A matinee western cashing on a renown family name
Added 8/11/2009
John Barrymore Jr., or John Drew Barrymore, is listed in this matinee-type western at the mid-century mark of the twentieth-century as the top name. Why? He doesn't have much to do but play a confused kid, apparently left over from THE SUNDOWNERS. He doesn't even get to shoot anybody. When he is offered that opportunity, his gun is out of bullets.
Okay. He has a family name important to earlier movies. Does that mean anything to fans of Saturday afternoon westerns, even in 1950?
John Archer, clearly the lead in this film, is billed beneath Barrymore. He is a stalwart type -- masculine and tough-looking and capable of handling the leading man chores. He even shows up as the town physician in one of the better Randolph Scott westerns, DECISION AT SUNDOWN, appearing at the end of the same decade. Anyway, in HIGH LONESOME, referring to the mountain range that is of some significance to the characters in THE SUNDOWNERS, he must play second banana to Barrymore.
Barrymore has had an interesting, if less than significant, career in films. Some viewers might remember him from THE NIGHT OF THE QUARTER MOON, but fans of the Italian spectaculars of the early sixties will know him as an ex-pat actor in such films as THE TROJAN HORSE, THE CENTURIAN, and WAR OF THE ZOMBIES (later retitled ROME AGAINST ROME). His role as Ulysses (Odysseus for you Greek classic purists) is noteworthy only for his outrageous costume as the great Greek warrior who dreams up the idea of the Trojan horse and for his stage-acting which is so mannered and over-articulated that it seems not to belong with the dubbed Italian actors. Fortunately for Steve Reeves as the top-billed Trojan hero Aeneas, they share only one short scene together.
In HIGH LONESOME, it might have been better if his voice had been dubbed.
Again, this Technicolor production, which looks great on DVD, particularly considering its age, begins with a testimony for the owners of real cattle ranches who permitted these two films to be shot on their property. As I mention in my review of THE SUNDOWNERS, this is an interesting tidbit of information. What is not as interesting is the plot of this film. Maybe those seeking matinee escapism didn't really care about the plot, but fans of the western genre who collect DVDs of older movies might.
Back again are the always likable Chill Wills, with his gravelly voice, and Jack Elam, this time playing a stubble-faced villain instead of the bewildered good guy that he plays in THE SUNDOWNERS.
Perhaps it is a bit irrelevant, but my non-academic side wonders what his daughter, Drew Barrymore, thinks of her father's role in these films. I wonder if she tells him that he was great, or if she sighs and says, truthfully: "Daddy, you sucked."
Is this film worth purchasing on DVD? I guess it depends on how much a fan you are of these mediocre matinee westerns like THE SUNDOWNERS and ALBUQUERQUE. This is not the John Ford west or the Sam Peckinpah west. This is a minor genre effort whose main saving grave is that it was filmed in fade-defying Technicolor.
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Not quite as severe in my judgment....
Added 8/21/2006
HIGH LONESOME was Eagle-Lion's sequel to THE SUNDOWNERS (1950). While several cast members from the earlier film also appear in this one, most notably Chill Wills, the film lacks the "star-power" of a Robert Preston (or Robert Sterling). John Barrymore Jr. isn't as bad as some have written, but neither does he give the film that essential lift that it needs to be truly memorable. Still, for the price, and the fine camera work, and for Chill Wills (who always adds something), the film is worth investigating. Again, thanks to VCI gives us a handsome print..and we owe them thanks.
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High at times and somewhat Loathsome.
Added 6/10/2006
If you like westerns, this movie has some moments. It was filmed in the Big Bend river country of Texas on the property of 6 working ranches. The technicolor photography is rich and scenic. There are some accomplished actors giving good performances as well some servicable ones by what must be genuine ranch hands based on their looks and riding ability. Unfortunately, the story is somewhat preposterous and it's main focus is on the character played (and I use that word in it's fullest sense) by the only Barrymore who couldn't act - John Drew Barrymore, father of his middle named daughter. Because of his famous lineage, J.D. bypassed the learning process of acting experience and jumped into lead roles like this one. Other than shouting out his lines, his entire range consists of contorted facial expressions to show suprise, fear and God knows what-all. The price of admission is almost worth the laughter it provokes. Because the producers or director couldn't have failed to notice how inept his acting was, most of his scenes take place with a squeaky voiced actress who deflects attention from him by being even more annoying. Also it must be noted that if music were medication then this movie is overmedicated. The soundtrack is shrill and overbearing, particularly in the beginning.
So what are the good points? Chill Wills gives the kind of appealing folksy performance before he became a cariacture and Basil Ruysdael as the father left me wanting to see more of him in something (anything) else. The film was directed and written by Alan LeMay who can be forgiven for this since his story was the source for Ford's "The Searchers". And there's the landscape spread out over 6 ranches, from arroyos to plains to riversides. As for John Drew Barrymore- well, he's got beautiful blue eyes and a great head of hair which as Mick Jagger once said is all you need to be a rock star. Not a film star.
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