''The Vanquished'' is a 1953 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

Edward Ludwig Edward Irving Ludwig (October 7, 1899 – August 20, 1982) was a Russian-born American film director and writer. He directed nearly 100 films between 1921 and 1963 (some under the names Edward I. Luddy and Charles Fuhr). Ludwig was also one ...

, written by

Lewis R. Foster Lewis Ransom Foster (August 5, 1898 – June 10, 1974) was an American screenwriter, film/television director, and film/television producer. He directed and wrote over one hundred films and television series between 1926 and 1960. Selected film ...

Winston Miller Winston Miller (June 22, 1910 – June 21, 1994) was an American screenwriter, film producer, and actor. He wrote for more than 60 films and television shows between 1936 and 1976. He began as an actor in silent films, appearing in eleven fi ...

and Frank L. Moss, and starring John Payne,

Jan Sterling Jan Sterling (born Jane Sterling Adriance; April 3, 1921 – March 26, 2004) was an American film, television and stage actress. At her most active in films during the 1950s (immediately prior to which she had joined the Actors Studio), Sterling ...

Coleen Gray Coleen Gray (born Doris Bernice Jensen; October 23, 1922 – August 3, 2015) was an American actress. She was best known for her roles in the films '' Nightmare Alley'' (1947), '' Red River'' (1948), and Stanley Kubrick's '' The Killing'' ...

Lyle Bettger Lyle Stathem Bettger (February 13, 1915 – September 24, 2003) was an American character actor who had roles in Hollywood films and television from the 1950s onward, often portraying villains. One such role was the wrathfully jealous elephant ...

Willard Parker Willard Parker (born Worster Van Eps; February 5, 1912 – December 4, 1996) was an American film and television actor. He was a leading man under contract to Columbia Pictures in the 1940s and starred in the TV series '' Tales of the Texas Ran ...

, Roy Gordon and

John Dierkes John Dierkes (February 10, 1905 – January 8, 1975) was an American actor who appeared in a number of classic Hollywood films. Before becoming an actor, he had been an economist. Life and career Dierkes was born on February 10, 1905 in ...

. It was released on June 3, 1953, by Paramount Pictures.

Plot

The war over, civil administrator Roger Hale has become the scourge of the Southern town of Galeston, exacting his own kind of justice. He and his ex-prostitute lover Rose Slater also have moved into the Grayson manor, childhood home of Rockwell Grayson, who has been away fighting in the war. After ostensibly going to see inspector general Hildebrandt to request he investigate Hale's activities, Rock instead returns to form an alliance with Hale, offering to become his tax collector and siding with him publicly against the townspeople. Jane Colfax, his former sweetheart, is shocked by Rock's behavior, as are others. Rose's greed leads her to purchase a nearby plantation with Hale's ill-gotten gains and offer to cut Rock in on their profits. She also persuades Hale to sign a document bequeathing his possessions to her should anything happen to him. Rock is revealed to be working undercover on the general's behalf, gaining information to use against Hale. A former union officer, Kirby, learns of Rock's real mission. Rock is shot and reveals his true purpose to Jane, who forgives him and threatens Rose with a pair of scissors. Rose then shoots Hale, possibly by mistake, possibly not. Rock gets the better of Kirby and reunites with Jane.

Cast

* John Payne as Rockwell 'Rock' Grayson *

as Rose Slater *

as Jane Colfax *

as Roger Hale *

as Captain Kirby *Roy Gordon as Doctor Colfax *

as General Morris *Charles Evans as General Hildebrandt *

Strother Martin Strother Douglas Martin Jr. (March 26, 1919 – August 1, 1980) was an American character actor who often appeared in support of John Wayne and Paul Newman and in Western films directed by John Ford and Sam Peckinpah. Among Martin's memorable pe ...

as Scott * Ellen Corby as Mrs. Barbour * Ernestine Barrier as Mrs. Colfax *Russell Gaige as Reverend Babcock *Leslie Kimmell as Colonel Ellansby *Voltaire Perkins as Harvey Giddens *Sam Flint as Connors *Freeman Morse as Randy Williams * Denver Pyle as Fairchild *Richard Shannon as Lieutenant Adams *

Karen Sharpe Karen Kay Sharpe (born September 20, 1934) is an American film and television actress. She is known for playing Laura Thomas in the American western television series ''Johnny Ringo''. Life and career Sharpe was born in San Antonio, Texas, th ...

as Lucy Colfax

Production

In May 1951

Pine-Thomas Productions Pine-Thomas Productions was a prolific B-picture unit of Paramount Pictures from 1940–1957, producing 81 films. Co-producers William H. Pine (February 15, 1896 – April 29, 1955) and William C. Thomas (August 11, 1903 – April 2, 1984) were kno ...

signed a contract with Paramount to turn out at least eight films in 1952 and 1953. The proposed projects included an adaptation of the unpublished novel ''The Rebel'' by Karl Brown. They also signed a contract with John Payne to make six films in three years. In April 1952 it was announced Pine-Thomas would make the film as ''Thunderbolt'' and it would star Payne and

Arlene Dahl Arlene Carol Dahl (August 11, 1925 – November 29, 2021) was an American actress active in films from the late 1940s. She was one of the last surviving stars from the Classical Hollywood cinema era. She was also an author and entrepreneur. Sh ...

, who had just made ''Caribbean'' for Pine-Thomas. The film would be the second of a three-picture deal Dahl had signed with the company. It was described as a "

Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...

of the south". Edward Ludwig signed to direct. By June the film's title had been changed to ''The Lion's Share'' and then ''Violence at Thunder Run''. Dahl had dropped out and Jan Sterling and Colleen Grey signed to co star. The film was also known as ''The Conquerors'', and ''Brazen''. Filming took place in August 1952 under a new title ''Rock Grayson's Women''. In December the title was changed yet again, to ''The Vanquished''.

Comic book adaptation

* Eastern Color Movie Love #22 (August 1953)

References

External links

*
''The Vanquished''
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of A ...

Review of film
at ''Variety'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Vanquished, The 1953 films 1950s English-language films Paramount Pictures films American Western (genre) films 1953 Western (genre) films Films directed by Edward Ludwig Films adapted into comics 1950s American films