Take Me to Town

Take Me to Town
Take Me to Town
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Douglas Sirk
Screenplay by	Richard Morris
Story by	Richard Morris
Produced by	Ross Hunter
Starring	Ann Sheridan; Sterling Hayden
Cinematography	Russell Metty
Edited by	Milton Carruth
Music by	Joseph Gershenson
Color process	Technicolor
Production; company	Universal International Pictures
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	June 12, 1953 (Los Angeles); June 19, 1953 (New York City);
Running time	81 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1 million (US rentals)

Take Me To Town is a 1953 American Comedy Western film directed by Douglas Sirk and starring Ann Sheridan and Sterling Hayden.

Plot

Pursued by a federal Marshal and needing a place to hide out, the musical comedy singer/dancer Mae Madison settles down to work in a new town under a new name, Vermilion O'Toole, pursued by her (apparent) partner in crime, Newt Cole.

The lady fugitive comes across three young boys who are looking for a new wife for their recently widowed dad, Will Hall, a lumberjack and local preacher. With the aid of her friend and boss Rose she flees from the Marshal, to look after the three boys while their father is working away. Complications - including ructions from Will's sanctimonious congregation - arise when the new 'housekeeper' and Will begin to hit it off.

The denouement unfolds during the performance of a stage show, put on by Vermilion to raise money to build a church for Will.

Cast

Ann Sheridan as Vermilion O'Toole
Sterling Hayden as Will Hall
Phillip Reed as Newton Cole
Lee Patrick as Rose
Lee Aaker as Corney
Harvey Grant as Petey
Dustey Henley as Bucket
Larry Gates as Ed Daggett
Forrest Lewis as Ed Higgins
Phyllis Stanley as Mrs. Stoffer
Dorothy Neumann as Felice Pickett
Ann Tyrrell as Louise Pickett

Production

The film was Ross Hunter's first as a producer. The onetime actor was working as a teacher when Ann Sheridan suggested he turn to producing. He worked without salary at the Motion Picture Center to learn producing, then managed to set up the film Take Me to Town at Universal. Sheridan's normal price was $475,000 per film but she agreed to $100,000 to work with Hunter. "It was Annie who really gave me my first break," later recalled Hunter. "She was a very great lady."^[2]

In 1960, Hunter was reportedly working on a Broadway version Vermillion. It was never made.^[3]

References

^ 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1953', Variety, January 13, 1954
^ Norma Lee Browning (April 28, 1968). "Three Cheers For Ross Hunter". Chicago Tribune.
^ Archer, Eugene (October 16, 1960). "HUNTER OF LOVE, LADIES, SUCCESS". New York Times. p. X9.

External links

Take Me to Town at IMDb
Take Me to Town at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Take Me to Town at the TCM Movie Database

This 1950s Western film–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article related to an American film of the 1950s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1953', Variety, January 13, 1954

[2] Norma Lee Browning (April 28, 1968). "Three Cheers For Ross Hunter". Chicago Tribune.

[3] Archer, Eugene (October 16, 1960). "HUNTER OF LOVE, LADIES, SUCCESS". New York Times. p. X9.

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