Ramrod

Director: André De Toth André De Toth

Overview

In this western, a feisty daughter stands firm in the face of the evil cattleman and her yellow-bellied father as they try to destroy her sheep ranch. Tired of their harassment, the strong-willed woman organizes her own terrorist band to fight back just as dirtily as the cow-folk. One of her ranch hands tries to talk her out of it, but she will not listen until many die. In the end, the ranch hand rides out to put a stop to the violence once and for all.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/20/2012
UPC:	0887090046503
Original Release:	1947
Rating:	NR
Source:	Olive
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:35:00
Sales rank:	19,779

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Veronica Lake	Connie Dickason
Joel McCrea	Dave Nask
Don DeFore	Bill Schell
Donald Crisp	Sheriff Jim Crew
Ian MacDonald	Walt Shipley
Charlie Ruggles	Ben Dickason,Ben Dickason
Preston Foster	Frank Ivey,Frank Ivey
Arleen Whelan	Rose
Lloyd Bridges	Red Cates
Rose Higgins	Annie
Chick York	Dr. Parks
Sarah Padden	Mrs. Parks
Nestor Paiva	Curley
Cliff Parkinson	Tom Peebles
Trevor Bardette	Bailey
John Powers	Pokey
Ward Wood	Link Thomas,Link Thoms
Hal Taliaferro	Jess Moore
Wally Cassell	Virg Lee
Ray Teal	Burma
Jeff Corey	Bice
Houseley Stevenson	George Smedley
Victor Potel	Burch Nellice
Arthur Thalasso	Barfly
Jack Kenny	Barfly
Houseley Stevenson Jr.	George Smedley
Mike Ragan	Ivey Ranch Hand
Jack Woody	Bob - Ivey Ranch Hand
Adolph Deutsch	Composer

Technical Credits

Jack Moffitt

C. Graham Baker

John C. Moffitt

Cecile Kramer

Harry Sherman	Producer,Producer
André De Toth	Director
Jack Moffitt	Screenwriter
C. Graham Baker	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Ben Winkler	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
John C. Moffitt	Screenwriter
Cecile Kramer	Screenwriter
Harry Redmond	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

An inexplicably underappreciated Western with serious noir overtones, Ramrod is an engrossing film that serves as a transition from the traditional optimistic Westerns of prior cinema to those examples of the genre that take a darker, grimmer view of life on the frontier. It's true that Ramrod gets a little heavyhanded at times, that the pacing is too deliberate for some and that the surface elements of the tale are quite familiar. But the first criticism is easy to forgive, while the pacing is ultimately integral to Ramrod's success. And if much of the plot has been seen before, it's explored with more depth than is usual, and the very prominent female role is unusual for Westerns of the period. In addition, the grafting on of such noirelements as the femme fatale who wants what she wants at any price, the hero who tries to remain true to his code and a sense of men trying hard to alter a predetermined story they don't quite understand works beautifully here. Andre De Toth's direction is meticulous and precise, and Russell Harlan's cinematography matches it shot for shot. And the cast is a dream, with Veronica Lake turning in an icy, devastating performance that perfectly complements Joel McCrea's noble yet steely one. Charlie Ruggles is quite good in an uncharacteristically serious part, and Preston Foster's villain is quite memorable. Ramrod deserves to be much better known.