Angel and the Badman
Encyclopedia
Angel and the Badman is a 1947
black-and-white Western
film, starring John Wayne
, Gail Russell
, Harry Carey and Bruce Cabot
which examines the ability of a gunman to renounce violence. This film, which was the first one Wayne produced as well as starred in, was a departure for this genre at the time it was released. The film was directed by James Edward Grant
, Wayne's frequent screenwriting collaborator.
The film has entered the public domain.
Days later, Quirt regains consciousness and Penny patiently explains the family's credo of non-violence. Three weeks later, Laredo Stevens and Hondo Jeffries ride into town looking for Quirt. When Penny's younger brother Johnny rushes home to inform Quirt of his visitors, Quirt quickly prepares to flee, and Penny, now smitten with Quirt, offers to run off with him. At the sound of approaching horses, Quirt grabs his gun and discovers that it has been emptied. Training his gun on the doorway, Quirt calmly greets Hondo and Laredo. Thinking that Quirt has the upper hand, Laredo, who has come for Quirt's deed to the land, offers to buy his claim. When Quirt sets the price at $20,000, Laredo hands over $5,000 in gold and challenges him to come for the balance when he is able - if he has the nerve. The implication is clear.
Afterward, Quirt saddles his horse with the intention of leaving, but when Penny begs him to stay, he changes his mind. Later, while helping with the farm chores, Quirt learns that cantankerous rancher Frederick Carson has dammed up the stream that runs through the valley, thus draining the Worths' irrigation ditches. Immediately proceeding to the Carson ranch, Quirt demands that Carson open the dam, and Carson, intimidated by Quirt's reputation, complies. Soon after, water flows onto the Worths' land, and in gratitude, Mrs. Worth treats a boil on Carson's neck and plies him with baked goods. This newly attained accord between neighbors gives Quirt a sense of accomplishment.
One Sunday, Penny asks Quirt to join the family for a ride. Before they leave, Marshal Wistful McClintock comes to question Quirt about a stagecoach robbery and the family swears that Quirt was with them at the time of the robbery. The marshal then asks Quirt why he resigned as Wyatt Earp's deputy, sold his ranch and crossed over to the wrong side of the law soon after cattleman Walt Ennis was gunned down by Laredo in a saloon brawl. When Quirt refuses to answer, the marshal leaves. Penny then begs Quirt to steer clear of Laredo and he acquiesces because of his love for her.
As Quirt and the Worths ride to the Quaker gathering, Quirt's erstwhile sidekick, Randy McCall, stops them along the trail and decides to tag along. While the Quakers commence their meeting, Randy tells Quirt that Laredo plans to rustle a herd of cattle and suggests that they then steal the herd from Laredo and let him take the blame. As Randy finishes outlining his plot, Mr. Worth awards Quirt with a Bible for ending the feud with Carson. Fearing that he will never be able to live up to Penny's expectations, Quirt abruptly leaves with Randy.
Reaching the pass just as Laredo's gang gallops down to stampede the herd, Quirt and Randy attack the rustlers and steal the herd from them. In the town of Rim Rock that night, Quirt and Randy celebrate their victory with showgirls Lila Neal and Christine Taylor. When Lila, sensing a change in her old flame, teases Quirt about his Bible, Quirt becomes angry and rides back to the Worth farm. Overjoyed by his return, Penny throws her arms around him just as the marshal arrives to question Quirt about the rustling. Quirt states that Lila can provide him with an alibi, causing Penny to become jealous.
Although the marshal warns Quirt that he is the wrong man for Penny and will inevitably wind up at the end of a rope. But, out of respect for Quirt, he will be sure to use a new rope. Quirt decides to propose to her anyway. Instead of replying, Penny invites Quirt to join her picking blackberries. As they wander through the bushes, Quirt, prodded by Penny's questions, recalls his childhood. Reared by the kindly Walt Ennis after his parents were massacred by Indians, the young Quirt found himself alone once again after Ennis was murdered in a saloon fight.
His story completed, Quirt and Penny begin the journey home when their wagon is ambushed by Laredo and Hondo. Spooked, the horses gallop out of control, causing the wagon to plunge over a cliff into the river, temporarily submerging both Penny and Quirt. When Penny develops a life-threatening fever due to the accident, Quirt straps on his pistol and rides to town to exact revenge. After Quirt leaves, Penny's fever suddenly breaks, and she regains her lucidity.
In town, Quirt is about to draw down on Laredo and Hondo when Penny and her family arrive in their wagon. No longer driven by revenge, Quirt surrenders his gun to Penny. As Laredo and Hondo prepare to gun down a now-unarmed Quirt, McClintock appears and shoots them both. After Quirt renounces lawlessness in favor of farming and rides off in the Worths' wagon with Penny, the marshal picks up Quirt's discarded weapon from the dust. He says he will hang it on his office wall - right next to a new rope.
took place from mid-April 1946
until late June, in Flagstaff
and Sedona, Arizona
, and in Monument Valley, Utah.
Upon the film's release, The New York Times wrote "Mr. Wayne and company have sacrificed the usual roaring action to fashion a leisurely Western, which is different from and a notch or two superior to the normal sagebrush saga"; they note "John Wayne makes a grim and laconic, converted renegade, who is torn by love, a new faith and the desire for revenge on an arch enemy. Gail Russell, a stranger to Westerns, is convincing as the lady who makes him see the light."
by Terry Ingram, with Lou Diamond Philips playing Quirt Evans and Wayne's grandson Brendan in a cameo appearance
.
Cast
" movies, the 1985 Witness
starring Harrison Ford
, and the 2003 The Outsider
starring Tim Daly and Naomi Watts
.
1947 in film
The year 1947 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York.*November 24 : The United States House of Representatives of the 80th Congress voted 346 to 17 to approve citations for contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten".*November 25...
black-and-white Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
film, starring John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
, Gail Russell
Gail Russell
Gail Russell was an American film and television actress.-Career:She was born Elizabeth L. Russell to George and Gladys Russell in Chicago, Illinois, and then moved to the Los Angeles, California, area when she was a teenager. Russell's extraordinary beauty brought her to the attention of...
, Harry Carey and Bruce Cabot
Bruce Cabot
Bruce Cabot was an American film actor, best remembered as Jack Driscoll in King Kong . He is also known for his roles in films such as the sixth version of Last of the Mohicans, Fritz Lang's Fury and the western Dodge City.-Early life:Cabot was born Etienne Pelissier Jacques de Bujac in Carlsbad,...
which examines the ability of a gunman to renounce violence. This film, which was the first one Wayne produced as well as starred in, was a departure for this genre at the time it was released. The film was directed by James Edward Grant
James Edward Grant
James Edward Grant was an American short story writer and screenwriter who contributed to more than fifty films between 1935 and 1971....
, Wayne's frequent screenwriting collaborator.
The film has entered the public domain.
Plot synopsis
Wounded and on the run, notorious gunman Quirt Evans gallops onto a farm owned by Quaker Thomas Worth and his family and promptly collapses from exhaustion. When Quirt urgently insists upon sending a telegram, Thomas and his daughter Penelope drive him into town in their wagon. After wiring a claim to the land recorder's office, Quirt kisses Penny and then passes out. Ignoring the doctor's advice to rid themselves of the gunman, the compassionate Worth family tends to the delirious Quirt, and Penny becomes intrigued by his ravings of past loves.Days later, Quirt regains consciousness and Penny patiently explains the family's credo of non-violence. Three weeks later, Laredo Stevens and Hondo Jeffries ride into town looking for Quirt. When Penny's younger brother Johnny rushes home to inform Quirt of his visitors, Quirt quickly prepares to flee, and Penny, now smitten with Quirt, offers to run off with him. At the sound of approaching horses, Quirt grabs his gun and discovers that it has been emptied. Training his gun on the doorway, Quirt calmly greets Hondo and Laredo. Thinking that Quirt has the upper hand, Laredo, who has come for Quirt's deed to the land, offers to buy his claim. When Quirt sets the price at $20,000, Laredo hands over $5,000 in gold and challenges him to come for the balance when he is able - if he has the nerve. The implication is clear.
Afterward, Quirt saddles his horse with the intention of leaving, but when Penny begs him to stay, he changes his mind. Later, while helping with the farm chores, Quirt learns that cantankerous rancher Frederick Carson has dammed up the stream that runs through the valley, thus draining the Worths' irrigation ditches. Immediately proceeding to the Carson ranch, Quirt demands that Carson open the dam, and Carson, intimidated by Quirt's reputation, complies. Soon after, water flows onto the Worths' land, and in gratitude, Mrs. Worth treats a boil on Carson's neck and plies him with baked goods. This newly attained accord between neighbors gives Quirt a sense of accomplishment.
One Sunday, Penny asks Quirt to join the family for a ride. Before they leave, Marshal Wistful McClintock comes to question Quirt about a stagecoach robbery and the family swears that Quirt was with them at the time of the robbery. The marshal then asks Quirt why he resigned as Wyatt Earp's deputy, sold his ranch and crossed over to the wrong side of the law soon after cattleman Walt Ennis was gunned down by Laredo in a saloon brawl. When Quirt refuses to answer, the marshal leaves. Penny then begs Quirt to steer clear of Laredo and he acquiesces because of his love for her.
As Quirt and the Worths ride to the Quaker gathering, Quirt's erstwhile sidekick, Randy McCall, stops them along the trail and decides to tag along. While the Quakers commence their meeting, Randy tells Quirt that Laredo plans to rustle a herd of cattle and suggests that they then steal the herd from Laredo and let him take the blame. As Randy finishes outlining his plot, Mr. Worth awards Quirt with a Bible for ending the feud with Carson. Fearing that he will never be able to live up to Penny's expectations, Quirt abruptly leaves with Randy.
Reaching the pass just as Laredo's gang gallops down to stampede the herd, Quirt and Randy attack the rustlers and steal the herd from them. In the town of Rim Rock that night, Quirt and Randy celebrate their victory with showgirls Lila Neal and Christine Taylor. When Lila, sensing a change in her old flame, teases Quirt about his Bible, Quirt becomes angry and rides back to the Worth farm. Overjoyed by his return, Penny throws her arms around him just as the marshal arrives to question Quirt about the rustling. Quirt states that Lila can provide him with an alibi, causing Penny to become jealous.
Although the marshal warns Quirt that he is the wrong man for Penny and will inevitably wind up at the end of a rope. But, out of respect for Quirt, he will be sure to use a new rope. Quirt decides to propose to her anyway. Instead of replying, Penny invites Quirt to join her picking blackberries. As they wander through the bushes, Quirt, prodded by Penny's questions, recalls his childhood. Reared by the kindly Walt Ennis after his parents were massacred by Indians, the young Quirt found himself alone once again after Ennis was murdered in a saloon fight.
His story completed, Quirt and Penny begin the journey home when their wagon is ambushed by Laredo and Hondo. Spooked, the horses gallop out of control, causing the wagon to plunge over a cliff into the river, temporarily submerging both Penny and Quirt. When Penny develops a life-threatening fever due to the accident, Quirt straps on his pistol and rides to town to exact revenge. After Quirt leaves, Penny's fever suddenly breaks, and she regains her lucidity.
In town, Quirt is about to draw down on Laredo and Hondo when Penny and her family arrive in their wagon. No longer driven by revenge, Quirt surrenders his gun to Penny. As Laredo and Hondo prepare to gun down a now-unarmed Quirt, McClintock appears and shoots them both. After Quirt renounces lawlessness in favor of farming and rides off in the Worths' wagon with Penny, the marshal picks up Quirt's discarded weapon from the dust. He says he will hang it on his office wall - right next to a new rope.
Cast
- John WayneJohn WayneMarion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
- Quirt Evans - Gail RussellGail RussellGail Russell was an American film and television actress.-Career:She was born Elizabeth L. Russell to George and Gladys Russell in Chicago, Illinois, and then moved to the Los Angeles, California, area when she was a teenager. Russell's extraordinary beauty brought her to the attention of...
- Penelope Worth - Harry Carey - McClintock
- Bruce CabotBruce CabotBruce Cabot was an American film actor, best remembered as Jack Driscoll in King Kong . He is also known for his roles in films such as the sixth version of Last of the Mohicans, Fritz Lang's Fury and the western Dodge City.-Early life:Cabot was born Etienne Pelissier Jacques de Bujac in Carlsbad,...
- Laredo Stevens - Irene RichIrene RichIrene Rich was an American actress who worked in both silent films and talkies.-Career:Born Irene Luther in Buffalo, New York, Rich worked for Will Rogers, who used her in eight pictures, including Water Water Everywhere , The Strange Boarder , Jes' Call Me Jim , Boys Will Be Boys and The Ropin'...
- Mrs. Worth - Lee DixonLee Dixon (actor)Lee Dixon was an actor in 1930s and 1940s. He appeared in Hollywood musicals and other films, as well as on the Broadway stage.-Career:...
- Randy McCall - Stephen Grant - Johnny Worth
- Tom Powers - Dr. Mangram
- Paul HurstPaul Hurst (actor)Paul Causey Hurst was an American film actor and director.-Career:Born in Traver, California, and raised on a ranch, he appeared in hundreds of films during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. However, he got his start painting scenery as part of the backstage crew during the silent movie era...
- Frederick Carson - Olin HowlandOlin HowlandOlin Howland was an American film actor. From 1909 to 1927 he appeared on the Broadway stage while balancing a career in silent movies. In 1921, he appeared in the play Two Little Girls in Blue with Oscar Shaw and the Fairbanks Twins. He was in Janice Meredith with Marion Davies...
- Bradley (billed as Olin Howlin) - John Halloran - Thomas Worth
- Joan Barton - Lila Neal
- Craig Woods - Ward Withers
- Marshall ReedMarshall Reed----Marshall Reed was an American supporting actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1943 and 1978. He was born in Englewood, Colorado.-Career:...
- Nelson - Symona BonifaceSymona BonifaceSymona Boniface was an American film actress. She appeared in 120 films between 1925 and 1956.-Career:...
- Dance Hall Madam (uncredited)
Production
Principal photographyPrincipal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
took place from mid-April 1946
April 1946
January – February – March - April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in April, 1946:-April 1, 1946 :...
until late June, in Flagstaff
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
and Sedona, Arizona
Sedona, Arizona
Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona...
, and in Monument Valley, Utah.
Reception
Upon the film's release, The New York Times wrote "Mr. Wayne and company have sacrificed the usual roaring action to fashion a leisurely Western, which is different from and a notch or two superior to the normal sagebrush saga"; they note "John Wayne makes a grim and laconic, converted renegade, who is torn by love, a new faith and the desire for revenge on an arch enemy. Gail Russell, a stranger to Westerns, is convincing as the lady who makes him see the light."
Remade for television
The film was remade in 2009 for the Hallmark ChannelHallmark Channel
The Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts across the United States. Their programming includes a mix of television movies/miniseries, syndicated series, and lifestyle shows that are appropriate for the whole family...
by Terry Ingram, with Lou Diamond Philips playing Quirt Evans and Wayne's grandson Brendan in a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
.
Cast
- Lou Diamond Philips as Quirt Evans
- Deborah Kara UngerDeborah Kara UngerDeborah Kara Unger is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles in the films Crash , The Game , The Hurricane , White Noise , Silent Hill and 88 Minutes...
as Temperance - Luke PerryLuke PerryLuke Perry is an American actor. Perry starred as Dylan McKay on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990–95, and then from 1998–2000. Much publicity was garnered over the fact that even though he was playing a sixteen-year-old when 90210 began, Perry was actually in his...
as Laredo - Terence KellyTerence KellyTerence or Terry Kelly may refer to:* Terence Kelly , Canadian actor active since 1971, in Titanic and In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale...
as Thomas - Merrilyn GannMerrilyn GannMerrilyn Gann is a Canadian actress most notable for her role as Rose Abbott on The WB's Everwood. She was also most recently seen portraying The German Chancellor in the apocalyptic doomsday film 2012.- Filmography :...
as Virginia - Gig MortonGig MortonGig Morton is a Canadian actor. Beginning a professional career as a child actor at the age of nine, Morton is a six time Young Artist Award nominee, best known for his role as B-Dawg's boy, "Billy" in four installments of the Air Buddies film franchise, Air Buddies, Snow Buddies, Space Buddies,...
as John - Michael Teagan as Telegraph Operator
- John Tench as Hondo
- Scott McNeilScott McNeilScott McNeil is a Canadian actor and voice actor. He currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...
as Auburn - Don ThompsonDon ThompsonDonald Thompson, Donald Thomson, Don Thompson or Don Thomson may refer to:-Sports personalities:* Don Thompson , American player for the Los Angeles Buccaneers in 1926...
as Doc Johnson - Brendan Wayne as Randy
- Winston RekertWinston RekertWinston Rekert is a Canadian actor from Vancouver, British Columbia. He won 2 Gemini Awards, one for Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series for the TV Series: Blue Murder in 2003 and one for Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Continuing Dramatic Role for the TV Series...
as Sam - Gary ChalkGary Chalk (actor)Gary Chalk is an English-born Canadian actor, tri-national US-Canadian-UK citizen and voice artist. He has lend hit voice in over 30 animated television series and has been in films such as The Fly II and Freddy vs. Jason....
as Steve Carson - Jennifer Copping as Margaret
- Malanie Papalia Sandy Johnson
Similar films
This movie is the point of departure for two other successful "fish out of waterFish out of water
Fish out of water may refer to:* Fish Out of Water * Fish Out of Water , 1990* "Fish Out of Water" , a song by One Minute Silence* "Fish Out of Water", a song by OPM on the album Menace to Sobriety...
" movies, the 1985 Witness
Witness (1985 film)
Witness is a 1985 American thriller film directed by Peter Weir and starring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. The screenplay by William Kelley, Pamela Wallace, and Earl W...
starring Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
, and the 2003 The Outsider
The Outsider (2002 film)
The Outsider is a 2002 Western film starring Tim Daly and Naomi Watts. The film is based on Penelope Williamson's novel. Similar to Angel and the Badman where John Wayne plays a wounded outlaw who is sheltered by a Quaker family.-Plot summary:...
starring Tim Daly and Naomi Watts
Naomi Watts
Naomi Ellen Watts is a British actress. Watts began her career in Australian television, where she appeared in series such as Hey Dad..! , Brides of Christ , and Home and Away . Her film debut was the 1986 drama For Love Alone...
.