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Stranger On Horseback (1955); Lost Western
Topic Started: May 12 2008, 08:24 AM (525 Views)
Laughing Gravy
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VCI tells me, "We are working on a true lost classic western from Kit Parker Films titled Stranger on Horseback (1955) starring Joel McCrea and directed by Jacques Tourneur. This title has never been available on VHS or DVD because the negative was lost. Kit Parker found a 35mm print at the British Film Archives for our transfer and we will be handling the digital restoration."
"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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igsjr
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Laughing Gravy
May 12 2008, 08:24 AM
VCI tells me, "We are working on a true lost classic western from Kit Parker Films titled Stranger on Horseback (1955) starring Joel McCrea and directed by Jacques Tourneur. This title has never been available on VHS or DVD because the negative was lost. Kit Parker found a 35mm print at the British Film Archives for our transfer and we will be handling the digital restoration."

I'll have to have this one...it's been on my must-see list for years.
"Life is in color--but black-and-white is more realistic..." -- Samuel Fuller, director

So many DVDs...so little time...
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Sgt King
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Stranger On Horseback is a United Artists western of a circuit judge cleaning up a town and arresting the big cattle baron's (John McIntire) son (Kevin McCarthy) for murder. Only 66 min long and in color. Looking forward to this one.
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wtrails
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Well, it is available in b/w, but it will be great to see it in color from a 35mm source!
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Chief Thunder Cloud
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Hi LG: This great news. Any idea when "Stranger On Horseback" (1955) will be available for purchase on DVD from VCI? Joel McCrea is one of my favourite western actors.
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Laughing Gravy
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Got it today, and started to go through it. There's a lot of bonus material on the disc. The film itself (in "AnscoColor") looks really good, and is widescreen. I'll get a review and some scenes up tomorrow.
"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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Chief Thunder Cloud
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I've pre-ordered my copy of "Stranger On Horseback" from Amazon.ca. The Release Date is Sept. 16th. I'm looking forward to seeing this film.

Regards:

Ron McKnight.
"Chief Thunder Cloud"
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Laughing Gravy
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Stranger on Horseback (VCI, $14.95, to be released 9/16/08) This 1955 Jacques Tourneur film has been all but impossible to see for decades, particularly in its original “AnscoColor” beauty (AnscoColor being to Technicolor what ViewMaster slide projectors are to high-def plasma TVs). VCI and Kit Parker films located a copy in the British Film Institute vault, and here we are. One of a number of similar-themed post-High Noon “Lone Lawman vs. Vicious Killers in A Town Called Apathy” films, but it’s a good one. Joel McCrea is the Lone Lawman, John McIntire and Kevin McCarthy are the Vicious Killers, and John Carradine is the hapless city official in the villains’ pocket. Miroslava is the babe who longs to cross over from the wrong side of the street and get to where handsome Joel is a-standin’. I don’t know who she is, but she’s pretty and she’s the only member of the villainous family that spicks vith a strange assent. The disc, from a 35mm print, is presented in 1.66:1 anamorphic format, and looks wonderful considering the cheap color process that was used. Extras include radio shows with Joel McCrea and audio featurettes by Joel Blumberg, plus the original theatrical trailer.
"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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igsjr
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I put this one on last night and I was more impressed than I thought I'd be. Solid oater, with great performances all around--of course, when your source material is from Louis L'Amour (who wrote the original story; the screenplay was co-scripted by Herb Meadow, a scenarist who co-created a successful TV series about a gunslinger that had a gun and did a lot of traveling) most of the heavy lifting's been done.

I'm not all that wild about that Anscocolor process, but the restoration did look fine and dandy.
"Life is in color--but black-and-white is more realistic..." -- Samuel Fuller, director

So many DVDs...so little time...
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panzer the great & terrible
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Whenever Jacques Tourneur got a good script he made a good movie, so give him a little credit. No auteur, but a competent director.
Edited by panzer the great & terrible, Dec 18 2008, 11:43 AM.
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igsjr
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panzer the great & terrible
Dec 18 2008, 11:41 AM
Whenever Jacques Tourneur got a good script he made a good movie, so give him a little credit. No auteur, but a competent director.
You're absolutely right...I left out Tourneur's contributions and I shouldn't have. McCrea even hand-picked him to direct Stranger since the two men had done Stars in My Crown (1950) earlier, which McCrea always mentioned as his favorite film.
"Life is in color--but black-and-white is more realistic..." -- Samuel Fuller, director

So many DVDs...so little time...
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