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 (North America) August 21, 1953 (Finland) September 10, 1953 (Norway) September 21, 1953 (Sweden) October 1953 (Austria) October 1, 1953 (Germany) November 6, 1953 (France) |
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 Seargent 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.