''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 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

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 Cumberland Falls, sometimes called the Little Niagara, the Niagara of the South, or the Great Falls, is a waterfall on the Cumberland River in southeastern Kentucky. Spanning the river at the border of McCreary and Whitley counties, the waterfal ...

, the Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park near

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

Owensboro Owensboro is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. It is the fourth-largest city in the state by population. Owensboro is located on U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 165 about southwest of Lou ...

, and Green River, 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 ...

and move to

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

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 Work (human activity), 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 compensa ...

Hannah (

Dianne Foster Dianne Foster (born Olga Helen Laruska; October 31, 1928 – July 27, 2019) was a Canadian actress of Ukrainian descent. Early life Foster was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She began her career at the age of 13 in a stage adaptation of Ja ...

), who wants to go with them, and schoolteacher Susie (

Diana Lynn Diana Marie Lynn (born Dolores Eartha Loehr, July 5, 1926 – December 18, 1971) was an American actress. Early years Lynn was born in Los Angeles, California. Her father, Louis Loehr, was an oil supply executive, and her mother, Martha Loe ...

), 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 A bullwhip is a single-tailed whip, usually made of braided leather or nylon, designed as a tool for working with livestock or competition. Bullwhips are pastoral tools, traditionally used to control livestock in open country. A bullwhip's leng ...

. The film features an appearance by the famed sternwheel riverboat ''Gordon C. Greene'', the same steamboat used in ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

'' and '' Steamboat Round the Bend''.

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 Whip Wilson (born Roland Charles Meyers, June 16, 1911 – October 22, 1964) was an American cowboy film star of the late 1940s and into the 1950s, known for his roles in B-westerns. He was one of eight children. Wilson had been a moderately ...

, 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, Lazi ...

' first film ''

Kiss the Blood Off My Hands ''Kiss the Blood Off My Hands'' is a 1948 American noir-thriller film directed by Norman Foster. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Gerald Butler, it stars Joan Fontaine, Burt Lancaster and Robert Newton. The film faced minor ...

'' 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 vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 19 ...

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