A reformed Gunfighter Jimmy Ringo (Gregory Peck) is on his way to a sleepy town in the hope of a reunion with his estranged sweetheart (Helen Westcott) and their young son (B.G. Morgan) who he has never seen. On arrival, a chance meeting with some old friends including the town’s Marshal (Millard Mitchell) gives the repentant Jimmy some respite. But as always Jimmy’s reputation has already cast its shadow, this time in the form of three vengeful cowboys hot on his trail and a local gunslinger hoping to use Jimmy to make a name for himself.
With a showdown looming, the town is soon in a frenzy as news of Jimmy’s arrival spreads. His movements are restricted to the saloon while a secret meeting with his son can be arranged giving him ideas of a long-term reunion with his family far removed from his wild past.
The Gunfighter is a 1950 American Western film directed by Henry King and starring Gregory Peck, Helen Westcott, Millard Mitchell and Karl Malden. It was written by screenwriters William Bowers and William Sellers, with an uncredited rewrite by writer and producer Nunnally Johnson, from a story by Bowers and screenwriter and director Andre DeToth. The film was the second of King’s six collaborations with Peck.
The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture Story for writers William Bowers and André de Toth during the 23rd Academy Awards. The award went to the husband and wife team of Edna Anhalt and Edward Anhalt for Panic in the Streets.
h3>About the Production
The film rights to The Gunfighter were originally purchased by Columbia Pictures, which offered the Jimmy Ringo role to John Wayne. Wayne turned it down, despite having expressed a strong desire to play the part, because of his longstanding hatred for Columbia’s president, Harry Cohn. Columbia subsequently sold the rights to 20th Century Fox, where the role went to Peck. Wayne’s final film, The Shootist (1976), is often compared to The Gunfighter and contains numerous plot similarities.
The script was loosely based on the purported exploits of an actual western gunfighter named Johnny Ringo, a distant cousin of the outlaw Younger family and enemy of Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers. As in the movie, Ringo sought a reconciliation with his estranged family, in California, in 1882; but unlike the film his conciliatory gestures were summarily rejected. After a ten-day alcoholic binge, he died of a gunshot wound, probably self-inflicted. Many of the circumstances and legends surrounding Johnny Ringo’s life and adventures have been challenged in recent years.
The film was directed by Henry King, the second of his six collaborations with Peck. Others included the World War II film Twelve O’Clock High (1949), David and Bathsheba (1951), The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952), The Bravados (1958) and Beloved Infidel (1959).
In the original ending, Hunt Bromley was arrested by the town marshal, but studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck was enraged at this resolution, so King and Johnson rewrote the final scene. The western street set seen in the film was also used in The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), starring Henry Fonda.
The studio hated Peck’s authentic period mustache. In fact, the head of production at Fox, Spyros P. Skouras, was out of town when production began. By the time he got back, so much of the film had been shot that it was too late to order Peck to shave it off and re-shoot. After the film did not do well at the box office, Skouras ran into Peck and he reportedly said, “That mustache cost us millions”.
Directed by: Henry King
Starring: Gregory Peck, Helen Westcott, Millard Mitchell, Jean Parker, Karl Malden, Richard Jaeckel, Skip Homeier, Anthony Ross, Verna Felton, Ellen Corby, Cliff Clark, Alan Hale Jr.
Screenplay by: William Bowers, William Sellers
Production Design by: Joseph C. Behm
Cinematography by: Arthur C. Miller
Film Editing by: Barbara McLean
Costume Design by: Travilla
Set Decoration by: Thomas Little, Walter M. Scott
Art Direction by: Richard Irvine, Lyle R. Wheeler
Music by: Alfred Newman
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: June 23, 1950
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