Man in the Shadow (American film)
| Man in the Shadow | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Jack Arnold |
| Produced by | Albert Zugsmith |
| Written by |
Gene L. Coon Orson Welles |
| Starring |
Jeff Chandler Orson Welles Colleen Miller Ben Alexander Barbara Lawrence |
| Music by |
Hans J. Salter Herman Stein |
| Cinematography | Arthur E. Arling |
| Edited by | Edward Curtiss |
Production company |
Universal International |
| Distributed by | Universal International |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.53 million |
Man in the Shadow is a 1958 CinemaScope Western crime film directed by Jack Arnold starring Jeff Chandler, Orson Welles, Colleen Miller, Ben Alexander and Barbara Lawrence.
Plot
The cow town of Spurline is effectively ruled by Virgil Renchler (Welles), owner of the Golden Empire ranch.
One night, some of Renchler's hands beat a young laborer, Juan Martín, to death. The newly elected sheriff of Spurline, Ben Sadler (Chandler), decides to investigate the murder, but must contend with Renchler's henchmen and the fierce opposition of the townspeople, who fear Spurline would be ruined without the Golden Empire's business.
Ranch foreman Ed Yates admits to Renchler that he killed Martin, but employee Chet Huneker is persuaded to tell the law that he hit Martin accidentally with a car. Renchler's daughter, Skippy (Miller), tells the sheriff what she remembers from the night of Martin's death.
Sadler is beaten by Yates and Huneker, then dragged through town, tied to the back of a truck. Sadler gets a rifle, tosses aside his badge and, with help from town drunk Ab Begley (Alexander), goes after Renchler and his men, defeating them with the help of the townspeople, who then return Sadler's badge to him.
Cast
- Jeff Chandler as Ben Sadler
- Orson Welles as Virgil Renchler
- Colleen Miller as Skippy Renchler
- Ben Alexander as Ab Begley
- Barbara Lawrence as Helen Slader
- John Larch as Ed Yates
- James Gleason as Hank James
- Royal Dano as Aiken Clay
- Paul Fix as Herb Parker
- Leo Gordon as Chet Huneker
- Martin Garralaga as Jesus Cisneros
- Mario Siletti as Tony Santoro, the barber
- Charles Horvath as Len Bookman
- William Schallert as Jim Shaney
- Joseph J. Greene as Harry Youngquist
- Forrest Lewis as Jake Kelley, the Coroner
- Harry Harvey Sr. as Dr. Creighton
- Joe Schneider as Juan Martin
- Mort Mills as Empire Ranch Gateman Bill Edmunds
Production
The movie was originally called Pay the Devil.[1] It was Jeff Chandler's last film under his exclusive deal with Universal.[2]
The part of Virgil Renchler was originally going to be played by Robert Middleton but agents from the William Morris Agency suggested Orson Welles, who badly needed the money to pay back taxes. It was his first Western. During the course of making the film, Welles rewrote sections of the script. He also formed a relationship with Albert Zugsmith who produced Welles' next movie as director, Touch of Evil (1958).[3]
Filming started October 1956.[4]
Director Jack Arnold says he had one incident with Orson Welles on Welles' first day of shooting but after that he was "wonderful" to work with and full of good ideas.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ Orson Welles Is a Cowboy in His First Western Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) [Chicago, Ill] 03 Oct 1956: b3.
- ↑ SYMBOLIC DRAMA WILL BE A MOVIE: 'A Passenger to Bali,' Which Ran Here in 1940, Bought by Security Pictures By THOMAS M. PRYOR Special to The New York Times.. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 24 Sep 1956: 23.
- ↑ Jeff Stafford, 'Man in the Shadow', Turner Classic Movies accessed 28 July 2012
- ↑ FOX NAMES STARS OF 'WAYWARD BUS': Widmark and Gene Tierney to Act in Movie Version of John Steinbeck Novel Welles to Co-Star By THOMAS M. PRYOR Special to The New York Times.. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 04 Oct 1956: 29.
- ↑ Lawrence French, 'Interview with Jack Arnold', Welles.net accessed 28 July 2012