Bend of the River
| Bend of the River | |
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| Directed by | Anthony Mann |
| Produced by | Aaron Rosenberg Frank Cleaver |
| Written by | Borden Chase |
| Starring | James Stewart Arthur Kennedy Julie Adams Rock Hudson |
| Music by | Hans J. Salter |
| Cinematography | Irving Glassberg |
| Editing by | Russell F. Schoengarth |
| Distributed by | Universal International Pictures |
| Release date(s) | February 13, 1952 |
| Running time | 91 min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
Bend of the River is a 1952 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart in their second collaboration. The film is based on the novel Bend of the Snake by Bill Gulick.
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[edit] Plot
In 1847, remorseful former outlaw Glyn McLyntock (James Stewart) is scouting for a wagon train of settlers to Oregon. While he is checking the trail ahead, he rescues Emerson Cole (Arthur Kennedy) from being lynched for stealing a horse. Cole, who says the horse is "not exactly stolen," thinks he's heard of McLyntock, but doesn't pursue the subject. One of the pioneers in the wagon train is the eligible Laurie Baile (Julie Adams). That night, they are attacked by five Shoshone Indians and Laurie is wounded by an arrow. McLyntock and Cole go out to deal with the Shoshones and Cole saves McLyntock's life in the process. McLyntock welcomes Cole, but Jeremy Baile (Jay C. Flippen), the leader of the settlers, does not trust Cole and does not believe that a man can change from bad to good.
When they reach Portland, Oregon, Laurie remains there to recover. Cole also leaves the party saying that he wants to go to California to find gold. The rest, including McLyntock, go on to establish a settlement in the wilderness after making arrangements with a man named Tom Hendricks to send the supplies they need for the winter to be sent on later ("the first week in September"). That night, they have a big party and meet a professional gambler named Trey Wilson (played by Rock Hudson).
With winter fast approaching and the supplies at least six weeks late, they begin to worry when the food supply runs low. McLyntock and Jeremy Baile go back to Portland to investigate. They find that a gold rush has inflated prices enormously. Laurie and Cole are working for Tom Hendricks and have no intention of going to the settlement. McLyntock is not happy to see them together as a couple. Hendricks (Howard Petrie), their greedy supplier, has reneged on their business deal and has decided to sell their supplies at the new higher prices to a mining camp. Cole helps McLyntock round up some bad men to load the food and take it back to the settlement. Laurie joins them. When they are pursued, McLyntock sets up an ambush. Hendricks and some of his gang are killed, and the rest are driven off.
On the way to the settlement, some of the miners show up and offer an exorbitant price for the food. The hired men begin thinking about ways to commandeer the wagon train. Cole cannot resist the temptation of all that money and double-crosses his friend but doesn't kill him. That proves to be a mistake. McLyntock tracks them down and retakes the supplies with the assistance of Jeremy, Laurie, and Trey. Cole brings the miners to help him retake the supplies, but they are miners, not gunfighters and they lose to the more experienced gunhands. In a climactic brawl in the river, McLyntock kills Cole and they watch the current take his body toward the falls. At the end, they finally reach the settlement with the supplies and it's apparent that Laurie and Glyn are now a couple.
[edit] James Stewart and Anthony Mann
James Stewart starred in five classic Western movies by director Anthony Mann. In all five, he plays a man who is haunted by his past. The films are famous for their groundbreaking use of the landscape to portray the characters' feelings.
- Winchester '73 (1950)
- Bend of the River (1952)
- The Naked Spur (1953)
- The Far Country (1954)
- The Man From Laramie (1955)
[edit] Cast
- James Stewart as Glyn McLyntock
- Arthur Kennedy as Emerson Cole
- Julie Adams as Laura Baile
- Rock Hudson as Trey Wilson, a professional gambler
- Lori Nelson as Marjie Baile
- Jay C. Flippen as Jeremy Baile
- Howard Petrie as Tom Hendricks
- Chubby Johnson as Captain Mello
- Stepin Fetchit as Adam, Mello's assistant
- Harry Morgan as Shorty, one of the treacherous hired men
- Jack Lambert as Red, another hired hand
- Royal Dano as Long Tom, a third untrustworthy hire-on
- Frances Bavier as Mrs. Prentiss (better known as Aunt Bee on The Andy Griffith Show)
[edit] Reception
In 2008, Bend of the River was nominated for AFI's Top 10 Western Films list.[1]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Bend of the River at the TCM Movie Database
- Bend of the River at the Internet Movie Database
- Bend of the River at AllRovi
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