The Rawhide Years

source: The Rawhide Years

Having been falsely accused aboard a riverboat of the murder of a rich rancher named "Matt Comfort" (Minor Watson), a gambler by the name of "Ben Matthews" (Tony Curtis) makes his escape and heads out west as fast as can. However, after not receiving any letters from his girlfriend "Zoe Fontaine" (Colleen Miller) for a number of months he decides to ride back to the same town where the friends of Matt currently reside. Yet, even though he has adopted a totally different name, on the way back he meets a con-man by the name of "Rick Harper" (Arthur Kennedy) who knows all about him and insists upon tagging along for the chance of making a quick buck-legitimate or otherwise. If that wasn't bad enough, the rich owner of a saloon where Zoe works named "Andre Boucher" (Peter van Eyck) not only knows everything about Ben but also wants Zoe all to himself and will stop at nothing to have his way. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this started out pretty well but the plot seemed to take a few more twists along the way than was really necessary. Likewise, some of the scenes were just a bit too convenient to be taken at face value as well. In any case, I thought that this was an okay western and have rated it accordingly. Average.

Although Tony Curtis' filmography includes above average performances in SOME LIKE IT HOT, THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, THE BOSTON STRANGLER, TRAPEZE, and THE GREAT RACE, I have never rated him an exceptional actor. But he certainly delivers a solid performance in THE RAWHIDE YEARS, and he is matched by the ever reliable Arthur Kennedy (in what appears to be a self-parodying role in which he keeps switching from crook to goody and back) and the smooth, classy and devious villain, Peter Van Eyck. The lovely Colleen Miller certainly does not hurt with her sultry singing and beautiful brown eyes. Rudolph Maté's direction is more than competent, cinematography is very good, action sequences and stunts are first rate, and the script carries enough surprises and twists to keep you riveted. I see from other reviews that RAWHIDE is supposed to be a B pic. Well, it certainly does not look like one, to me. And the cast is better than the typical B. Really enjoyed it - certainly exceeded my expectations!

Tony Curtis is a riverboat gambler who has a murder pinned on him, so he heads out west to find out who did the deed before he is lynched. It had been six years since Curtis had last been in a western. In that time he had risen from someone barely on the first cast card to one of Universal's biggest stars, so he is well supported in this movie, with the familiar players including William Demarest, Arthur Kennedy and William Gargan. Under the usually psychologically twisted direction of Rudolph Maté, he gives a competent, although not particularly interesting performance.... except, of course, to the young girls whose appeal lay in his beautiful face and lower-class accent. I suppose it made him seem approachable. The resulis a good if not outstanding star vehicle.

One thing that bothers me about typical reviews of Hollywood westerns is that every modest picture with horses, six-guns and saloons gets thrown into the same 'just another western' sack. If it's not The Big Country, or High Noon, or Rio Bravo, or a John Ford classic, then it's usually 'just another routine oater'. Of course, way too many westerns are cliché ridden and flat. But there are scores of really good ones. Westerns that not only hold your interest, but also make you marvel at what a difference a good director, a good cast and a good script can make. The Rawhide Years is one such picture. Expertly directed by Rudolph Maté and flawlessly filmed by Irving Glassberg, this movie has an exciting story, a terrific cast and carefully distilled themes of betrayal, friendship, courage and redemption. It's on a par with the best westerns of Anthony Mann or Budd Boetticher. I've seen it many times, and it never disappoints. Very highly recommended, even for viewers who don't usually cater to oats.

Back in the 1940s and 50s, studios would sign actors and actresses to contracts with no clear intention of how they'd use them. Because of this, some actors were put in strange roles that, in hindsight, made little sense....but since they were under contract they did want to keep the actors busy and have them earn their keep. This is why you can see Rock Hudson starring as an American Indian in one film and Tony Curtis playing a riverboat gambler and cowboy in "The Rawhide Years". So, despite his Brooklyn accent and pretty looks...here he is! The story begins with Ben Matthews (Curtis) working as a shill for a riverboat gambler. Matthews is sick of the life and quits...at just the perfect time! Soon, his ex-partner is hung and some masked man tossed him overboard into the river! But he IS alive...which is far more than can be said for the partner! Time passes and Matthews is aboard another riverboat with his less than honest associate, Rick Harper (Arthur Kennedy). But this time Matthews is legitimate and looking to live the straight life...when the boat is boarded by river pirates...all sporting masks like the guy who tossed him overboard some time ago. Afterwards, Matthews swears he's going to find out who is in charge of this gang and bring them to justice. Apart from the ridiculous and anachronistic songs belted out by Colleen Miller, the film turns out to be pretty good and entertaining. I also was shocked because in some of the fight scenes, it clearly IS Curtis and not a stuntman...so he apparently wasn't just some pretty boy from Brooklyn! Worth your time...and a most unusual western.

I never cared for tony curtis and arthur kennedy even less ... i'm reminded of his role in "nevada smith" where he played yet another evil character that got arrested for bank robbery and "bend in the river" where he hijacked jimmy stewart's food supplies ... he's always been a liar and a thief

This has to be one of the "best looking" films around. Very scenic, as a Western should be. Maybe the best looking two leads together ever. It's a "fluff" Western, and that isn't always an insult. That's what this was meant to be. Lots of B Westerns were made with different goals, but roughly 2/5 were made like this, to be just eye candy, with a few side dishes added on. Here, Arthur Kennedy is the "mystique" character. he comes on with too much of a likable rogue, and we wonder if he'll be the masked murderer who leaves Tony Curtis with the blame for a killing of a respected cattle baron. This is lifted up a bit over the usual fluff with a few red herrings, as we get a bit of a mystery. And the clues come to us the same way they come to the character played by Curtis, which is refreshing. We actually feel along the way with him, as this is very well directed. The review that claims Korman may have copied the villain for Blazing Saddles looks to be close to the mark I dare say. That kind of gives it a retro appeal that they hadn't counted on in 1955. It is an appealing film. Not memorable, but appealing.

To call this a "B Western" is to do it an injustice. B Westerns were long on action, shooting, horse chases and short on acting, and, most of all, character development. And they were intended as second billing to an A feature. Rawhide Years has solid acting all around, and some truly enjoyable singing (and fine acting) from Colleen Miller. Tony Curtis delivers a relaxed, low-keyed performance in the manner of Hitchcock's dictum: Don't act! The result is some remarkably good acting for the Fifties. The movie is similarly low-keyed, and delivers a pleasant, interesting tale. There is a bit of a who-dunit in the river pirates that puts some meat on the plot, and there is character development to the Curtis role that shows a con man with a conscience who becomes a cowpoke and, ultimately, a man. The Arthur Kennedy character has an even stronger element of character development, and the twists add greatly to the story's interest. Kennedy's is, indeed, the most interesting acting. And then there is Peter van Eyck, the bad guy almost to the point of caricature -- Boo! Hiss! -- at least by the end of the movie. He all but ties Zoe to the railroad tracks. I kept having to double check that I wasn't seeing Harvey Korman in Blazing Saddles. I suspect Korman was parodying van Eyck -- and there is some resemblance. There is no strong moralizing here, just an entertaining story. If there is any lesson, it is that appearances can be deceiving, and it can be hard to know who your friends are. The opening, where the crew of the riverboat mistakes some logs for pirates hints at this, as does the Kennedy character. Rawhide Years has a good storyline that keeps moving and keeps your attention. In the end, the story ties the threads together nicely. It is not a great movie, just a good, solid, entertaining one, and that's all it sets out to be.

Riverboat gambler Ben has to flee town and his girl after he's suspected of killing a leading citizen. Now he's got to clear himself with shaky help from horse thief, Rick Harper. Going in, I figured the movie would amount to a vehicle for one of Universal's new, young stars, Tony Curtis. Well, the first 20-minutes had me figuring otherwise. First, Curtis's Ben gets caught cheating at cards, then he gets spurned by his girlfriend, and finally does something totally unWestern—loses a fist-fight to a bad guy and ends up tossed unceremoniously into the river. By this point, I wondered whether someone in Hollywood had mixed up the reels. But no, after this unexpected opening the film settles into the more familiar western heroics, with Ben getting his share, plus the girl. However, there are several more offbeat touches in the works, including a lynching where Ben refrains from intervening after calculating the odds. No heroics here. Then too, there's the great actor Arthur Kennedy as Ben's sometimes buddy and full-time horse thief, Harper. Now Kennedy's usual style is to low-key his parts, which he does effectively, e.g. The Man From Laramie (1955). Here, however, he pulls out all the stops with an over-the-top performance that steals many a scene from the more subdued Curtis. I'm surprised the studio didn't intervene, since its Curtis's career that's presumably being advanced. Anyhow, it's a kind of offbeat western and not just a showcase for pretty boy Curtis. Nothing special, but still more unpredictable than most oaters.