''The Kentuckian'' is a 1955 American

CinemaScope CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...

Western film directed by

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...

, who also starred. This was one of only two films Lancaster directed (the other was '' The Midnight Man''), and the only one for which he has sole credit. It was

Walter Matthau Walter Matthau (; born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. He is best known for his film roles in '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957), ''King Creole'' (1958) and as a coach of a ...

's film debut. The film is an adaptation of the novel ''The Gabriel Horn'' by Felix Holt. The film was shot in locations around Kentucky, including Cumberland Falls, the

Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park Levi Jackson Wilderness Road Park is a former state park located just south of London, Kentucky in Laurel County. It is now a city park under the auspices of the city of London, KY. The park encompasses and includes a section of the Wilderness R ...

near

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, Owensboro, and

Green River Green River may refer to: Rivers Canada *Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River *Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte *Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...

, and at the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Village near

Rockport, Indiana Rockport is a city in Ohio Township and the county seat of Spencer County, Indiana, along the Ohio River. The population was 2,270 at the 2010 census. Once the largest community in Spencer County, the city has recently been surpassed by the t ...

. A feature landmark is the natural arc
Sky Bridge
.

Plot

Frontiersman Elias "Big Eli" Wakefield (Lancaster) decides to leave 1820s

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

and move to

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

with his son "Little Eli" (Donald MacDonald). Along the way, they run into two women who take a liking to the pair,

indentured servant Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract, called an " indenture", may be entered "voluntarily" for purported eventual compensation or debt repayment ...

Hannah ( Dianne Foster), who wants to go with them, and schoolteacher Susie ( Diana Lynn), who would rather have Big Eli marry her and settle down. Big Eli has to deal with villainous Stan Bodine (Matthau), who cracks a bullwhip. The film features an appearance by the famed sternwheel riverboat ''Gordon C. Greene'', the same steamboat used in '' Gone with the Wind'' and ''

Steamboat Round the Bend ''Steamboat Round the Bend'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by John Ford, released by 20th Century Fox and produced by Fox Film Corporation, based on the 1933 novel of the same name by author Ben Lucien Burman. It was the final film mad ...

''.

Cast

Production

Near the end of the film, a ferocious fight occurs between Lancaster's character and Matthau's whip-wielding villain. Matthau was doubled by whip expert Whip Wilson, who cut Lancaster across the shoulder after the star asked him to "hit me and make it look real". Lancaster had also taken a real whipping during the filming of

Norma Productions Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Astronomy * Norma (constellation) *555 Norma, a minor asteroid * Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Geography *Norma, La ...

' first film '' Kiss the Blood Off My Hands'' in 1948."Picture of the Month: Kiss the Blood Off My Hands", ''Modern Screen'' December 1948 p 57
/ref>

Release

As part of the publicity, the producer, Hecht and Lancaster, commissioned Thomas Hart Benton to create the painting '' The Kentuckian'', which depicts a scene from the film. The painting belonged to the Hecht family for years but was ultimately donated to the

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Pa ...

in 1978.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kentuckian, The 1950s historical adventure films 1955 Western (genre) films 1955 directorial debut films 1955 films CinemaScope films American historical adventure films American Western (genre) films Films based on American novels Films directed by Burt Lancaster Films produced by Burt Lancaster Films produced by James Hill Films produced by Harold Hecht Films scored by Bernard Herrmann Films set in Kentucky Films set in Texas Films set in the 1820s Films shot in Kentucky Norma Productions films United Artists films Revisionist Western (genre) films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films