Instant Favorite.

Awesome Movie

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

1954's "Stranger on Horseback" was shot in Sedona AZ in the rarely used Ansco color process, rather than the far more popular Cinecolor. Joel McCrea is the star, playing circuit judge Richard Thorne, arriving in a town ruled by the Bannerman clan, investigating a shooting death where no arrests have been made. Trouble begins when Thorne learns that Tom Bannerman (Kevin McCarthy) was the shooter, his father Josiah (John McIntire) unwilling to allow any lawman to bring his offspring to trial. The beautiful Miroslava commands the screen as Amy Lee Bannerman, whose allegiance wavers under the judge's influence. Although a star in Mexico, she was actually Czech-born, a sad suicide only two weeks prior to this film's release. A year away from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," the amiable Kevin McCarthy just isn't the right actor to play a slimy villain (all the bad guys are rather colorless). Legendary scene stealer John Carradine is in typical form, playing the tailor-made role of Colonel Buck Streeter, indeed a trial run for his Cassius Starbuckle in 1962's "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," seedy Southern prosecutor aiding the judge while staying close to the Bannermans (he disappears from the film once the cross country journey begins).

Stranger on Horseback is directed by Jacques Tourneur and adapted to screenplay by Herb Meadow and Don Martin from a story written by Louis L'Amour. It stars Joel McCrea, Miroslava Šternová, John McIntire, Kevin McCarthy, John Carradine, Nancy Gates and Emile Meyer. Music is scored by Paul Dunlap and cinematography by Ray Rennahan.Joel McCrea stars as Circuit Judge Richard Thorne, who rides into a town to find it is entirely owned by the Bannerman family, headed by Josiah Bannerman (McIntire). Initially only there to check over the town's books, it comes to light that Josiah's son Tom (McCarthy) has killed a man in cold blood under the guise of self defence and never been brought to trial. Thorne arrests him, and in a town of few friends, sets about staying alive long enough to ensure Tom Bannerman does indeed go to trial.A mighty unusual judge, Sir.Clocking in at just 66 minutes long, Stranger on Horseback is very much a quintessential B Western. Filmed in beautiful Sedona, Arizona, picture makes the most of having McCrea in the lead. Where many of the other characters are drawn as standard Western fodder, McCrea really gives a characterisation that is easy to jump on board with. He is like a one man army, but he doesn't need to go all guns blazing, he has his law book and his wits, he knows how to charm the ladies, he is tough and throws a good punch, but he mellows to give a child a silver dollar. He is a man that men want to be and a man that the women want to wed. It's meat and drink for McCrea, with straight back and piercing eyes, his shoulders packing some brawn, it is he that is primarily the reason why the film is so enjoyable.The story is simple and played out as such, with echoes of High Noon and the like. Friendless man of the badge has to go it alone to ensure what is right is actually achieved. Along the way people will be either hurt or awakened from their stupors, enemies confronted, a lover gained and a finale plays out when it all comes together in a triumphant whirl of machismo. Tourneur and Rennahan ensure the second half of the picture is picturesque, the characters finally out in the open and framed wonderfully against the vistas, while the writers come up with a couple of nifty turn of events to keep the narrative interesting. Away from McCrea the fun turn comes from Carradine, while McIntire and Meyer are as reliable as ever. McCarthy is passable as a Western weasel and Miroslava, who would sadly commit suicide the same year of the film's release, turns up and with a sexy glint in her eye and manages to say her lines correctly.It's not pushing the boat out or trying to redirect the direction of the 50s Western, but it's one of the more enjoyable B Westerns from that decade. McCrea and Rennahan ensure that is the case. 7.5/10

According to the Films of Joel McCrea series book, McCrea liked so much working with Jacques Tourneur on one of his best films Stars In My Crown that he signed eagerly to do this adaption of a Louis L'Amour novel of a western circuit riding, gun toting judge. This is a man who backs up his decisions.No one has been to this town recently when McCrea rides in and he quickly discovers the place is run top to bottom by the local Ben Cartwright played by John McIntire. McCrea discovers quickly enough that McIntire's punk son has been responsible for several non-natural deaths and no one has seen fit to prosecute. McCrea orders cynical marshal Emile Meyer to arrest Kevin McCarthy. Soon enough though it's pretty obvious that no fair trial can be obtained in McIntire's town so a change of venue is ordered. The rest of the film is McCrea, Meyer, McCarthy and a few others making the journey for said change of venue with McIntire on their heels.Stealing every scene he's in is John Carradine playing a rather cheerfully corrupt prosecutor in McIntire's town. He reminds me so much of Cassius Starbuckle the cattleman's mouthpiece in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. His role here could be a younger version, a dress rehearsal for the John Ford classic.Playing McIntire's niece is Czech/Mexican actress Miroslava who would do only one more film before committing suicide at the age of 30. She was one sexy alluring creature who tries her ways on McCrea. He's tempted to be sure.Stranger On Horseback is short and taught western with maximum editing skills applied by its director. McCrea's character might well have been transferred to television for a series about a circuit riding judge. I'm surprised no one saw the possibilities.

Stranger on Horseback (1955) ** (out of 4) Judge Thorne (Joel McCrea) arrives in a small town ran by Josiah Bannerman (John McIntire) and finds that the man pretty much owns everything and makes sure that everything is under his control. This doesn't sit too well with the Judge because he wants to bring the man's son (Kevin McCarthy) to trial for the murder of an innocent man but the Judge doesn't find too many people willing to stand with him. STRANGER ON HORSEBACK isn't a masterpiece and it's not even a good film but it's a decent little "B" Western that has an attractive cast even if the story itself is just a second-rate mix of HIGH NOON and 3:10 TO YUMA. Considering the talent involved I can't help but label this a minor disappointment because not only do you have McCrea doing a role he was born to play but you have the highly underrated Tourneur calling the shots. The most surprising thing is that there's not a single shot that will remind you of anything Tourneur had done in his career. Usually the director had a certain eye for style but none of that is to be seen here and that's a real shame because a little more spark is exactly what the familiar story needed. The story itself is pretty familiar stuff that you could trace back to the Westerns of the 1930s. A good man comes into a corrupt town and must try to battle the owner for what's right. The familiar story leads up to a finale that I won't ruin but I must admit that I found it rather weak. I don't mind too much the way the Judge character goes about doing his business but what the McIntire character does just seemed way too far-fetched and I thought it pretty much made the entire movie pointless. What makes the film worth sitting through is the terrific cast with McCrea leading the way as the good guy. Along with Randolph Scott you really couldn't find a better good guy than McCrea and he does a nice job with the part. McCarthy was fun in this early role even if his sometimes comic approach is a tad bit off. It's always fun seeing McIntire as he eats up scenes and we even get John Carradine as the corrupt prosecutor. Miroslava plays the bad man's cousin and makes for some good chemistry with McCrea. I'm not familiar with the Louis L'Amour story so I can't say how close this film follows it but the routine screenplay could have used some better stuff but if you're a fan of the cast then you might as well kill 66-minutes.