Jeff Arnold’s West

The blog of a Western fan, for other Western fans

Raw Edge (Universal, 1956)

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Oddball
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I learn a lot from my readers, and I much enjoy it when they leave comments. Reader John Knight, commenting on my recent review of a Rory Calhoun Western, put me onto other good Calhoun Westerns, mentioning in particular “the weird and wacky anti Feminist Western RAW EDGE.”

 

Actually, I’m not sure how anti-feminist the movie is, as we shall shortly see. But John went on to say that Raw Edge “is possibly the most anachronistic Western ever. Herbert Rudley turns 1840’s Oregon into a medieval fiefdom whereby any ‘unattached’ woman becomes the ‘property’ of the first man to claim her. With the likes of Neville Brand, Emile Meyer and Robert Wilke slugging it out, no Western gal ever had it so bad.”

 

So that sets up the plot well. John added that the “Film is too dumb to offend and at least the scenery is nice – should look great on Blu-Ray. It’s an Albert Zugsmith production-you have been warned.” So those were useful and interesting comments.

 

Well, I got the DVD (on the French Sidonis brand, which has annoying subtitles that you can’t turn off and some rather waffly and superficial commentary by Patrick Brion, but the picture quality is very good and they do choose some rarer pictures) and watched it. And in many ways I see what John means. But read the following and watch the movie yourself and see if you agree!

 

The picture was directed by John Sherwood, which is already a plus because Sherwood had learned his Western craft as assistant director under Anthony Mann on Bend of the River and The Far Country, Hugo Fregonese on Saddle  Tramp, Rudolph Maté on The Mississippi Gambler and The Rawhide Years, and John Sturges on Backlash. That’s quite a list of Western mentors. He himself directed Yvonne de Carlo in Calamity Jane and Sam Bass (not a great credit to him, admittedly) and Maureen O’Hara and Macdonald Carey in Comanche Territory (ditto).  But yup, he knew what he was doing. The direction of Raw Edge is skillful and technically very good.

 

The writing of the curious plot was by Harry Essex and Robert Hill from a story by William Kozlenko and James Benson Nablo. These were not names I knew but Essex had worked on the screenplay of three Westerns before Raw Edge and would later contribute to The Sons of Katie Elder; as for Hill, Kozlenko and Nablo, this was their only Western. So the writing team were pretty well newbies. But they had a quirky and interesting story to work with.

 

As for John’s red flag on producer Albert Zugsmith (right), he was known for such mighty epics as Sex Kittens Go to College, which doubtless you know and revere. Founding newspaper editor, sharp lawyer, band publicist then Hollywood producer, he specialized in salacious B-movies, though he did reach the heights of Orson Welles’s Touch of Evil and Douglas Sirk’s Written on the Wind. He only produced five Westerns, two of them with Calhoun.

 

DP Maury Gertsman shot 28 Westerns for Universal between 1947 and 1967, mostly what you might call quality mid-budget pictures with the likes of Jeff Chandler, Audie Murphy and Joel McCrea in the leads. Universal did not stint on color or locations and many of their 50s Westerns, including Raw Edge, are visually attractive. The ‘Oregon’ of the setting was California but the locations chosen did very well for Oregon. The Technicolor of the modern print is bright and high-quality.

 

So you see we’re not talking ultra-low-budget Z-movies here.
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It kicks off with a bad ballad under the bright turquoise credits, as 50s Westerns were wont to do, but we forgive the songwriter, Terry Gilkyson, because he also wrote Bear Necessities for The Jungle Book, which may just possibly be the best song ever written in the history of music, eat your heart out, Schubert.

 

The top-billed names in the credits don’t exactly fill you with confidence (apart from Calhoun): Yvonne De Carlo and Mara Corday. Oh dear. But then your eye scans the ‘also starring’ list and joy, we see Neville Brand, Emile Meyer and Robert J Wilke, among other old friends. Excellent. Always enjoyable Western character actors, those – especially as bad guys. Rex Reason is also there, as a smooth gambler.

 

The patriarch Montgomery (Herbert Rudley) has established the disgusting local law that an unmarried woman may be claimed as a chattel by the first man to see her. He has a glam wife, Hannah (De Carlo), first seen with a daring glimpse of ankle and leered over by Neville. Emile is Neville’s dad and just as full of lust. (Actually Emile was only ten years older than Neville but anyway). Hannah is discreetly raped in a stable. Can you be discreetly raped? Well, you could in 50s movies, with much done in shadows and much suggested. Odds are that it was Neville, Emile or Bob, but we don’t see. Anyway, they blame young Dan Kirby (John Gavin, later Destry on TV, later still Ronald Reagan’s ambassador to Mexico, as John Gilmore) and, as was the way in Westerns, hastily hang him. Even while the lynching is proceeding, the lustful men are leering at his soon-to-be widow, and Hannah tries, unsuccessfully, to whisk her away to her people (for you might think it’s Mara Corday in half a ton of make-up but she’s actually Paca, Indian maid). It’s all pretty creepy. Probably the creepiest leerer, though, better even than Neville Brand, is Robert J Wilke, who manages to claim her, though he has to shoot a rival (sword-and-sandal star Ed Fury) to do it.
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Bob Wilke. What a magnificent sneer he had.
 
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As a result of these shenanigans the Indians recall all their people to the village. You should see the horror of Hannah, suddenly left without servants. Whatever will she do? She might have to do the cooking herself!

 

That’s when ex-Ranger Tex Kirby arrives (he’d been fighting with Sam H at San Jacinto) and finds only the hanging boots of his brother. Any viewer of Westerns knows that it’s going to be hard times for the townsfolk that hanged him. Actually, though, Calhoun does well as the thoughtful revenger.
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Uh-oh
 
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When patriarch Montgomery is killed by the Indians, the boot is suddenly on the other foot, and Yvonne is fair game under the Montgomerys’ own law. Hoist with her own petard, you might say. Now the men (Neville and Emile to the fore) are after her. As reader John said, a Western gal never had it so bad. You sense, though, that it will be Rory to the rescue.

 

The town is named Twin Peaks, which was to become quite amusing. Though we are in 1840s Oregon, they all wear Stetsons (invented in the 1860s) and have Colt Peacemakers (1870s). But never mind.

 

There’s plenty of action before the bad guys get their come-uppance.
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Yvonne ‘n’ Mara
 
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My above-mentioned doubts about the male chauvinism of the piece concern the fact that the law is so obviously vile, and leads to such cruelty and bloodshed, and is finally vanquished, so that the movie ends up being a pro-woman statement. Probably not Mr Zugsmith’s intention, but that’s the way I see it.

 

At any rate, John was right: it’s a curious, oddball Western. And I think I am slowly revising (upwards) my opinion of Rory Calhoun. He was a better Western actor than I have previously given him credit for.

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Rory
 

 

6 Responses

  1. Great writing, Jeff.
    About the use of weapons: I always have the same feeling in 'The man of the Alamo' with Glenn Ford. In this picture they also use six-shooters. Also anachronistic?
    Greetings
    Bart

    1. There were early five- and six-shooter revolvers (see my post on the Colt) but so often they use Colt .45s of 1873 and after, whatever the period the Western was set in! Never mind, we don't watch these movies for historical accuracy!
      Best wishes,
      Jeff

  2. Thanks for the mention Jeff.
    John Sherwood was an interesting guy and sadly he only directed
    three films.THE MONOLITH MONSTERS is one of Universal's most underrated
    Fifties Sci-Fi thrillers. Sherwood got a bigger credit than usual on
    Montgomery's RIDE THE PINK HORSE-I guess he had quiet a bit to do
    with the success of the film.According to Wikipedia Zugsmith's
    STAR IN THE DUST was quiet a hit earning over $4 million at the box
    office…how come this didn't raise John Agar's career?
    The film is very good but Agar is incredibly wooden-totally outshone
    by his co-stars.It's great that these Universal programmers are
    getting Blu Ray releases in Europe.
    SHOWDOWN IN ABILENE directed by Zugsmith regular Charles Haas is also
    very good.
    Thanks for your fine take on this generally unheralded little film.

  3. Jeff,
    I might add that the excellent SHOWDOWN AT ABILENE is not in fact a
    Zugsmith production-it is however a very superior Universal Programmer.
    Charles Haas' direction is excellent.
    Aren't those Sidonis "forced" subs a bore..they have in January
    one of Rod Cameron's best Westerns the rarely seen STAGE TO TUCSON.
    This very fine Harry Joe Brown production is also Wayne Morris'
    finest hour certainly as far as Westerns go.Interestingly Columbia
    lifted virtually the entire climax for their cheapie programmer
    THE PHANTOM STAGECOACH. Rod kinda grows on you.

  4. Watching it now. Isn't that Stewart Granger (uncredited) playing the gambler in the green sportcoat? If it is this is at least the third movie I've seen him in where he wasn't credited, even with a cameo.

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