This refers only to films I have watched.
Westerns
I've no idea where or how Richard Widmark learned to ride but to my, his riding style often looks very odd, especially how he holds the reins (often nearly up to his chest)! Perhaps it's the Western style - the English style of riding is to sit up straight and keep the hands low! Whatever it was, he certainly got used to horses - I guess he had to, as he rides an awful lot of them over the course of many, many films. And if that's Widmark and not a stuntman vaulting onto a bareback horse in The Last Wagon then I'm even more impressed. Westerns are by nature historical, so I've included Alamo in this list.
Yellow Sky (1948) - Widmark's first Western. He said in an interview after that he was 'new to horses' at this time and indeed there's a shot that shows him missing his stirrup - but the producer didn't want to reshoot it, so the next shot shows him mounted. The story is apparently based on Shakespeare's The Tempest with the old man and his granddaughter in the deserted ghost town of Yellow Sky to which the band of bank robbers escape after crossing the desert salt flats and nearly dying of thirst on the way. Widmark plays Dude, the best-dressed of the gang, who sets himself up as the leader in opposition to Stretch (Gregory Peck). It's another supporting role but a strong one and fits well in the film noir genre, particularly the shootout at the end, undertaken in almost pitch darkness. Note an appearance from Harry Morgan as Half Pint who reappears in Backlash as the very nasty Jeff Welker (and later as Col Potter in the TV series of M*A*S*H). Morgan had a very distinctive voice, perfect for Westerns.
I may be wrong but this is the *only* film in which I've ever seen Widmark with stubble. He's so clean-shaven in everything he did I'm beginning to wonder if he put it in his contract. (Now seen 'Montezuma' so not quite the only one!)
Garden of Evil (1954) - Third billing but then behind Gary Cooper and Anne Hathaway, that's not so bad. At first I thought Widmark's part of the cardsharp Fiske was a re-run of the 'Dude' character and there are similarities, but Fiske has better qualities than Dude. Cooper is laconic to the point of silence, which is effective. A woman seeks the help of a random bunch of gold-diggers to rescue her husband; as they ride out you pretty much start taking bets on who will and won't be coming back. There's some tense moments, particularly jumping the horses over the cliff edge gulf. I thought the ending was really very well done, and there's some excellent lines in this; the script is wonderful. So not a major part for Widmark, but a super film. One to watch again.
Broken Lance (1954) - I doubt this would be any Widmark fan's favourite as it seems Fox were annoyed with him leaving them and gave him third billing - and it's not that major a part either. In this he's the embittered eldest son Ben, working on his father's ranch, along with his three brothers, and paid about the same as a hired hand. The father Matt Devereux (Spencer Tracy) is a tough old bird with a short temper and when there's a pollution incident from the local copper mine he takes direct action, even though Ben counsels going down the legal route. It ends badly and the youngest son Joe, Ben's Indian half-brother is sent to jail. Three years on, things have changed a great deal and the brothers' feud has got to be resolved. Spencer Tracy is great as the irascible and tyrannical Irishman and though Widmark doesn't get much to do until the second half of the film, he can then take off and be the nasty one. It's a bit like a cross between the Biblical story of Joseph, and King Lear. Won an Oscar for Best Writing Motion Picture Story in 1955 and a nod to Katy Jurado for best supporting actress (as Devereux's Indian wife).
The Last Wagon (1956) - this was the first film I ever saw with Widmark in and it certainly made an impression. Years later, all I could remember was the character's name - Comanche Todd - but it was enough to find the film again and watch it over and over. Todd, adopted as a boy by Comanche Indians regards himself as Indian and when attacked, seeks revenge, leading to his capture by the local Sheriff for murder. They meet up with some settlers going west but that night, Apache Indians attack. The only survivors are some teenagers who snuck off to go swimming and Todd, who was hurled over a cliff. Though the young people are hostile to him, Todd is the only person capable of leading them to safety through hostile Apache territory. It's very unusual as Westerns go; no towns, no cowboys, very few people at all; all filmed in the wilderness of Arizona, a bleak and waterless place referred to here as the 'canyon of death'.
Backlash (1956) - This toppled Last Wagon from the favourite film spot in my personal rankings. Ex-Confederate rebel soldier and gunfighter Jim Slater is seeking information as to what happened to his father at Gila Valley. Everyone else, including the strong female lead (and love interest) played by Donna Reed, is looking for the $60,000 in gold that's apparently also buried there. There's some strong supporting performances, the plot hangs well together and the story gets darker and darker as it goes on. Widmark was amazing at stillness; he could hold a position and outstare whoever he was speaking to; he could express anger with a twitch of a muscle in his cheek. When he spoke in anger it was all around the mouth, spitting the words out without moving his stare - to great effect, as here. William Campbell plays the rather detestable left-handed gunfighter Johnny Cool, Barton McLane is excellent as Sgt Lake and John McIntire the villainous Jim Bonniwell. A really well-done noir Western.
The Law and Jake Wade (1958) - This probably errs towards 'B' movie status in my book but you can't deny it does have some fantastic scenery. It's also the only Western I've seen set in winter with lovely shots of snow-topped mountains. Wade (Robert Taylor) is the local sheriff with a dark history connected with outlaw and unredeemed bad-guy Clint Hollister (Widmark) and his gang. (One member of the gang - Wexler - is played by DeForest Kelley of Warlock and Star Trek fame). Wade gets Hollister out of jail and frees him from a certain and deserved hanging as he owes him a favour. Hollister does not repay him kindly. There's buried treasure, there's hostages, there's Indians and there's a desperate shootout. What's not to like?
Warlock (1959) - Another one high up the favourites list, though the plot is complicated and I think I only got it straight after the third viewing. But it's worth it. Widmark is Johnny Gannon, an outcast and outlaw, member of the San Pablo gang that rules the local town by terror. (DeForest Kelley makes another bad-guy appearance here as Curley Burne). But Gannon is a reluctant member, shunned by the rest and always at the back or the edge of their company. The town appoints a marshal called Clay Blaidsdell (Henry Fonda) who arrives with his sidekick Tom Morgan (Anthony Quinn). They set about making the town safe but when there's a call for a proper deputy sheriff, Gannon turns from poacher to gamekeeper and steps up to the mark, setting himself against his old outlaw friends and Blaidsdell. Watch for the sub-plot with Morgan - he's not referred to as a rattlesnake for nothing. This is a pretty violent film; Widmark's character does get really badly hurt in this.
As a point of interest, the character of Blaisdell is said to be very closely modelled on that of Wyatt Earp, who also supported himself by a sideline in gambling. The book by Oakley Hall on which the film is based is excellent, very readable and fills in a great deal of the backstory which the film necessarily has to miss out. It doesn't seem that a great many details got changed between book and film and they complement each other well. Though obviously the book is far better, particularly in the way it captures the light.
The Alamo (1960) - The story of what might be regarded as America's battle of Thermopylae, where a company of US soldiers led by three Colonels, William Travis, Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie (creator of the famous knife) defend the Alamo mission against Mexican invaders who regard Texas as their territory. The history of Texas at this time as very interesting and you can see why the local fighters are referred to as 'Texicans'. Historically speaking the film is desperately unreliable as in fact Jim Bowie was ordered to destroy the Alamo and chose instead to stay and defend it; the direct opposite to Widmark's character in this film who is opposed to the commander in charge (Col Travis) and keeps trying to leave and take his men with him. This was John Wayne's film (he played Crockett). Apparently he and Widmark didn't get on, though you wouldn't know it watching this. Wayne wanted Widmark to play Travis, but Widmark wanted the part of Bowie. Wayne said "You're not big enough". Widmark's reply: "I'll be big enough." And he was.
As an aside, it's such a shame Hollywood hasn't done something about Jim Bowie and the Sandbar Fight (referred to in passing in this film). If there is a film, I can't find any trace of it. That was something - Bowie surviving a knife fight where he ended up getting shot and stabbed, and lived to fight another day. It's what helped make his knife famous and no doubt did his reputation no harm at all.
Two Rode Together (1961) - This ought to work far better than it does, as it's got Widmark (Lt Jim Gary) and James Stewart (Marshall McCabe) together, both great Western stars. But it doesn't really gel. It's a pretty serious subject; some local people want their children, captured by Indians, to be rescued from the Indian life they now lead and brought home. But for some of them it's been over ten years and the situation looks hopeless. They are desperate enough to fund a rescue mission which is where the corrupt marshal McCabe and the straight, honest soldier Gary come in. The film is not helped along by trying to be funny. In particular it seems to have imported the fat sergeant straight out of Zorro. Fail.
Cheyenne Autumn (1964) - over-long and the Dodge City scene starring James Stewart adds nothing to this. It has, however, got what is probably the most romantic proposal of marriage I've seen in a Widmark film (compare Death of a Gunfighter!) As a story it's pretty horrible. The Cheyenne people are confined to a reservation where they can't live freely and are decimated by disease and hunger, unrelieved by the American military who keep them there, commanded by Captain Thomas Archer (Widmark). The Indians make a break for their home territory, hundreds of miles north, evading their pursuit, led by Archer who is deeply sympathetic to their cause. The premise of the film was based on a true event in 1878-9, apparently. John Ford wanted to make the film as an apology to the Indians and RW wanted to make it having done some research on the subject, but even he described it in a later interview as 'a bit boring'. To my mind, that's understating it!
Alvarez Kelly (1966) - very loosely based on a historical event during the Civil War, the 'Beefsteak Raid'. Cattleman Alvarez Kelly (William Holden) only wants to make money and delivers a herd of beef cattle to Yankee troops. But the Confederates are trapped, hungry and desperate and Col Tom Rossiter (Widmark) kidnaps Kelly and forces him to steal the cattle for the rebel forces. This is the only film you see Widmark in Confederate grey (it suits him). Rossiter is a half-blinded and scarred war veteran with little patience for niceties, though shooting people's fingers off does rather get their attention. He's not quite the good guy but not all bad either. It's action-packed and worth a couple of viewings.
The Way West (1967) - a group of settlers led by Kirk Douglas (this is the only film I've seen him in other than 'Spartacus') heads out to Oregon. Now my US geography is shaky so I had to find it on a map; it's not a place I would think of as the Western frontier (though it's on the west coast, north of California). Douglas' character Tadlock is driven and very hard on the people he's herding west, so much so they nearly rebel more than once. Robert Mitchum gives an understated performance as the trapper who leads them there and RW doesn't have too much to do except lead the voices of dissent and stand up to Tadlock once or twice. He plays a pretty ordinary guy and this may be one of the few films where he's not a complete loner. Michael McGreevey plays his teenage son - he appears in a very similar role in Death of a Gunfighter. There's not much of a story, but enough to keep the interest going and some really stunning photography, especially of the storm over the plains and the mountains. The film is let down by the quality of the sound though. The background noise is far too loud and intrusive and the music - well you wonder if it's going to turn into musical theatre at one point. But there you go.
A Talent for Loving (1969) - dreadful comedy Western following the fortunes of a family cursed with madness in love. Not as fun as it sounds - see my review.
Death of a Gunfighter (1969) - appropriately enough, Widmark's last Western. Frank Patch is the town marshal, but he's too good at his job, too accurate in his shooting and he knows all the town's dark secrets. He regrets the deaths that are necessary to keep the law, but the townsfolk don't want to stand for it any more. They want modern law, they want investors, they want progress. This is the latest-set Western I've seen, at the turn of the century, with a car (or at least a horseless carriage), the railway and electricity. As a film I didn't initially like it, particularly the zoomed-in face shots and the lingering shots of the young girl who is chasing after Dan, Patch's young protegé (played by Michael McGreevey), but like a Greek tragedy it plays out to the bitter end as Patch accepts the only fate he's capable of dealing with. Lena Horne (who plays Claire Quintana) sings the haunting song 'sweet apple wine' which starts and ends the film.
Westerns
I've no idea where or how Richard Widmark learned to ride but to my, his riding style often looks very odd, especially how he holds the reins (often nearly up to his chest)! Perhaps it's the Western style - the English style of riding is to sit up straight and keep the hands low! Whatever it was, he certainly got used to horses - I guess he had to, as he rides an awful lot of them over the course of many, many films. And if that's Widmark and not a stuntman vaulting onto a bareback horse in The Last Wagon then I'm even more impressed. Westerns are by nature historical, so I've included Alamo in this list.
Yellow Sky (1948) - Widmark's first Western. He said in an interview after that he was 'new to horses' at this time and indeed there's a shot that shows him missing his stirrup - but the producer didn't want to reshoot it, so the next shot shows him mounted. The story is apparently based on Shakespeare's The Tempest with the old man and his granddaughter in the deserted ghost town of Yellow Sky to which the band of bank robbers escape after crossing the desert salt flats and nearly dying of thirst on the way. Widmark plays Dude, the best-dressed of the gang, who sets himself up as the leader in opposition to Stretch (Gregory Peck). It's another supporting role but a strong one and fits well in the film noir genre, particularly the shootout at the end, undertaken in almost pitch darkness. Note an appearance from Harry Morgan as Half Pint who reappears in Backlash as the very nasty Jeff Welker (and later as Col Potter in the TV series of M*A*S*H). Morgan had a very distinctive voice, perfect for Westerns.
I may be wrong but this is the *only* film in which I've ever seen Widmark with stubble. He's so clean-shaven in everything he did I'm beginning to wonder if he put it in his contract. (Now seen 'Montezuma' so not quite the only one!)
Garden of Evil (1954) - Third billing but then behind Gary Cooper and Anne Hathaway, that's not so bad. At first I thought Widmark's part of the cardsharp Fiske was a re-run of the 'Dude' character and there are similarities, but Fiske has better qualities than Dude. Cooper is laconic to the point of silence, which is effective. A woman seeks the help of a random bunch of gold-diggers to rescue her husband; as they ride out you pretty much start taking bets on who will and won't be coming back. There's some tense moments, particularly jumping the horses over the cliff edge gulf. I thought the ending was really very well done, and there's some excellent lines in this; the script is wonderful. So not a major part for Widmark, but a super film. One to watch again.
Broken Lance (1954) - I doubt this would be any Widmark fan's favourite as it seems Fox were annoyed with him leaving them and gave him third billing - and it's not that major a part either. In this he's the embittered eldest son Ben, working on his father's ranch, along with his three brothers, and paid about the same as a hired hand. The father Matt Devereux (Spencer Tracy) is a tough old bird with a short temper and when there's a pollution incident from the local copper mine he takes direct action, even though Ben counsels going down the legal route. It ends badly and the youngest son Joe, Ben's Indian half-brother is sent to jail. Three years on, things have changed a great deal and the brothers' feud has got to be resolved. Spencer Tracy is great as the irascible and tyrannical Irishman and though Widmark doesn't get much to do until the second half of the film, he can then take off and be the nasty one. It's a bit like a cross between the Biblical story of Joseph, and King Lear. Won an Oscar for Best Writing Motion Picture Story in 1955 and a nod to Katy Jurado for best supporting actress (as Devereux's Indian wife).
The Last Wagon (1956) - this was the first film I ever saw with Widmark in and it certainly made an impression. Years later, all I could remember was the character's name - Comanche Todd - but it was enough to find the film again and watch it over and over. Todd, adopted as a boy by Comanche Indians regards himself as Indian and when attacked, seeks revenge, leading to his capture by the local Sheriff for murder. They meet up with some settlers going west but that night, Apache Indians attack. The only survivors are some teenagers who snuck off to go swimming and Todd, who was hurled over a cliff. Though the young people are hostile to him, Todd is the only person capable of leading them to safety through hostile Apache territory. It's very unusual as Westerns go; no towns, no cowboys, very few people at all; all filmed in the wilderness of Arizona, a bleak and waterless place referred to here as the 'canyon of death'.
Backlash (1956) - This toppled Last Wagon from the favourite film spot in my personal rankings. Ex-Confederate rebel soldier and gunfighter Jim Slater is seeking information as to what happened to his father at Gila Valley. Everyone else, including the strong female lead (and love interest) played by Donna Reed, is looking for the $60,000 in gold that's apparently also buried there. There's some strong supporting performances, the plot hangs well together and the story gets darker and darker as it goes on. Widmark was amazing at stillness; he could hold a position and outstare whoever he was speaking to; he could express anger with a twitch of a muscle in his cheek. When he spoke in anger it was all around the mouth, spitting the words out without moving his stare - to great effect, as here. William Campbell plays the rather detestable left-handed gunfighter Johnny Cool, Barton McLane is excellent as Sgt Lake and John McIntire the villainous Jim Bonniwell. A really well-done noir Western.
The Law and Jake Wade (1958) - This probably errs towards 'B' movie status in my book but you can't deny it does have some fantastic scenery. It's also the only Western I've seen set in winter with lovely shots of snow-topped mountains. Wade (Robert Taylor) is the local sheriff with a dark history connected with outlaw and unredeemed bad-guy Clint Hollister (Widmark) and his gang. (One member of the gang - Wexler - is played by DeForest Kelley of Warlock and Star Trek fame). Wade gets Hollister out of jail and frees him from a certain and deserved hanging as he owes him a favour. Hollister does not repay him kindly. There's buried treasure, there's hostages, there's Indians and there's a desperate shootout. What's not to like?
Warlock (1959) - Another one high up the favourites list, though the plot is complicated and I think I only got it straight after the third viewing. But it's worth it. Widmark is Johnny Gannon, an outcast and outlaw, member of the San Pablo gang that rules the local town by terror. (DeForest Kelley makes another bad-guy appearance here as Curley Burne). But Gannon is a reluctant member, shunned by the rest and always at the back or the edge of their company. The town appoints a marshal called Clay Blaidsdell (Henry Fonda) who arrives with his sidekick Tom Morgan (Anthony Quinn). They set about making the town safe but when there's a call for a proper deputy sheriff, Gannon turns from poacher to gamekeeper and steps up to the mark, setting himself against his old outlaw friends and Blaidsdell. Watch for the sub-plot with Morgan - he's not referred to as a rattlesnake for nothing. This is a pretty violent film; Widmark's character does get really badly hurt in this.
As a point of interest, the character of Blaisdell is said to be very closely modelled on that of Wyatt Earp, who also supported himself by a sideline in gambling. The book by Oakley Hall on which the film is based is excellent, very readable and fills in a great deal of the backstory which the film necessarily has to miss out. It doesn't seem that a great many details got changed between book and film and they complement each other well. Though obviously the book is far better, particularly in the way it captures the light.
The Alamo (1960) - The story of what might be regarded as America's battle of Thermopylae, where a company of US soldiers led by three Colonels, William Travis, Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie (creator of the famous knife) defend the Alamo mission against Mexican invaders who regard Texas as their territory. The history of Texas at this time as very interesting and you can see why the local fighters are referred to as 'Texicans'. Historically speaking the film is desperately unreliable as in fact Jim Bowie was ordered to destroy the Alamo and chose instead to stay and defend it; the direct opposite to Widmark's character in this film who is opposed to the commander in charge (Col Travis) and keeps trying to leave and take his men with him. This was John Wayne's film (he played Crockett). Apparently he and Widmark didn't get on, though you wouldn't know it watching this. Wayne wanted Widmark to play Travis, but Widmark wanted the part of Bowie. Wayne said "You're not big enough". Widmark's reply: "I'll be big enough." And he was.
As an aside, it's such a shame Hollywood hasn't done something about Jim Bowie and the Sandbar Fight (referred to in passing in this film). If there is a film, I can't find any trace of it. That was something - Bowie surviving a knife fight where he ended up getting shot and stabbed, and lived to fight another day. It's what helped make his knife famous and no doubt did his reputation no harm at all.
Two Rode Together (1961) - This ought to work far better than it does, as it's got Widmark (Lt Jim Gary) and James Stewart (Marshall McCabe) together, both great Western stars. But it doesn't really gel. It's a pretty serious subject; some local people want their children, captured by Indians, to be rescued from the Indian life they now lead and brought home. But for some of them it's been over ten years and the situation looks hopeless. They are desperate enough to fund a rescue mission which is where the corrupt marshal McCabe and the straight, honest soldier Gary come in. The film is not helped along by trying to be funny. In particular it seems to have imported the fat sergeant straight out of Zorro. Fail.
Cheyenne Autumn (1964) - over-long and the Dodge City scene starring James Stewart adds nothing to this. It has, however, got what is probably the most romantic proposal of marriage I've seen in a Widmark film (compare Death of a Gunfighter!) As a story it's pretty horrible. The Cheyenne people are confined to a reservation where they can't live freely and are decimated by disease and hunger, unrelieved by the American military who keep them there, commanded by Captain Thomas Archer (Widmark). The Indians make a break for their home territory, hundreds of miles north, evading their pursuit, led by Archer who is deeply sympathetic to their cause. The premise of the film was based on a true event in 1878-9, apparently. John Ford wanted to make the film as an apology to the Indians and RW wanted to make it having done some research on the subject, but even he described it in a later interview as 'a bit boring'. To my mind, that's understating it!
Alvarez Kelly (1966) - very loosely based on a historical event during the Civil War, the 'Beefsteak Raid'. Cattleman Alvarez Kelly (William Holden) only wants to make money and delivers a herd of beef cattle to Yankee troops. But the Confederates are trapped, hungry and desperate and Col Tom Rossiter (Widmark) kidnaps Kelly and forces him to steal the cattle for the rebel forces. This is the only film you see Widmark in Confederate grey (it suits him). Rossiter is a half-blinded and scarred war veteran with little patience for niceties, though shooting people's fingers off does rather get their attention. He's not quite the good guy but not all bad either. It's action-packed and worth a couple of viewings.
The Way West (1967) - a group of settlers led by Kirk Douglas (this is the only film I've seen him in other than 'Spartacus') heads out to Oregon. Now my US geography is shaky so I had to find it on a map; it's not a place I would think of as the Western frontier (though it's on the west coast, north of California). Douglas' character Tadlock is driven and very hard on the people he's herding west, so much so they nearly rebel more than once. Robert Mitchum gives an understated performance as the trapper who leads them there and RW doesn't have too much to do except lead the voices of dissent and stand up to Tadlock once or twice. He plays a pretty ordinary guy and this may be one of the few films where he's not a complete loner. Michael McGreevey plays his teenage son - he appears in a very similar role in Death of a Gunfighter. There's not much of a story, but enough to keep the interest going and some really stunning photography, especially of the storm over the plains and the mountains. The film is let down by the quality of the sound though. The background noise is far too loud and intrusive and the music - well you wonder if it's going to turn into musical theatre at one point. But there you go.
A Talent for Loving (1969) - dreadful comedy Western following the fortunes of a family cursed with madness in love. Not as fun as it sounds - see my review.
Death of a Gunfighter (1969) - appropriately enough, Widmark's last Western. Frank Patch is the town marshal, but he's too good at his job, too accurate in his shooting and he knows all the town's dark secrets. He regrets the deaths that are necessary to keep the law, but the townsfolk don't want to stand for it any more. They want modern law, they want investors, they want progress. This is the latest-set Western I've seen, at the turn of the century, with a car (or at least a horseless carriage), the railway and electricity. As a film I didn't initially like it, particularly the zoomed-in face shots and the lingering shots of the young girl who is chasing after Dan, Patch's young protegé (played by Michael McGreevey), but like a Greek tragedy it plays out to the bitter end as Patch accepts the only fate he's capable of dealing with. Lena Horne (who plays Claire Quintana) sings the haunting song 'sweet apple wine' which starts and ends the film.
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