STRANGER ON HORSEBACK (1955)

Circuit judge Joel McCrea is making the rounds when he comes upon a town that's run completely by one man, Josiah Bannerman (John McIntire).  There also happened to be an undocumented shooting a few days ago involving Bannerman's son, Tom (Kevin McCarthy).  The shooting was supposedly in self-defense, but once McCrea starts doing some digging he sees that the younger Bannerman has a history of killing people in "self-defense".  He arrests Tom, but that go over like a dry wet fart with Bannerman and his hired guns.  Will McCrea live long enough to get Tom to trial?

The story's not original, but the strong cast makes this an interesting time waster.  Unfortunately, due to the lack of action scenes the runtime is only 66 minutes (including the credits).  Director Jacques Tourneur had a lot of films under his belt by this time in his career, so I'm sure he knew the script needed punching up, but I'm guessing the budget didn't allow it.  Fortunately, his next film, the same year's WICHITA (also staring McCrea) turned out better.

Good cast, steady pace, low action, forced romantic storyline, cat sitting on a desk, nice photography, unoriginal story.  Average lower budget 1950's Western.

THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (1962)

Fresh out of law school, 54-year-old James Stewart is traveling to the small western town of Shinbone when the stagecoach is held up by local bandit Liberty Valance.  He beats the poo-poo out of Stewart and leaves him for dead on the side of the road.  Luckily, John Wayne happens to find him and takes him into town for some medical attention.  Shinbone is a small town, not much bigger than a tumbleweed, and it doesn't have a lawyer or much of anything for that matter.  Mostly bars, drunks, a one-man newspaper written by Edmond O'Brien and a restaurant waitressed by Vera Miles.

It's Miles who nurses Stewart back to health.  She even gets him a job washing dishes, since there's no need for a lawyer.  As things progress and the locals faces off against the large ranchers in a fight of statehood vs. territorial control by the ranchers, Stewart is obsessed with seeing Valance face the justice of the Law.  At the same time, Valance and his gang continues to terrorize the local population and Wayne sees that his secret love for Miles is in danger of being crushed by her admiration of Stewart.

THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE isn't your standard western with the wide shots of the beautiful desert vistas, cattle drives and everybody riding horses non-stop.  Most of the action takes place indoors with people talking.  Now whether that was was done by choice or lack of financing I don't know, but it works thanks to the strong script and the fact that TMWSLV has pound-for-pound one of the most impressive casts ever!  It's amazing!  There's one scene (the steak on the floor scene) where you have John Wayne, Vera Miles, Jimmy Stewart, Lee Marvin, Edmond O'Brien, Strother Martin, Woody Strode, Jeanette Nolan, Lee Van Cleef and John Qualen all in one area together!  Not to mention Andy Devine ducking out the back door.  That's mind-blowing.

Great story, amazing cast, Strother Martin giggling, Montie Montana's horse drinking out of a water pitcher, tons of familiar faces (including Denver Pyle, Willis Bouchey, Robert F. Simon, Carleton Young, Ted Mapes, Jack Pennick and more), good pace, costume design by Edith Head, John Carradine monologuing and one of my favorite Edmond O'Brien performances ever.  I have no idea why this film only received one(!!!) Oscar nomination. 

Highly recommended.