Springfield Rifle (film)
| Springfield Rifle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | André de Toth |
| Written by | Frank Davis Sloan Nibley (story) |
| Produced by | Louis F. Edelman |
| Starring | Gary Cooper |
| Cinematography | Edwin B. DuPar |
| Edited by | Robert L. Swanson |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release dates |  October 22, 1952 (New York City) October 25, 1953 August 21, 1953 September 10, 1953 September 21, 1953 October 1953 October 1, 1953 November 6, 1953 |
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $4.9 million (US rentals)[1] |
Springfield Rifle is a western film, directed by André de Toth and released by Warner Bros. Pictures in 1952.[2] The film is set during the American Civil War and stars Gary Cooper, with Phyllis Thaxter and Lon Chaney Jr.. It is described as "essentially an espionage thriller that pits a Union intelligence officer (Gary Cooper) against a Confederate spy ring."[3]
Plot
Charged with wartime cowardice, Major Lex Kearney is drummed out of the Union Army with a dishonorable discharge. His disgrace is complete, wife Erin even informing him that their ashamed son has run away.
What no one knows is that Kearney has accepted a fake discharge so that he can carry out a top-secret assignment to go undercover and find the rustlers who have been providing horses to Confederate troops.
Cast
- Gary Cooper as Lex Kearney
- Phyllis Thaxter as Erin
- Lon Chaney, Jr. as Pete Elm
- Philip Carey as Capt. Tennick
- Fess Parker as Confederate Sargent Jim Randolph
Reception
The film was not well-received by critics. Jeffrey Meyers noted that Cooper's career went down hill in the 1950s, and labelled Springfield Rifle a "mediocre" western.[4] Rebecca Fish Ewan called the film "confusing" and said that Cooper looked "ever perplexed".[5] New York Magazine said "even Cooper can't keep this film from being just another ho- hum Western."[6] However, New York Life described it as an "exciting military melodrama of espionage and counterespionage in a frontier fort."[7]
References
- ^ 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1953', Variety, January 13, 1954 and 'Top Box-Office Hits of 1952', Variety, January 7, 1953
- ^ Peter Lev (2006). The Fifties: Transforming the Screen 1950-1959. University of California Press. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-520-24966-0. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- ^ Loukides, Paul; Fuller, Linda K. (1993). Beyond the Stars III: The Material World in American Popular Film. Popular Press. p. 167. ISBN 978-0-87972-623-2. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- ^ Meyers, Jeffrey (1 March 2001). Gary Cooper: American Hero. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 253. ISBN 978-0-8154-1140-6. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- ^ Ewan, Rebecca Fish (3 November 2000). A Land Between: Owens Valley, California. JHU Press. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-8018-6461-2. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- ^ New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. 9 June 1986. p. 177. ISSN 00287369 Parameter error in {{issn}}: Invalid ISSN.. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- ^ Cue: The Weekly Magazine of New York Life. Cue Publishing Company. January 1962. p. 48. Retrieved 24 April 2013.