''Ride Lonesome'' is a 1959 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

Budd Boetticher Oscar "Budd" Boetticher Jr. ( ; July 29, 1916 – November 29, 2001) was an American film director. He is best remembered for a series of low-budget Westerns he made in the late 1950s starring Randolph Scott. Early life Boetticher was born in C ...

and starring

Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor whose career spanned the years from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of ...

Karen Steele Karen Steele (March 20, 1931 – March 12, 1988) was an American actress and model with more than 60 roles in film and television. Her most famous roles include starring as Virginia in '' Marty'', as Mrs. Lane in ''Ride Lonesome'', and as Ev ...

Pernell Roberts Pernell Elven Roberts Jr. (May 18, 1928 – January 24, 2010) was an American stage, film, and television actor, activist, and singer. In addition to guest-starring in over 60 television series, he was best known for his roles as Ben Cartw ...

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, parti ...

, and

James Coburn James Harrison Coburn III (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.AllmoviBi ...

in his film debut. This

Eastmancolor Eastmancolor is a trade name used by Eastman Kodak for a number of related film and processing technologies associated with color motion picture production and referring to George Eastman, founder of Kodak. Eastmancolor, introduced in 1950, was on ...

film is one of Boetticher's so-called "Ranown cycle" of westerns, made with Randolph Scott, executive producer

Harry Joe Brown Harry Joe Brown (September 22, 1890 – April 28, 1972) was an American film producer, and earlier a theatre and film director. Biography Harry Joe Brown was born in 1890 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a producer, he had a partnership wit ...

and screenwriter

Burt Kennedy Burton Raphael Kennedy (September 3, 1922 – February 15, 2001) was an American screenwriter and director known mainly for directing Westerns. Budd Boetticher called him "the best Western writer ever." Biography Kennedy was born in 1922 i ...

, beginning with '' Seven Men from Now''.

Plot

Bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for bail bonds who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as bail enforcement agent, or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated outsid ...

Ben Brigade captures Billy John, who is wanted for murder, to bring to Santa Cruz. Billy instructs Charlie, a member of his gang, to notify his brother Frank, a notorious outlaw, that he has been apprehended. Along the trail, they come upon an eerily deserted stagecoach

way station 250px, Layover for buses at LACMTA's Warner Center Transit Hub, Los Angeles ">Los_Angeles.html" ;"title="Warner Center Transit Hub, Los Angeles">Warner Center Transit Hub, Los Angeles In scheduled transportation, a layover (also waypoint, way ...

, where they are greeted by outlaw Sam Boone and his partner Whit. Carrie Lane, the absent station master's wife, emerges holding a rifle and orders the men to leave. As a stagecoach approaches in the distance, Brigade suspects that Boone and Whit have come to rob the coach, which then crashes into the corral, revealing that the driver and passengers have been massacred by Mescalero Indians. After burying the dead, Brigade and the others hole up at the station, waiting for the Indians to attack. When Carrie, whose husband left to round up some horses scattered by the Indians, voices her concern about him, Brigade snorts that he was a fool to leave her. Boone tells Brigade that he and Whit did not plan to rob the stage, but to capture Billy and earn the award of

amnesty Amnesty (from the Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία, ''amnestia'', "forgetfulness, passing over") is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power offici ...

for all past crimes. In the morning, Brigade orders Carrie to ride with them to pick up her husband. A band of Indians appears on the horizon and Brigade rides out to meet the chief, who wants Carrie for his squaw and offers to trade a horse for her. Insisting that they play along, Brigade presents Carrie, who recognizes the horse offered in exchange as belonging to her husband and screams, prompting the Indians to ride off. The group is pursued by the Indians and takes cover at an adobe shack over the rise. When the chief comes for Carrie, she kills him with her rifle, and the remaining Indians disperse. In the morning, Billy holds a stolen rifle of Boone's on Brigade but is tricked into relinquishing it when Boone tells him that it is unloaded. Boone begins to believe that the bounty hunter wants Frank to catch up to them. Nervous about an armed confrontation with Frank, Whit suggests ceding Billy to Brigade and riding off, but Boone insists on staying. Boone offers to pay Brigade the price on Billy's head if he will hand over the outlaw, but Brigade refuses. Upon reaching the shack, Frank is puzzled that Brigade has not bothered to conceal his tracks and finally realizes that Brigade wants him to catch up so that he can avenge a past offense. As Brigade and the others pass a hanging tree, Brigade becomes irritable and orders them to camp a day's ride from Santa Cruz. Boone tells Carrie that he will look out for her and warns her that Brigade will never reach town alive. Carrie voices her disgust over killing for money, and Brigade confides that his real target is Frank. When Brigade was sheriff of Santa Cruz, he arrested Frank, who after being released from jail kidnapped Brigade's wife and hanged her from the tree. Frank's gang arrives. Having overheard the story of his wife's murder, Boone offers to cover Brigade in his confrontation. Brigade orders Billy to mount his horse, slips a noose around Billy's neck, leads him to the hanging tree, and challenges Frank to stop the hanging. Frank opens fire, causing Billy's horse to bolt and leave Billy swinging from the tree. Brigade kills Frank and shoots the rope hanging Billy from the tree, while Boone and Whit chase off the rest of the gang. Brigade turns Billy over to Boone and warns him to keep his promise about going straight. After the others ride off toward Santa Cruz, Brigade sets the tree on fire.

Cast

Home media

In 2008, a DVD box set of five Budd Boetticher films starring Randolph Scott was released by Sony Columbia. Along with ''Ride Lonesome'' the set includes '' Buchanan Rides Alone'', '' Decision at Sundown'', '' Comanche Station'', and '' The Tall T''.In 2018, a Region Free Blu-ray set of the same films, many of them restored, was released by Powerhouse films, on the 'Indicator' label. The title was 'Five Tall Tales: Budd Boetticher & Randolph Scott At Columbia, 1957-1960'.

References

External links

* * * * {{Budd Boetticher 1959 films American Western (genre) films 1959 Western (genre) films Columbia Pictures films Films directed by Budd Boetticher CinemaScope films Films scored by Heinz Roemheld 1950s English-language films 1950s American films

Plot

Cast

Home media

See also

References

External links