Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

The Hangman

  • 1959
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 27m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
Tina Louise, Robert Taylor, Jack Lord, and Fess Parker in The Hangman (1959)
Classical WesternDramaWestern

U.S. Marshal Bovard comes to a small border town to identify and arrest a fugitive, but the whole town seems determined to prevent the Marshal from doing his job.U.S. Marshal Bovard comes to a small border town to identify and arrest a fugitive, but the whole town seems determined to prevent the Marshal from doing his job.U.S. Marshal Bovard comes to a small border town to identify and arrest a fugitive, but the whole town seems determined to prevent the Marshal from doing his job.

  • Director
    • Michael Curtiz
  • Writers
    • W.R. Burnett
    • Dudley Nichols
    • Luke Short
  • Stars
    • Robert Taylor
    • Tina Louise
    • Fess Parker
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    1.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Michael Curtiz
    • Writers
      • W.R. Burnett
      • Dudley Nichols
      • Luke Short
    • Stars
      • Robert Taylor
      • Tina Louise
      • Fess Parker
    • 26User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos25

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 21
    View Poster

    Top cast37

    Edit
    Robert Taylor
    Robert Taylor
    • Mackenzie Bovard
    Tina Louise
    Tina Louise
    • Selah Jennison
    Fess Parker
    Fess Parker
    • Sheriff Buck Weston
    Jack Lord
    Jack Lord
    • Johnny Bishop
    Gene Evans
    Gene Evans
    • Big Murph Murphy
    Mickey Shaughnessy
    Mickey Shaughnessy
    • Al Cruse
    Shirley Harmer
    • Kitty Bishop
    James Westerfield
    James Westerfield
    • Herb Loftus
    Mabel Albertson
    Mabel Albertson
    • Amy Hopkins
    Jose Gonzales-Gonzales
    Jose Gonzales-Gonzales
    • Pedro Alonso
    Betty Lynn
    Betty Lynn
    • Molly - Waitress
    Lorne Greene
    Lorne Greene
    • Marshal Clum Cummings
    Richard Collier
    Richard Collier
    • Hotel Clerk
    Abdullah Abbas
    • Blacksmith
    • (uncredited)
    Robert Adler
    Robert Adler
    • Stagecoach Driver
    • (uncredited)
    Fred Aldrich
    Fred Aldrich
    • Yard Worker
    • (uncredited)
    Nick Borgani
    Nick Borgani
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Forest Burns
    Forest Burns
    • Yard Worker
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Michael Curtiz
    • Writers
      • W.R. Burnett
      • Dudley Nichols
      • Luke Short
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews26

    6.61.2K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    6drystyx

    Drama in the West

    This isn't your typical Western, but it isn't exactly "atypical" either.

    This is actually more of a drama that just happens to be set in the West.

    In other words, you could put this on a stage in front of a live audience, and probably get the same production.

    And that's generally pretty good.

    We have a story line that really isn't the story line.

    The surface plot is Robert Taylor as a cynic who is trying to identify the fourth man in a robbery, a man we know early on played a very minor role, if any. The man is sentenced to be hanged.

    He finds that people don't want to identify the man, Jack Lord with blond hair. It's much like "The Spy Who Loved Me" in that it is a quest to have a man killed who probably doesn't deserve it.

    That's just the surface plot. In essence, Lord becomes the fourth character. The real plot is the romantic subplot that lays beneath the surface.

    The woman in the triangle finds herself in emotional turmoil over betraying Jack Lord's character to the law, which is represented by Taylor and Fess Parker.

    Parker is the younger, striking man who immediately sets out to make her his wife. Taylor is the older man who sets out to understand her and have a relationship.

    In this, we have a switch. The younger man becomes the solid, steady force, and strangely devoid of romance. He is a tall, handsome, affable fellow. What women call "a catch" in public, but in practice, they just can't find what the all "chemistry" with.

    Taylor's character, meanwhile, is full of charged emotion. While Fess is a "Earth", Robert is "fire".

    The story becomes the story of female romanticism. It is a very credible depiction, whether we like it or not.

    It isn't what I call a "great Western", but perhaps I judge it on the standards of usual action. It is actually a drama, one of those stage dramas that focus on a subject. It isn't dull, and the characters are three dimensional, like most golden age Westerns. It's very watchable.
    7King_man

    The "Pre-Island" Tina Louise

    This is sort of a crossroads film where some on the way up (Lord, Parker, Louise) cross paths with a Taylor whose career is winding down. As a western, it's not your usual "shoot 'em up."

    Marshall Taylor, a man on a mission, arrives in town to arrest a murder suspect. The only problem is he doesn't know this man's identity. Enter Ms. Louise as the answer to his problem. Dangling a $500 reward for her identification of the suspected killer, he figures his problems are over. Only issue? They are just starting. With local sheriff Fess Parker and wanted man Jack Lord plus some other familiar faces in supporting roles, The Hangman is much more about dialog and character study than action. The ending was a bit awkward but the journey there an OK ride.

    For me, the most interesting element of this film was Ms. Louise. I'd only seen her previously as the breathless Ginger Grant, trapped forever (or it seemed that way) on Gilligan's Island. She is definitely a head-turner in this, her third movie, and does a fine job as a somewhat down on one's luck widow who sees more to Taylor than he sees in himself. One never knows why some actors move up the food chain while others sort of stall out. Between this release and Gilligan's Island were a bunch of Italian movies and some rather nondescript US B-films so maybe getting type cast as Ginger wasn't as career crippling as one might presume. Personally, I'd love to know if her trajectory might have changed if she had avoided the Italian phase and been cast in some mid-level US films instead. She certainly didn't embarrass herself in The Hangman and while we might have had to do without Ginger, I'd like to have seen how she fared in more substantial roles.
    8norbert-plan-618-715813

    Enjoying scenario

    This is a superb scenario for this western in the city where a Marshall (Robert Taylor), looking for a wanted man (who risks being hanged if he is found guilty), is confronted with the fact that he is appreciated by everyone in the city. To identify him, he uses an acquaintance, Tina Louise, who will be able to identify him. This one, Jack Lord, turns out to be a good guy that everyone loves. Our Marshall finds himself alone against the others who will passively help their friend to escape.

    The richness of the scenario is in the interaction of the different characters. Between Robert Taylor, the professional who doesn't care about the person he is looking for, because he is just wanted to be judged (he is not a jury or a judge) and the other characters: Tina Louise, the witness who is supposed to identify him; the sheriff Fess Parker, who helps the Marshall by profession. All three will evolve during the course of the story and change or adapt their position and posture. The sheriff will help the Marshall at first, then not so much later. The sheriff falls in love with Tina Louise (there is reason to). The Marshall ends up saying that doing this is not necessarily something he is excited about and will change his position, perhaps to the point of resigning.

    To these four main characters are added secondary characters, well existing and well written and that enrich the story: the mature lady who tries to seduce Robert Taylor; the colleague of Jack Lord who fights with him, for example.

    Note a beautiful scene where Tina Louise gets out of her bath and goes to her room to get dressed, with Robert Taylor present in the room. A scene both visually rich and rich in dialogue.

    Until the conclusion, not necessarily unexpected, but very nice. This is a good story, timeless, which could be adapted in an infinite number of contexts, and therefore remade.
    8Freedom060286

    A Well-Written 1950s Western

    This one has a flawlessly-written script by Dudley Nichols, the screenwriter of many well-known movies from 1930 to 1960 such as "Stagecoach" "The Bells of St. Mary's" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls". There's often a good moral lesson to be learned from a screenplay written by Nichols. The original story was by Luke Short, the author of many Western novels.

    The cast is very good too with Robert Taylor as the "Hangman" Deputy Marshall, and several people who would later become familiar TV stars: Tina Louise, Jack Lord, Fess Parker and briefly, Lorne Green. And of course you can't go wrong with the direction of the great Michael Curtiz ("Casablanca") who, like Nichols, was nearing the end of his career.

    I especially liked the story, it's deeper than most westerns, as it explores the themes of justice, loyalty, and forgiveness.
    6bkoganbing

    "I catch them, I don't hang them."

    The Hangman finds Robert Taylor as a relentless U.S. Marshal who pursues criminals with the zeal of Lieutenant Gerard when he was hunting for Richard Kimble in The Fugitive. Barry Morse's words from that show could equally have served as Taylor's bywords, "I don't philosophize, I hunt."

    Who he's hunting is the last man of a four man gang accused of a holdup where a death occurred. Two guys are already dead and one is sentenced to hang. But nobody knows who number four is or what he looks like.

    Taylor in his quest goes to an army post where he finds recent widow Tina Louise and he's authorized by Wells Fargo to offer a reward of $500.00 if she'll come to a town where he's reputed to be and point him out.

    When he arrives in town, the object of his quest who turns out to be Jack Lord is about the most popular fellow there. Why he didn't run for mayor or even for Fess Parker's job as sheriff is beyond me. But Taylor gets no help from anybody.

    The title derives from the nickname Taylor has acquired for his dogged dedication to duty. The Hangman is a western with very little action surprisingly, but it has a good character study by the mature Robert Taylor. It's a well rounded portrait of a man who'd like to leave the job he's in, but has grown used to it and it's the only living he's known for years.

    The Hangman was the first film Robert Taylor did outside MGM since Magnificent Obsession in the Thirties. He has a record, definitely unlikely to be broken now of the longest running studio contract in film history.

    The Hangman is a good, not great western besides those already mentioned I did enjoy Mabel Albertson's performance as a dotty old biddy who's eying Robert Taylor like a slab of romantic beef. Well he was one of the biggest screen heartthrobs ever.

    Personally, I think Taylor should have concentrated on westerns in his later years the same way Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott did. He liked making them and though he's not primarily known as a western star, films like Devil's Doorway, Saddle the Wind, The Last Hunt and The Law and Jake Wade hold up very well today. The Hangman's not as good as these I've mentioned, but it still has a fine performance from Robert Taylor and the rest of the cast.

    More like this

    The Trap
    6.6
    The Trap
    7 Men from Now
    7.4
    7 Men from Now
    Act of Violence
    7.4
    Act of Violence
    Return of the Gunfighter
    6.4
    Return of the Gunfighter
    Ramrod
    6.7
    Ramrod
    Riding Shotgun
    6.4
    Riding Shotgun
    Wichita
    6.9
    Wichita
    Seven Ways from Sundown
    6.8
    Seven Ways from Sundown
    The Tin Star
    7.3
    The Tin Star
    Man from Del Rio
    6.4
    Man from Del Rio
    The Law and Jake Wade
    6.8
    The Law and Jake Wade
    The Black Vampire
    7.4
    The Black Vampire

    Storyline

    Edit

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ13

    • How long is The Hangman?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 17, 1959 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Dzelat iz Nevade
    • Filming locations
      • Paramount Ranch - 2813 Cornell Road, Agoura, California, USA(wagon chase sequences)
    • Production company
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 27 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Tina Louise, Robert Taylor, Jack Lord, and Fess Parker in The Hangman (1959)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Hangman (1959) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.