The Tall Texan

Fresh off his success as award winning editor on "High Noon", Elmo Williams takes the Directors chair here for the first time. Often compared to Ford's "Stagecoach" this character study of lust and greed is more reminiscent of "Treasure of Sierra Madre." Bridges is superb as the tight lipped convict, Trask(the Tall Texan), however the real acting kudos go to Adler and Cobb as sniveling peddler and sadistic sea captain, respectively. The picture slowly builds to an action packed climax and a deliberately inconclusive ending. This is perhaps the finest picture from Lippert Inc.

That's a pretty good little western, pulled by a prestigious editor and producer, Elmo Williams. I like this little flick, mainly because of a cast very surprising in such a B picture: Lloyd Bridges, Lee J Cobb, Marie Windsor.... I really enjoyed it, thanks to some good action scenes and an adequate characters study, again not that foreseeable for such a little budget film. I don't remember having seen it before. I guess it is not widely known among western buffs and it's a bit shame because I think it deserves better. Try it if you have the opportunity to. The plot, though, has nothing special to offer.

The Tall Texan succeeds because of a fortuitous combination of elements-setting, background music, romance, suspense, and characterization. Although termed low budget, the photography amidst impressive rock formations successfully creates the illusion of taking place on the edge of sacred Indian burial grounds somewhere northwest of El Paso in New Mexico's City of Rocks. The background music has the flavor of Aaron Copland as motifs for the Sea Captain (Lee J. Cobb) ,the crooked peddler Tinnen (Luther Adler) and Ben Trask,the Tall Texan (Lloyd Bridges) recur throughout the drama.The Tympani throbs create tension near the close as Ben Trask fights for his life. An intriguing romance develops between a free spirited woman (Laura Thompson-Marie Windsor) and a prisoner accused of a crime he didn't commit (Ben Trask- Lloyd Bridges). A rapid metamorphosis of contempt to admiration to affection develops as Laura discerns Ben's honest unassuming character. Ben Trask's rival, a hot tempered former sea captain wins the hearts of the audience by developing latent altruistic characteristics. Robert Lippert and Elmo Williams have masterfully and tastefully combined these elements into a well-made drama.

Robert Lippert, the force behind Lippert Films and later Regal Films, was a very resourceful Poverty Row filmmaker from the late 40s through the 50s who managed to make extremely interesting films with even more interesting casts on a low, sometimes shoestring, budget. He covered all the B film genres: Film Noir ("A Stolen Face"), Westerns ("Little Big Horn"), science fiction ("Rocket Ship X-M"), horror ("Lost Continent"), and war ("The Steel Helmet"). The studio occasionally even turned out more expensive period dramas (like "The Baron of Arizona") with class and some style.

In retrospect it seems inevitable that in the late 40s and early 50s elements of the newly emerging Film Noir genre would seep into the already well-established Western format. Memorable Noirish Westerns of the period include "Pursued," "Blood on the Moon," "The Furies," "Colorado Territory," "Ramrod," and two classics of the new hybrid genre: "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and "Lust for Gold."

"The Tall Texan" is a minor masterpiece, interweaving themes from more traditional Westerns like "Stagecoach" with Noirish elements like lust, deceit, greed, betrayal, fate, paranoia, and irony with a disparate group of mismatched, morally ambiguous travelers thrown together by fate.

A great cast of Film Noir types (femme fatale Marie Windsor, laconic antihero Lloyd Bridges, fish-out-of-water sea captain with a shady past Lee J. Cobb, morally corrupt lawman Stanley Herrick, and ruthlessly unprincipled bottom-feeder Luther Adler) look as though they would be equally comfortable in a Twentieth Century urban setting with dingy buildings, rain-soaked streets and shadowy alleyways. However, they are also perfectly suited here, claustrophobically trapped in a metaphoric maze of giant boulders, unfriendly Indians, and their own greedy lust for gold.

Under the taut direction of Elmo Williams, the editing genius who transformed "High Noon" from a routine Western into a taut, edge-of- your-seat masterpiece, "The Tall Texan" is a highly recommended sleeper that both fans of Westerns and Film Noir will enjoy.

Considering that this movie is almost 50 years old, it holds up quite well. Bridges, Adler and Cobb give striking performances in a tale set amongst a group of barren rocks in the Southwest. The plot moves slowly, building to an exciting climax. One of the best western movies of the 50s with a great musical score.