This Western from later in the fifties.

This is not a film that I know well – and I don’t recall it on it’s release

Directed by Delmer Daves
Song: “The Hanging Tree”
Vocal by Marty Robbins
CAST: Gary Cooper (Dr. Joseph Frail), Maria Schell (Elizabeth Mahler), Karl Malden (Frenchy), Ben Piazza (Rune), George C. Scott (Grubb),

Cooper’s character, Doc Frail, lives in a cabin on a ridge about the mining town of Skull Creek. Throughout the picture, we’re look down on the village from Frail’s perspective. These shots now have a stunning amount of detail, giving you an opportunity to really study what Director Delmer Daves had his cast of extras doing in the recesses of those long shots.

THE HANGING TREE

THE HANGING TREE was out of distribution for over twenty years

The old Eastman Colour film stock had not aged well – however In 2012 a colour inter-negative was found that had been made in the 1970s and this was used.

It strikes me that Gary Cooper at the age of 53 when this was released was often cast with such young women – I think of Grace Kelly in High Noon – and then this one with Maria Schell.

Maria Schell always looked good – I remember her opposite Marius Goring in ‘So Little Time’ – a really good film.

Then a favourite of mine ‘Distant Drums’ set in the Florida Everglades – with Marie Aldon another very pretty – and young – girl cast opposite Gary Cooper

Above Maria Schell

The Hanging Tree was Delmer Daves’ last Western as director. In fact he only directed it between June 17 and July 28, 1958, falling ill while on the set, and star Gary Cooper, whose new company Baroda Productions this project led, asked one of the actors, Karl Malden, to finish the direction, which he seems to have done competently. But it was certainly a ‘Daves’ Western, featuring many of the themes that distinguished his pictures.

I also think of ‘The Last Wagon’ with Richard Widmark – another great Western which he directed – also ‘3-10 to Yuma’ with Glenn Ford – and surprisingly to me he directed ‘Demetrius and the Gladiators’ with Victor Mature – a monster Box Office hit

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