Great Day in the Morning

Great Day in the Morning is directed by Jacques Tourneur and written by Lesser Samuels. It stars Robert Stack, Virginia Mayo, Raymond Burr, Ruth Roman, Alex Nicol, Leo Gordon and Regis Toomey. Music is by Leith Stevens and cinematography by William E. Snyder.

A Technicolor/Superscope production, story is set in Colorado Territory 1861, a mining town just as The Civil War is to break out. North and South divisions, lustful passions and the hunger for power and gold, all reside here...

This would turn out to be the great Jacques Tourneur's last Western offering, thankfully for his fans it turned out pretty great. This is no all action piece, the action here is mainly focused on the human condition and all the shaky traits that come with such. This town is a powder-keg waiting to ignite, with Stack's (excellent) fence sitter (he's from the South but his affiliations are money based) Owen Pentecost firmly in the middle of things. Moral compasses are set at faulty, whilst loyalties and fancies of the heart bring much conflict of interest.

Tourneur and his charges serve up fine production value, starting with the location filming out of Silverton. The landscape that surrounds the town is gorgeous, itself a beautiful observer of the ugliness (Roman and Mayo's sexiness exempt of course) that unfolds. Ugliness that rears its most potent head via bouts of shocking violence, the majority of which takes one by surprise (one of the film's many strengths). The clever screenplay throws in memorable sequences, such as a heated debate backed by Roman tinkling the piano with tunes befitting the discourse, while odd visuals - like the main saloon being based on a circus tent (its actual name and it ties in with Burr's character) - strike good notes.

With a grumpy Stack on fine form it's dandy to find the support brings weighty worth as well. Roman and Mayo are given good female roles to play (no tokens here thanks), raising the emotional stakes as much as the temperature. To good effect Burr stomps around like a sulky bully, Nicol has a good presence, and then there's Gordon. Gordon makes his mark straight away, first section of pic you know he's the sort who wants a war before the war has started, and he nails it as a gruff hot-headed bastardo - putting one in mind of Robert Shaw later down the line. Touneur's eye for detail is backed by that of Snyder to round it off as a picture well worth tracking down. 7.5/10

"Great Day in the Morning" is a western from RKO in 1956. It takes place just before the Civil War and deals with Union and Confederate factions both trying to get some gold in Colorado in order to finance the war. Based on the novel by Robert Hardy Andrews, the film is quite faithful to the book. Robert Stack plays a southern gunslinger with cynical overtones. Virginia Mayo, a Technicolor knock-out, meets Stack on her way west and has a love/hate relationship with him. Ruth Roman is a hostess with cleavage in Raymond Burr's saloon and she falls like a ton of bricks for Stack. Burr plays a heavy and gives Roman a bad time. A highpoint of the film is a critical card game between Stack and Burr with Roman dealing the cards. Of course Mayo and Roman are fighting like crazy over Stack.

This western starring the inimitable Robert Stack is quite good, overcoming a somewhat weak and syrupy script, which nonetheless contains some classic lines (my favorite is: When I first stepped out into the world, a drunkard took one look at me and shouted: 'the elephant is loose!' since then, an elephant has been my good luck charm. What's the secret to your remarkable charm? ANSWER: A complete indifference to Elephants.")

Not Jacques Tourneur's best film, but his direction is good and the technicolor outdoor fight sequences (especially the dramatic opening sequence, similar to that in Johnny Guitar) are beautiful.

As Westerns go this qualifies for entertainment. All Westerns teach us about history some do it better than others. Many Westerns entertain while teaching. Some do a better job than others. This one educates but falls a little short on quality film watching but is worthy for effort. After all, you have some name-brand players here and they carry the film nicely from scene to scene. We get some gold rush input, pre-civil war activity, and of course drinking, card-playing and shoot em ups with bad and good guys plus the Southerner versus the northerner dynamics. There is virtually no character development. You just have to accept what is going on in the screen and enjoy it. The ending leaves us with mixed feelings only because it is both good and bad. I like to snack while watching and this movie is good for sunflower seeds as you casually watch with a tasty drink to clear the palette. Mount-up and let's ride

Those in Denver, Colorado are conflicted as the United States Civil War brews, and erupts. The production values are above average for this kind of western, and it's strengthened by director Jacques Tourneur working with color choreography from William Snyder. Solemn performances from future television stars Robert Stack (as Owen Pentecost) and Raymond Burr (as Jumbo Means) give it an anachronistic air, somehow. There is an endearing kid performance, by Donald MacDonald (as Gary). But, the main attractions are two points of the "love triangle" Mr. Stack forms with pretty blonde Virginia Mayo (as Ann Merry Alaine) and attractive saloon owner Ruth Roman (as Boston Grant). Ms. Mayo certainly can fill a dress; she's both arousing and distracting.

****** Great Day in the Morning (5/16/56) Jacques Tourneur ~ Robert Stack, Virginia Mayo, Ruth Roman, Raymond Burr