The Proud Rebel (1958)
I can’t imagine how upset the creators and contributors of The Proud Rebel were that The Big Country got more accolades, attention, and staying power through the decades. I’ll bet you’ve never heard of this one, have you? But everyone knows The Big Country, one of the biggest classic westerns of the 1950s. Both movies are set on a ranch, star a handsome man who believes in justice, feature a strong, masculine woman able to manage her own property, include a bad-blood feuding family storyline, and are set to the beautiful music of Jerome Moross. The Proud Rebel has a much more interesting story, so I highly recommend checking this one out.
While passing through a small western town in search of a doctor for his mute son, Alan Ladd gets in a fistfight and winds up in court. Olivia de Havilland stands up for him and talks the judge, Henry Hull, into letting him escape jail time. Instead, Alan is ordered to work on Olivia’s ranch for a while. The slow friendship of Olivia, Alan, and his son (played by Alan’s real son David in his film debut) is far more interesting than a couple of crusty cowboys always arguing.
No one ever accused Alan Ladd of being a very good actor, so don’t expect much from him. He does as well as he can, and it’s cute to see him act with his little boy. Olivia gives an excellent performance, and you might not even recognize her for a while until you realize there’s no other woman in the movie. You can practically see the callouses on her hands, and you know she only puts on a dress twice a year for Easter and Christmas services. It’s hard to believe she’s the same actress who played a damsel in distress in Captain Blood or the Swedish nurse in Not as a Stranger.
Give this one a watch, especially if you enjoyed Shane. It’s very good, and it only got overlooked because a William Wyler movie was released in the same year. Michael Curtiz was just as much of a legend from the silver screen, so I don’t know why his movie didn’t get as much publicity.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on YouTube. And thanks "Western Mania" for posting!
More Henry Hull movies here!
While passing through a small western town in search of a doctor for his mute son, Alan Ladd gets in a fistfight and winds up in court. Olivia de Havilland stands up for him and talks the judge, Henry Hull, into letting him escape jail time. Instead, Alan is ordered to work on Olivia’s ranch for a while. The slow friendship of Olivia, Alan, and his son (played by Alan’s real son David in his film debut) is far more interesting than a couple of crusty cowboys always arguing.
No one ever accused Alan Ladd of being a very good actor, so don’t expect much from him. He does as well as he can, and it’s cute to see him act with his little boy. Olivia gives an excellent performance, and you might not even recognize her for a while until you realize there’s no other woman in the movie. You can practically see the callouses on her hands, and you know she only puts on a dress twice a year for Easter and Christmas services. It’s hard to believe she’s the same actress who played a damsel in distress in Captain Blood or the Swedish nurse in Not as a Stranger.
Give this one a watch, especially if you enjoyed Shane. It’s very good, and it only got overlooked because a William Wyler movie was released in the same year. Michael Curtiz was just as much of a legend from the silver screen, so I don’t know why his movie didn’t get as much publicity.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on YouTube. And thanks "Western Mania" for posting!
More Henry Hull movies here!