The Dude Goes West
| The Dude Goes West | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Kurt Neumann |
| Written by | Mary Loos Richard Sale |
| Produced by | Frank King Maurice King |
| Starring | Eddie Albert Gale Storm James Gleason |
| Cinematography | Karl Struss |
| Edited by | Richard V. Heermance |
| Music by | Dimitri Tiomkin |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Allied Artists Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Dude Goes West is a 1948 American comedy Western film starring Eddie Albert and Gale Storm. It was directed by Kurt Neumann and released by Monogram Pictures. The film was originally known as Tombstone.[1]
Gale Storm called it one of the two best films she ever made, the other being It Happened on Fifth Avenue.[2]
Plot
Gunsmith and marksman Daniel Bone closes his Brooklyn, New York business and travels west, where he feels that he belongs. On a train, he encounters passenger Liza Crockett. After witnessing the theft of her purse, Dan confronts the thief, disarms him and throws him off the train. The thief is a notorious outlaw called the Pecos Kid who vows revenge against "the dude" who interfered with his holdup. Liza mistakenly believes that it was Dan who had tried to steal her bag.
They part ways, but later encounter one another in the desert, as Liza makes her way to Arsenic City, Nevada, where a map to her father's gold mine might make Liza a wealthy woman. On their way, riding in her buckboard, Indians capture them. Dan's knowledge of their language and some minor "magic" impresses the tribe's chief and he treats them as his guests.
After arriving in Arsenic City, the two encounter another outlaw, Texas Jack Barton, and a corrupt saloonkeeper, Kiki Kelly, who are both interested in the mine. Dan finds the map, memorizes it and burns it. He falls in love with Liza and leads her to the gold. When the outlaws ambush them, their new Indian friends ride to their rescue.
Cast
- Eddie Albert as Dan Bone
- Gale Storm as Liza Crockett
- Gilbert Roland as the Pecos Kid
- James Gleason as Sam Briggs
- Barton MacLane as Texas Jack
- Binnie Barnes as Kiki Kelly
- Sarah Padden as Mrs. Hulskamp
Reception
Variety wrote "Picture’s a sleeper which can expect satisfactery returns wherever shown, a satire on western pictures made with tongue in cheek but emerging a class production notable for top values in every department. Producers haven’t missed a bet in this one, as audiences will agree. For Eddie Albert, co-star with Gale Storm, film is an individual triumph, but so is it for entire cast and all concerned with its making and one of top products Allied Artists has ever released."[3]
Gale Storm called it "a routine story... but the characters were strong, the lines were good and the comedy as intelligent." However she said the film did not to the business that Allied Artists expected.[4]
References
- ^ Schallert, Edwin (November 3, 1947). "DRAMA AND FILM: Metro Gets British Hit; 'Girl in Moon' Looming". Los Angeles Times. p. A9.
- ^ Storm, Gale (1981). I ain't down yet : the autobiography of My little Margie. Bobbs-Merrill Co. p. 51.
- ^ "The Dude Goes West". Variety. April 28, 1948. p. 8.
- ^ Storm p 52
External links
- The Dude Goes West at IMDb
- The Dude Goes West at the TCM Movie Database (archived version)
- The Dude Goes West at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films