Winchester '73 (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Director: Anthony Mann Anthony Mann

Overview

Several Hollywood insiders felt that Jimmy Stewart had overestimated his box office appeal when he agreed to appear in Winchester '73 not for his usual salary, but for a percentage of the film's gross profits. No one was doubting Stewart's sagacity when Winchester '73 proved to be one of the most successful westerns in years, and soon every major star was jumping on the profits-percentage bandwagon. The film itself is the story of a longstanding blood feud; the film's centerpiece is a prized Winchester rifle. Hardbitten loner Stewart rides into Dodge City, where he participates in a Fourth of July shooting contest to win the coveted rifle. Stewart's principal opponent is surly Stephen McNally, for whom Stewart holds an unexplained hatred. McNally wins, but Cochran steals the rifle and heads for the hills. As Stewart conducts a long, grim search for the stolen weapon, it passes through several hands, notably the grimy ones of outlaw Dan Duryea. After the gun has come full circle, we learn that Stewart is McNally's brother, and that McNally had killed their father. The errant brother is himself killed in the final shootout while using the selfsame Winchester. Winchester '73 was not only a goldmine at the box office, but it also established a harmonious relationship between James Stewart and director Anthony Mann, who would guide Stewart through two subsequent no-nonsense adventure films, Bend of the River (1952) and The Far Country (1955). Based on a story by Stuart N. Lake, Winchester '73 would be indifferently remade for TV in 1967.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/28/2025
UPC:	0715515308519
Original Release:	1950
Source:	Criterion Collection
Language:	English
Time:	1:32:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

James Stewart	Lin MacAdam
Dan Duryea	Waco Johnnie Dean
Shelley Winters	Lola Manners
Stephen McNally	Dutch Henry Brown
Millard Mitchell	High Spade
Charles Drake	Steve Miller
John McIntire	Joe Lamont
Will Geer	Wyatt Earp
Jay C. Flippen	Sgt. Wilkes
Rock Hudson	Young Bull
John Alexander	Jack Rider
Steve Brodie	Wesley
James Millican	Wheeler
Abner Biberman	Latigo Means
Tony Curtis	Doan
James Best	Crater
Gregg Martell	Mossman
Frank Chase	Cavalryman
Chuck Roberson	Long Tom
Carol Henry	Dudeen
Ray Teal	Marshal Noonan
Virginia Mullen	Mrs. Jameson
John Doucette	Roan Daley
Steve Darrell	Masterson
Chief Yowlachie	Indian
Frank Conlan	Clerk
Ray Bennett	Charles Bender
Guy Wilkerson	Virgil
Robert Anderson	Bassett
Larry Olsen	Boy at Rifle Shoot
Edmund Cobb	Target Watcher
Forrest Taylor	Target Clerk,Boy
Ethan Laidlaw	Station Master
Bud Osborne	Man
Bonnie Kay Eddy	Betty Jameson
Jennings Miles	Stagecoach Driver
John War Eagle	Indian Interpreter
Duke Yorke	First Man
Ted Mapes	Bartender
Norman Kent	Buffalo Hunter
Norman Olestad	Stable Boy
Tim Hawkins	Boy at Rifle Shoot
Mel Archer	Bartender
Bill McKenzie	Boy at Rifle Shoot
Gary Jackson	Gary Jameson
Walter Scharf	Composer
Joseph Gershenson	Composer

Technical Credits

Robert L. Richards

Borden Chase

Anthony Mann	Director
Robert L. Richards	Screenwriter
Borden Chase	Screenwriter
Aaron Rosenberg	Producer
Polly Burson	Stunts
Leslie I. Carey	Sound Effects