Man in the Shadow
| 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 |
Production company | |
Release dates | September 20, 1957 |
Running time | 80 min. |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.53 million |
Man in the Shadow (1957) is a CinemaScope crime film starring Jeff Chandler, Orson Welles, Colleen Miller, Ben Alexander, and John Larch.
Plot summary
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 matter. During his investigation, he 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.
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
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
External links
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