Another Bit of American Mythology (Warts and All)

 

The Last Train From Gun Hill (1959) – U.S. Marshall Matt Morgan
faces the difficult task of bringing the son of an old friend in for
rape and murder. The victim was Morgan’s Native American wife, and
his friend is now a powerful and ruthless cattle baron.

Directed by John Sturges                               Starring Kirk Douglas,
Anthony Quinn, Carolyn Jones

Why I Liked It – Well told story that builds the
suspense nicely. Reminiscent of “3:10 to Yuma”

At the center of American mythology is the “Old
West”. For years the cowboy movie was a staple of American cinema,
serving as the touchstone for the rest of the world about the United
States. Starting in the 1950s, the western began a slow shift that
left many traditionalists outraged. No longer was the cowboy
automatically the good guy. No longer did the hero always solve
problems with a careful shot. Indians were not always aggressive
savages, bent on destroying the white man. A decade later, the bad
guys could be the good guys.

“Last Train from Boot Hill” stands balanced
between the two eras of the western. As Morgan, Kirk Douglas is both
a man dedicated to the law, and a reformed roughneck. His old riding
companion, Craig Belden (Quinn), has achieved the American Dream.
He’s successful, with a huge ranch and great power in the town of
Boot Hill. His son Rick (played by character actor Earl Holliman) is
a spoiled brat grown into a careless fool of a man. He has no concern
about raping and killing Morgan’s wife. She’s just an Indian, so
who was going to care? The bad guys aren’t cutout characters
filling the plot needs.

Along the way, we run into the deeply ingrained
racism of the western. Anyone other than the white man appears as an
inferior for exploitation or destruction. It makes for some
uncomfortable viewing. But we can’t ignore this core of the genre.
If Catherine Morgan (played by Ziva Rodman) hadn’t married the
marshall, how likely is that her murder would get this kind of
investigation? Unlikely. In many (most?) westerns the racism is
casual, in a few it’s so blatantly stated to destroy the value of
the movie for the modern viewer. It’s casual here, but undeniable.

One interesting note for fans of 1960’s
television. Playing the spurned girlfriend of the cattle baron is
Carolyn Jones, better known to most as Morticia Addams from “The
Addams Family” television show. She was unrecognizable to me
without the long, black hair. But once you realize who it is, you can
see it. As Linda, she tries to help Morgan escape when things go
south for the marshal.

A solid (if flawed) western that shows the new
direction coming for the category.

Rating – *** Worth A Look