There have been many different incarnations of this favorite western story. It began as a book by writer Owen Wister near the turn of the 20th century, based on incidents that had happened in Wyoming a decade earlier. Wister quickly adapted it into a stage play. A short time later, the star of the theatrical production, Dustin Farnum, reprised the lead role in a silent film version directed by Cecil DeMille for Paramount.
The studio remade it as a talkie in 1929 with Gary Cooper as The Virginian and Walter Huston as nemesis Trampas. Then in 1946, Paramount released this handsome Technicolor offering with Joel McCrea and Brian Donlevy in the lead roles. Of course, it would later become a long-running western TV series in the 1960s and 1970s.
I'm not sure if Joel McCrea's a better actor than Gary Cooper, but he comes across as more wholesome. He works nicely opposite Mr. Donlevy, as well as Sonny Tufts who plays Steve. It seemed to me while watching this film last night that Tufts' more humorous portrayal of Steve seems to have inspired Doug McClure's performance on TV, since McClure's take on Trampas is not really villainous. McClure plays it more as if Trampas is a light-hearted buddy of The Virginian (James Drury).
There's a cattle rustling scheme which threatens a tenuous peace between ranchers and homesteaders (usually called nesters on the TV show).
Brian Donlevy is superb at conveying the darker aspects of Trampas. We are left with no ambiguity that he's an outright villain, and The Virginian will have to defeat him to restore peace in Medicine Bow.
In addition to the relationship between The Virginian, Trampas and Steve, the men interact with a sophisticated new school teacher named Molly (Barbara Britton). She's taken the train west all the way from the east coast. She's a real lady, exhibiting the finer social graces of a proper upbringing. Her ongoing courtship with The Virginian is genuine yet comical at times.
Just like the TV show, we never find out what the title character's real name is. Only that he's from Virginia, and this adds a bit of mystery to him. I should also mention that the TV show eliminated the character of Molly in its second season. But there were plenty of other desirable females who came through Medicine Bow and turned up at the Shiloh ranch, whom the men loved and often lost.
Slick production values, a logical script with plenty of character development and a strong supporting performance from Fay Bainter make this hit from 1946 a winner.
The studio remade it as a talkie in 1929 with Gary Cooper as The Virginian and Walter Huston as nemesis Trampas. Then in 1946, Paramount released this handsome Technicolor offering with Joel McCrea and Brian Donlevy in the lead roles. Of course, it would later become a long-running western TV series in the 1960s and 1970s.
I'm not sure if Joel McCrea's a better actor than Gary Cooper, but he comes across as more wholesome. He works nicely opposite Mr. Donlevy, as well as Sonny Tufts who plays Steve. It seemed to me while watching this film last night that Tufts' more humorous portrayal of Steve seems to have inspired Doug McClure's performance on TV, since McClure's take on Trampas is not really villainous. McClure plays it more as if Trampas is a light-hearted buddy of The Virginian (James Drury).
There's a cattle rustling scheme which threatens a tenuous peace between ranchers and homesteaders (usually called nesters on the TV show).
Brian Donlevy is superb at conveying the darker aspects of Trampas. We are left with no ambiguity that he's an outright villain, and The Virginian will have to defeat him to restore peace in Medicine Bow.
In addition to the relationship between The Virginian, Trampas and Steve, the men interact with a sophisticated new school teacher named Molly (Barbara Britton). She's taken the train west all the way from the east coast. She's a real lady, exhibiting the finer social graces of a proper upbringing. Her ongoing courtship with The Virginian is genuine yet comical at times.
Just like the TV show, we never find out what the title character's real name is. Only that he's from Virginia, and this adds a bit of mystery to him. I should also mention that the TV show eliminated the character of Molly in its second season. But there were plenty of other desirable females who came through Medicine Bow and turned up at the Shiloh ranch, whom the men loved and often lost.
Slick production values, a logical script with plenty of character development and a strong supporting performance from Fay Bainter make this hit from 1946 a winner.