Western RoundUp: The Lonely Man (1957)

The Lonely Man (1957)

It’s been a few months since my last full-length film Western review, so in this month’s column I’m reviewing The Lonely Man (1957), which was just released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

I had no
previous familiarity with The Lonely Man, an 88-minute Paramount
Pictures film which has an interesting story and a top cast of Western
character actors.

Kino
Lorber, I’d like to insert here, has done a wonderful job in recent years
releasing previously hard-to-find Westerns on Blu-ray, all of which have
enriched my Western viewing.

Their
releases include Audie Murphy films, a couple of which I’ve reviewed here, and
relatively obscure ’50s Westerns such as Man From Del Rio (1956)
and The Ride Back (1957), both starring Anthony Quinn.
Additional Audie Murphy boxed sets are among the films which have been
mentioned as possible future releases.

The Lonely Man has strong echoes of The Gunfighter (1950), as Jacob Wade (Jack Palance) returns home after many years. He left town after being accused of shooting the sheriff, with more killings to his name in the years since, but he hopes to make things right for his wife and son before time runs out.

Jacob learns his wife is dead; his sullen young son Riley (Anthony Perkins) resents him. Undeterred, Jacob wants to set the shiftless Riley up in some sort of business which will give him a secure future. He sets fire to Riley’s run-down shack, and a grudging Riley accompanies his father back on the road.

Jacob
looks over a possible livery stable business for Riley in one town, but the
Wades are immediately sent on their way by local citizens, and they ultimately
end up at the isolated home of Ada (Elaine Aiken). Jacob and Ada had once been
lovers, and when he left he gifted her the house.

Jacob,
Ada, and Jacob’s old friend Ben (Robert Middleton) go to work capturing wild
horses, with Jacob thinking breaking and selling horses might be a good
business for Riley.

Right
around this time, we learn why Jacob feels such urgency to help his son: He’s
going blind. And it doesn’t help matters knowing that old enemies, including
King Fisher (Neville Brand), Faro (Lee Van Cleef), and Blackburn (Claude Akins)
are in the area, given that his vision woes no longer provide the security of
being a fast gun.

I
found The Lonely Man imperfect yet worthwhile. Its strengths
start with spectacular black and white VistaVision location filming in Lone
Pine, California, by Lionel Lindon. Both the movie and the Blu-ray look
absolutely fantastic.

The
extensive location shooting was of particular interest to me, having spent
countless hours in Lone Pine, and those unfamiliar with the area firsthand will
nonetheless enjoy its distinctive vistas, including the Alabama Hills and the
majestic views of Mount Whitney and Lone Pine Peak.

Other
California locations, including Iverson Ranch and Vasquez Rocks, are seen very
briefly. The Lonely Man has a definite “A” game in
terms of visuals.

Palance
is strong is a sympathetic role as the stoic gunslinger. We sense early on that
there is more to the man and his story than initially presented. His wordless,
beaming delight when Riley finally calls him “Pa” is a highlight of
the film.

Palance
is surrounded by some of the most menacing baddies in the Western movie
business in Brand, Van Cleef, and Akins. Middleton, who often plays villains,
is good in a nicely rounded role as Jacob’s flawed yet loyal pal. Middleton has
a particularly strong scene when he finally gives Riley the facts on why his
father left town years ago and seemingly abandoned his mother.

The
movie also boasts appearances from a host of great character actors, including
Elisha Cook Jr., James Bell, John Doucette, Russell Simpson, Tudor Owen, and
Denver Pyle.

The
performances from Perkins and Aiken are unfortunately less stellar. Perkins is
fairly colorless and wooden as the conflicted son — much the same as I found
him in the same year’s The Tin Star (1957). He’s simply a
placeholder as Riley, in a role which cries out for a more sympathetic and
appealing performance.

Aiken,
who was appearing in her first film and has an “introducing” card in
the opening credits, seems too mannered and theatrical compared to Palance’s
natural performance. Her line deliveries at times are quite stilted, especially
in her first reunion scene with Palance.

After
watching the film I learned Aiken had studied with Lee Strasberg and later
cofounded New York’s Actors Conservatory in the ’80s, and that seems to perhaps
explain the “staginess” of her performance, along with her lack of
screen experience. After The Lonely Man she had only a handful
of film and TV roles, spread over many years. She passed on in 1998.

Perkins
and Aiken shared an underdeveloped romantic relationship late in the film; it
comes as a surprise, given her continued devotion to Jacob. That was a misstep
in the script by Harry Essex and Robert Smith, nor was it convincingly acted.

The
Lonely Man was directed by Henry Levin, one of a small number of
Westerns he directed over his long career. Other Levin Westerns included The
Man From Colorado (1948) with Glenn Ford and William Holden and the
semi-Western The Gambler From Natchez (1954) with Rory Calhoun
and Debra Paget.

I was
surprised to realize that I’ve seen a very significant number of Levin’s films,
most of which aren’t considered classics as such, yet are consistently
entertaining. Levin favorites include The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946)
with Cornel Wilde and Anita Louise and The Mating of Millie (1948)
with Glenn Ford and Evelyn Keyes.

The
score for The Lonely Man was by Van Cleave, with the theme
song by Van Cleave and Jack Brooks, sung by Tennessee Ernie Ford. I was also
interested to note, per IMDb, that famed guitarist Laurindo Almeida was heard
on the soundtrack.

Kino
Lorber’s Blu-ray is from a new HD master from Paramount, from a 6K scan of the
35mm original VistaVision camera negative. It’s truly beautiful and one of the
reasons to check out this disc. Sound quality is also excellent.

Kino Lorber has presented The Lonely Man as a special edition with a cardboard slipcase. Disc extras include the trailer; a gallery of five trailers for other Westerns available from Kino Lorber; and a commentary track by Western movie expert Toby Roan.

While a
somewhat dark storyline and a pair of weak supporting performances
disappointed, on the whole I enjoyed viewing this new-to-me Western completely
“cold.” I found quite a bit to enjoy, including most of the cast and
the gorgeous views. I suspect fellow Western fans will also find it worth
checking out, particularly given the excellent presentation by Kino Lorber
Studio Classics.

If any of this column’s readers would like to share thoughts on this movie, please feel welcome to do so in the comments!

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

…

– Laura Grieve for Classic Movie Hub

Laura can be found at her blog, Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings, where she’s been writing about movies since 2005, and on Twitter at @LaurasMiscMovie. A lifelong film fan, Laura loves the classics including Disney, Film Noir, Musicals, and Westerns.  She regularly covers Southern California classic film festivals.  Laura will scribe on all things western at the ‘Western RoundUp’ for CMH.