''Arena'' is a 1953

Ansco Color Agfa-Farbenplatte of Bad Kreuznach, Germany, 1933. An Agfacolor slide of a café in Oslo, Norway, 1937. An Agfacolor slide of Paris, France, 1937. An Agfacolor slide of Stockholm, Sweden, 1938. An Agfacolor slide, Hungary, 1938. An Agf ...

3-D film directed by

Richard Fleischer Richard Owen Fleischer (; December 8, 1916 – March 25, 2006) was an American film director. His career spanned more than four decades, beginning at the height of the Golden Age of Hollywood and lasting through the American New Wave. He was the ...

and starring

Gig Young Gig Young (born Byron Elsworth Barr; November 4, 1913 – October 19, 1978) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in '' Come Fill the Cup'' ...

Jean Hagen Jean Hagen (born Jean Shirley Verhagen; August 3, 1923 – August 29, 1977) was an American actress best known for her role as Doll Conovan in '' The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950) and as Lina Lamont in ''Singin' in the Rain'' (1952), for which she wa ...

, and Polly Bergen. It was promoted as "the first 3-D

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 ...

" of the era.

Plot

A man named Hob Danvers comes to a

Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

rodeo with Sylvia Lorgan in tow. Hob has been separated from wife Ruth for two years, and doesn't realize she intends to be at the rodeo. He meets up with old friends Lew and Meg Hutchins and learns that Lew is here looking for work. He is shocked to find that Lew is now a clown, after many years as a rodeo rider. Current rodeo star Jackie Roach turns up and makes a pass at Sylvia, who rejects him. Hob competes in bareback riding and so impresses Lew's young son that Lew bribes a cowboy to change places and let him ride a bucking bronco. Lew is thrown and badly injures his leg. Ruth scolds the others for encouraging Lew, saying everyone should face the hard truth that his rodeo career is done. Lew, angry now, enters the Brahma bull competition over Meg's objections. Hob goes first and is thrown. Lew, attempting to distract the bull, cannot get away quickly enough due to his bad leg. He is fatally gored. Hob walks away, leaving Sylvia behind, but Ruth joins him on the way out.

Cast

as Hob Danvers *

as Meg *

Polly Bergen Polly Bergen (born Nellie Paulina Burgin; July 14, 1930 – September 20, 2014) was an American actress, singer, television host, writer, and entrepreneur. She won an Emmy Award in 1958 for her performance as Helen Morgan (singer), Helen ...

as Ruth *

Harry Morgan Harry Morgan (born Harry Bratsberg; April 10, 1915 – December 7, 2011) was an American actor whose television and film career spanned six decades. Morgan's major roles included Pete Porter in both '' December Bride'' (1954–1959) and '' Pet ...

as Lew Hutchins *

Barbara Lawrence Barbara Jo Lawrence (February 24, 1930 – November 13, 2013) was an American model, actress, and real estate agent. Early years Lawrence was born to Morris and Bernice (nee Eaton) Lawrence in Carnegie, Oklahoma. She won a Tiny Tot beauty co ...

as Sylvia * Robert Horton as Jack Roach * Wiley McCray as Lew Hutchins

Reception

According to MGM records the film earned $762,000 in the US and Canada and $260,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $444,000.

References

External links

* * * {{Richard Fleischer Films directed by Richard Fleischer 1953 films American 3D films American Western (genre) films 1953 3D films 1953 Western (genre) films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Rodeo in film Films set in Tucson, Arizona 1953 drama films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films Films scored by Rudolph G. Kopp English-language Western (genre) films Films with screenplays by Harold Jack Bloom