buchanan	...	Judge Tolliver
R.G. Armstrong	...	Joshua Knudsen
Jenie Jackson	...	Kate
James Drury	...	Billy Hammond
L.Q. Jones	...	Sylvus Hammond
John Anderson	...	Elder Hammond
John Davis Chandler	...	Jimmy Hammond
Warren Oates	...	Henry Hammond

Storyline

Aging ex-marshal Steve Judd is hired by a bank to transport a gold shipment through dangerous territory. He hires an old partner, Gil Westrum, and his young protege Heck to assist him. Steve doesn't know, however, that Gil and Heck plan to steal the gold, with or without Steve's help. On the trail, the three get involved in a young woman's desire to escape first from her father, then from her fiance and his dangerously psychotic brothers.

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Plot Keywords:

miner | rifle | prostitute | horse | ambush | 

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Taglines:

Showdown in the High Sierra!

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Genres:

Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Chinese

Release Date:

9 May 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Guns in the Afternoon

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$813,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mariette Hartley's hair was cut short from playing Joan of Arc on stage in Chicago. For the screen test, the studio put her in a long wig, closely matching her natural red hair, that Deborah Kerr wore in Quo Vadis (1951). Sam Peckinpah hated it. She used her own close-cropped look for the film.

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Goofs

When Gil pours the judge the drink, his hand changes position on the bottle between shots, the hat on the bed also changes from old and having a dent to being in mint condition.

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Quotes

Judge Tolliver: You know, a good marriage has a kind of simple glory about it. A good marriage is a rare animal, hard to find - almost impossible to keep.

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Crazy Credits

Introducing Mariette Hartley

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Connections

Referenced in The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963)

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Soundtracks

For She's a Jolly Good Fellow
(uncredited)
Traditional
Sung at the wedding

User Reviews

An "A" Farewell for Two "B" Western Stars

Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea will probably be remembered as the top "B" western stars in movies. But their last film "Ride the High Country" stands as an "A" western and a very good one too.

Perhaps they owe this final chance to director Sam Peckinpah who turns the story into a splendid film in its genre shot in beautiful outdoor sceneries, with very well managed action scenes, a credible script, great settings and a fine musical score too.

Two moments are particularly outstanding in my opinion: the sort of "Fellinesc" sequence at the wedding with all those bizarre characters and the final showdown where Scott and McCrea face the mean Hammond brothers (John Anderson, James Drury and Warren Oates) in the "old fashioned way".

A well deserved "A" product for both actors -that amused and thrilled us western fans- through their long careers in the genre.