''A Man Alone'' is a 1955 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by Ray Milland (credited as R. Milland) starring

Ray Milland Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985. He is remembered for his Academy Award and Cannes Film Festival Award-winning ...

, Mary Murphy and

Ward Bond Wardell Edwin Bond (April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and starred in the NBC television series ''Wagon Train'' from 1957 to 1960. Among his best-remembered roles are Ber ...

. The story involves a man (Milland) who stumbles onto the aftermath of a stagecoach robbery in the Arizona desert in which there were no survivors.

Plot

On foot after the mercy killing of his horse, Wes Steele finds a stagecoach and a number of dead passengers. He takes a horse and rides to

Mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by ...

. A corrupt banker, Stanley, and partner Joiner discuss their stagecoach holdup with Clanton, their hired gun. Joiner, upset over the deaths, begins to leave, but Clanton shoots him in the back. Stanley tells townspeople the stranger Steele is responsible for the robbery and murder. Steele hides in the cellar of a house. It turns out to belong to the sheriff, Gil Gorrigan, who has yellow fever. His daughter Nadine is caring for Gil and the home is quarantined. Steele nurses the sheriff back to health after Nadine collapses from fatigue. A grateful Nadine says her dad worries about her but has left her well-provided for the future. She and Steele kiss. He ventures outside, where he confronts and coldcocks Stanley, causing a lynch mob to form. Gil gives the wanted Steele a chance to escape. It turns out the sheriff has been on the take from Stanley, so now a noose is tossed around a tree for him. Steele returns to rescue him. He kills Clanton, and then Stanley is placed under arrest. Told he should leave this town, Steele decides to stick around.

Cast

as Wes Steele * Mary Murphy as Nadine Corrigan *

as Sheriff Gil Corrigan *

Raymond Burr Raymond William Stacy Burr (May 21, 1917September 12, 1993) was a Canadian actor known for his lengthy Hollywood film career and his title roles in television dramas ''Perry Mason'' and '' Ironside''. Burr's early acting career included roles ...

as Stanley *

Arthur Space Charles Arthur Space (October 12, 1908 – January 13, 1983) was an American film, television and stage actor. He was best known as Doc Weaver, the veterinarian, in thirty-nine episodes of the CBS television series ''Lassie''. Early years Born ...

as Doctor Mason *

Lee Van Cleef Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef Jr. (January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989) was an American actor. He appeared in over 170 film and television roles in a career spanning nearly 40 years, but is best known as a star of Italian Spaghetti Westerns, partic ...

as Clanton * Alan Hale as Acting Sheriff Jim Anderson * Douglas Spencer as Henry Slocum * Thomas B. Henry as Maybanks *

Grandon Rhodes Grandon Rhodes (born Grandon Neviers Augustine Rolker; August 7, 1904 – June 9, 1987) was an American actor. Early years Rhodes was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. Career Early in his career, Rhodes acted in repertory theatre with troupe ...

as Luke Joiner *

Martin Garralaga Martín Garralaga (10 November 1894 – 12 June 1981) was a Spanish actor who worked in Hollywood from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was married to opera singer and actress Rosa Rey. Biography Garralaga first came to the United States whe ...

as Ortega *

Kim Spalding Kim Spalding (born Ross F. Latimer; December 7, 1915 – November 18, 2000) was an American film, television and theatre actor. Life and career Spalding was born in Washington, Missouri, the son of Ross Latimer. He began his film career in ...

as Sam Hall * Howard J. Negley as Wilson

Production

In August 1954 it was announced Milland would star in and direct a Western, ''The Gunman'' for Republic. It was based on an original script by John Tucker Battle and

Talbot Jennings Talbot Lanham Jennings (August 25, 1894 – May 30, 1985) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He received two Academy Award nominations for co-writing the screenplays for ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' (1935) and '' Anna and the King of Siam' ...

. Milland directed episodes of his 1953–55 sitcom ''Meet Mr. McNutley/The Ray Milland Show'' to prepare. He was on a percentage of the profits. Filming started March 1955. Parts of the film were shot in the sand dunes outside

St. George, Utah St. George is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Utah, United States. Located in southwestern Utah on the Arizona border, it is the principal city of the St. George Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The city lies in the northe ...

. In April the unit returned to Los Angeles.

Reception

After ''A Man Alone'' Yates hired Milland to direct one film a year for four years.Drama: Milland Will Direct, Costar With Maureen, ''Los Angeles Times'' 27 Oct 1955: A6.

References

External links