The Tall Men (1955) User Reviews

484th Review: One of my very favorite Romantic Westerns

[intelearts · 8/10 · 28 January 2012]

Romantic westerns are a subgenre in themselves - they aren't to everyone's taste as the reviews here show - but for me there is so much chemistry and fire between Clark Gable's Texan and Jane Russell's Nella that it's hard not to swept away with it all.

The story is an epic one: a couple of bothers, ex-soldiers, rob an easy pigeon of $20 000, only to be offered instead the chance to earn five times as much by driving cattle the 1500 miles from Texas to Montana. As they head to Texas they rescue Russell. Russell is fun, feisty, and fiery as the woman who wants to dream big and won't settle for Gable with bigger fish available.

I just love this movie - it has all the elements of the Hollywood western and there is a charm and ease to it that make it a great watch. All in all, with Russell's passing there are few of the old Hollywood left but with films like The Tall Men to remind us we can at least have a glimpse of their stature from a time when everyone went to the cinema all the time.

Jane's lookin' for a REAL tall man!

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 4 April 2007]

Salty, surly star-driven western about a cattle drive from Texas to Montana. Would-be rancher Clark Gable vies for the hand of wisecrackin' Jane Russell with banker Robert Ryan, but Jane's lookin' for a tall man and plenty of rainbows! Good-looking if rather unexceptional time-passer from director Raoul Walsh. Screenwriters Frank Nugent and Sidney Boehm, working from the novel by Heck Allen (using the pen-name Clay Fisher), smoothly intermingle Indian clashes and Mexican stand-offs with jovial exchanges between the characters (also Russell singin' in the washtub). Enjoyable of its type, with attractive cinematography by Leo Tover and another solid performance from Gable. **1/2 from ****

Rough as well as attractive Western with tough action , colorful cinematography and adequate performances

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 1 June 2018]

Two brothers , old members of the guerrilla or irregular military forces called Bushwhakers from Quantrell, Anderson leaders and being recently discharged from Confederate Army lead a cattle drive from Texas to Montana . The brave brothers -played by Clark Gable and Cameron Mitchell- along with the boss Robert Ryan heading for Texas and they save the besieged Nella: Jane Russell from the Indians and she , then, decides ro ride with them . Across the rough territory they confront Jayhawkers , Indians Sioux commanded by Chief Red Cloud , savage stampede , angry rustlers , wild rivers , bad weather with snowy storms , assaults with the aim of attrition and many other things .The Tall Men stood tall...fought tall...loved tall...and one man towered above them all!. They don't come any bigger!

Nice western with plenty of action , attacks , stampedes , rich dialogue , a triangular romance and with a real feel for the wide open spaces of the west . An enjoyable picture as big and impressive and exciting as the Mighty West . It has spectacular scenes , breathtaking outdoors scenarios , and moving set pieces as the stampeding a herd of cattle . It stars three great stars giving meaty roles : Clark Gable , Robert Ryan and Jane Russell . This trio furnished decent interpretation . However , the three veteran stars were all considered too old for their peculiar roles ; furthermore , the great John Wayne withdrew and Charlton Heston was deemed for the main role but he turned it down . Features two frontier hands : Gable and Cameron Mitchell , along with a tough boss , Robert Ryan , on rough cattle drive . Along the way confronting Indian Sioux , cutthroats , and the wilderness while vying with each other for the love Russell . And fine support cast with notorious secondaries as Emile Meyer, Harry Shannon, Robert Adler , Juan Garcia and others uncredited as Mae Marsh , Chuck Roberson and Russell Simpson .

It displays a brilliant and rousing cinematography in Cinemascope, color De Luxe by cameraman Leo Tover . And an emotive and thrilling musical score by maestro composer Dimitri Tiomkin , including a sensitive leitmotif .The motion picture was well directed by Raoul Walsh who delivers an extreme feeling for the wide open spaces of the Far West for which this veteran filmmaker must take most of the credit .Walsh directed masterfully all kinds of genres and he made good westerns such as : ¨They died with their boots on¨, ¨Distant drums¨ , ¨Pursued¨ , ¨Gun fury¨, ¨Lawless breed¨, ¨Band of Angels¨ and ¨The king and four queens¨ also with Clark Gable . Rating : 6.5/10 . Charming and decently made Western . Better than average . Worthwhile watching . Essential and indispendable seeing for Clark Gable and Jane Russell fans .

Trimming would help - 122 minutes is at least 22 minutes too much!

[JohnHowardReid · 6/10 · 23 July 2017]

Copyright 1955 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at Loew's State: 11 October 1955. U.S. release: October 1955. U.K. release: November 1955. Australian release: 15 December 1955. Sydney opening at the Regent. 11,015 feet. 122 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Texas brothers Gable and Mitchell, who had ridden with Quantrill's Raiders during the Civil War, head North to Montana in search of gold. Desperate for cash, the men waylay Ryan, a wealthy businessman transporting $20,000. The fast-thinking Ryan turns the robbery to his advantage, however, by offering Gable and Mitchell a chance to be his partners in a cattle drive from Texas to Montana. They accept the offer and Gable is made trail boss. As they head back down to Texas, Gable saves the life of Russell, a young settler whose party was attacked by Indians. A blizzard prevents the pair from continuing their journey and they are forced to seek shelter in a deserted shack.

NOTES: Earning close to $5 million in domestic film rentals alone, "The Tall Men" was one of Fox's most popular releases of the year, not alone in North America, but also in Britain and Australia. For Location scenes in the Los Organes Valley, Zacatecas, Mexico. 3,200 head of cattle and 300 horses were rounded up by 75 horsemen for the largest such scene ever to appear in a motion picture to that date.

COMMENT: I was going to write there is nothing more dreary than endless shots of cattle mooching along dusty trails, but I would be wrong (cf. "Red River"). In this film it seems dull and dreary thanks to Walsh's listless direction. Mind you, the plot has all the ingredients for success, it is the handling that is jaded and tired. The players don't help much either. Miss Russell is charmless (though admittedly the characterization handed her by the script is partly to blame), Mr. Mitchell is unattractive even as a villain, and RR just grunts through his part looking suitably steely-eyed. Gable is Gable, but he too can make little headway against a script that makes him hanker ad nauseam for a sod-buster ranch in Dog Prairie Creek (or some such).

With sharper editing and the trimming of such running-far-too-long sequences as Gable jawing with Russell about the joys of Prairie Dog Creek, it would be a passable enough offering for action fans. Certainly it has been produced on a handsome budget. Some of the locations are impressive but the photography does little to enhance them. The camera does devote a lot of time though to flattering Miss Russell's nose.

OTHER VIEWS: The picture, based on a novel by Clay Fisher, chronicles the first great cattle drive from Fort Worth, Texas to Virginia City, Montana in 1867. Since it was impossible to assemble such a large herd of cattle in the United States, Director Raoul Walsh decided to go into the cattle country of Mexico. There he rounded up the largest herd ever to appear in a motion picture. The largest previous herd was one of 1,500 for "Red River".

"The reason we needed so many is, of course, CinemaScope," Director Walsh, explained. "We wanted to fill the screen with cattle in order to give an impression of brute power and, after tests, we decided we couldn't do it with less."

Among the last of its kind

[MOscarbradley · 6/10 · 27 August 2007]

The tall men in question are Clark Gable, Robert Ryan and Cameron Mitchell heading a cattle drive to Montana through some of the most spectacular scenery in any western and Jane Russell is the woman along for the ride in Raoul Walsh's handsome, large-scale and decidedly old-fashioned movie. There isn't a great deal of plot and the tensions between the central characters are never fully developed but it's well-played and director Walsh handles the action sequences with aplomb. Sad to think, though, that within five years Gable would be dead and a new breed of darker, more intense psychological westerns would have replaced Boys Own Adventure movies like this one. It was among the last of its kind.

"That's good enough for me"

[Steffi_P · 6/10 · 13 December 2010]

One thing the auteur theorists seemed to overlook when analysing the classic and archetypal Westerns, is the fact that all those post-war greats directed by John Ford, from Fort Apache (1948) to Two Rode Together (1961), were written by the same person – Frank Nugent. However with The Tall Men, we have a Frank Nugent Western directed by Raoul Walsh, and lo and behold it features many of those themes often mistakenly described as Fordian, such as respect accorded to an aging gunfighter, and a hostile yet dignified portrayal of Indians. Still, not everyone directs alike, so this doesn't mean it will turn out exactly like one of the Ford horse operas.

Of all Hollywood directors, probably no-one had quite the same affection for the West as Walsh did. Walsh always emphasised the openness and freedom of the plains in his achingly beautiful landscape shots. He contrasts these with a very confined and stripped-down look for his indoor or town-based scenes. He even creates a kind of artificial indoors, for example when Clark Gable and co. settle down after the first day of the cattle drive, with elements as simple as a sloping bank, a tree and a wagon, so as to give all that more impact when we return to the trail. Appropriately for the title of this one, he has his heroes stand tall against the landscape. Although Ford does many similar things (such as contrasting wide-open outdoors with cramped interiors) Ford's landscape scenes often have a slightly desperate, dangerous look to them, with the characters small and vulnerable against the vastness of the scenery, while his homesteads have a safe cosy feel. Walsh on the other hand makes the outdoors look inviting despite its dangers, whereas civilization is dull and restrictive. It's differences like this that bring the diverging characters to the two men's work.

But why, you might ask, if Walsh is so good and he's got a Nugent script, is The Tall Man not a timeless classic like so many of the Ford post-war Westerns were? Well you have to remember Ford was a respected, award-winning director, whereas Walsh was these days a potboiler-man. Ford had access to better casts, better crews, bigger budgets, more flexible shooting-schedules, not to mention being more likely to get Nugent's finer scripts, and to be honest the Tall Men is far from Nugent's best. There's also the fact that Walsh is not on top form because he was not well-suited to the Cinemascope aspect ratio (something Ford managed to avoid for all his late Westerns). Walsh liked to compose in depth – landscape shots that emphasise distance, action moving towards the camera, dollying in for emphasis – and the extra width is fairly useless to him. He tends to frame the action towards the middle of the screen as if still using academy ratio, and as such his actors look a little overwhelmed, detracting from the impact they have on screen and sapping the romantic scenes of any intensity.

Still, there is much to like about The Tall Men. Clark Gable may have been getting on a bit in years, but he has lost none of his rugged screen presence. Jane Russell is no great actress but she's a tough girl who looks like she belongs out on the trail by Gable's side. Walsh's depiction of the cattle drive sweeping across the plains is among the most breathtaking ever committed to celluloid, and the Victor Young score underpins the imagery with an appropriately sentimental theme. There are some superbly rousing actions scenes too, with a real emphasis on making the audience feel in the thick of it. And despite its not being the most thought-provoking thing Frank Nugent ever wrote, like all his Westerns it paints a convincing picture of larger-than-life heroes, and is imbued with all the roughness and nostalgia that has come to define the genre.

Gable is the tallest of them all.

[eaglejet98 · 27 November 2003]

It seems to me that with few exceptions, the best western films were made in the 1950s. The Tall Men is one of the best.

What makes it work so well is what made any Clark Gable movie work; Clark Gable. He had an on screen presence that has been rivaled by few, if any, leading men before or since. As Robert Ryan's character, Nathan Stark, says of gable's character Ben Allison, "he's what every boy wants to be when he grows up, and what every man wishes he had been when he's old." This is a line clearly meant to describe Gable himself.

The film's plot is predictable but it works. Ben Allison and his brother Clint are down on their luck after serving in the Civil War "in a left handed sort of way" as rebels with Quantrill's Raiders. They decide to hold up a cattle baron (Stark) for some fast cash. But in a twist, they agree to return his money and sign on with him for a dangerous cattle drive north for the promise of greater earnings. Along the way Jayne Russell shows up to be the love interest.

Cameron Mitchell is excellent in a role he seems to have perfected, that of a drunken gunslinger who gets his due before the film ends. Juan Garcia is superb as the leader of a Mexican crew of caballeros that once served with Colonel Allison and have remained loyal to him over the years. You can see his total loyalty to "Colonel Allison" in everything he says and does.

All in all, a top notch film.

I don't even like westerns. . .

[pixiepetal-1 · 7/10 · 10 June 2006]

and I liked this movie quite a bit. Jane Russel was great--she definitely was the reason I stayed on AMC while I was flipping through the channels on my TV set. This didn't strike me as the typical western--there were very few shoot outs and more character development and beautiful scenery than I had expected. The three major characters were well fleshed out and interesting, although the more minor ones were often one-dimensional and sometimes hackneyed. Jane Russel's character was a strong-spoken woman who at times is a bit putting off because of her appearance as a gold digger, but this simply adds to the multiple dimensions of her character. Although she may not be consistently likable, she is sympathetic nonetheless, and makes the movie worth watching. I do recommend this movie--perhaps not to fans of westerns, but to anyone who likes old fashioned love stories with interesting and believable characters.

Gable and Ryan contest for Russell, while heading an epic cattle drive

[weezeralfalfa · 9/10 · 17 May 2008]

Robert Ryan's character, Nathan Stark, is based upon a real person, Nelson Storey, who struck it rich near the boomtown of Virginia City, MT(renamed Mineral City in the film) and, in 1866, drove a herd of Texas Longhorns north from Texas to meet the pent up demand for beef among the gold miners. As in the film, he did encounter trouble from jayhawkers when he tried to drive his cattle through Kansas, he did have a major encounter with the Sioux in Wyoming, and the army did try to prevent him from proceeding further along the Bozeman Trail, because of Native American hostility. Part of this herd was used to establish a permanent herd in MT. The other aspects of this film are purely fictitious, if entertaining, and mostly involve the give and take between Jane Russell, Clark Gable and Robert Ryan. Of course, we can rightly assume that, in the end, Russell and Gable will end up together, although it doesn't look promising for most of the film.

From my perspective, this film incorporates key elements from 3 previous films. As in "Call of the Wild", made 20 years before, Gable and companions rescue a beautiful woman in dire circumstances in a snowy wilderness(not once, but twice in the present film!) The woman eventually has to choose between Gable and another man. 5 years later, director Raoul Walsh directed a Civil War western "Dark Command". Quantrill's raiders, a quasi-military Confederate guerilla gang, were prominently featured in that film. In the present film, Gable, as Ben, and his brother, Clint(Cameron Mitchell) have recently quit Quantrill's raider's when they show up in Mineral City. In both films, the featured lady eventually has to choose between a poor but heroic cowboy or a sophisticated but overly ambitious rival, who throws money and promised status at her. The cowboy doesn't appear to have a ghost of a chance, but....

Of course, there are some similarities with the previous "Red River". Both involve an epic cattle drive north out of Texas. Both involve occasional disputes among the leaders as to how to proceed or handle a dire situation at hand. However, there is no mutiny in "The Tall Men". Rather, the long drive sequence serves to better test the characters of the main protagonists and to give Russell more time to decide for sure who she wants to live with.(Both Gable and Ryan qualify as being "tall"). Russell's royal treatment on the trail by Stark reminds me of the spoiled tycoon in "Call of the Wild". Both merit their private bath tub on the trail!

I thought Russell and Gable were generally excellent, with snappy dialogue and a good amount of sarcastic humor in their give and take. Russell certainly serves to lighten the tedium of the long cattle drive compared to the much more limited female presence in "Red River". She talks of her hard life growing up on a ranch(where?), but she also seems accustomed to fancy dresses and jewelry. What was she doing in the Wyoming winter wilderness, trying to get to CA? Who cares. Ryan, as Stark, was stiff and unemotional, with little sense of humor. I don't know if this is typical Ryan or an intentional characterization to make Gable's character look relatively more appealing to Russell. As was true of most of his films in his last 10 years, Gable's character was certainly meant for someone a good 20 years younger than Gable, who looked all of his 54 years. However, a weathered-looking Gable seemed better than no Gable.

All-in-all, I found it an entertaining '50s western epic, shot in vivid CinemaScope. I don't agree with the scathing reviews of the times, nor with the common very unfavorable comparison with "Red River". The trail drive sequence was perhaps a bit long, but a lot shorter than the real 1500 mile drive! I liked Victor Young's background traveling music, played as the cattle were crossing that big river, for example. Yes, Ben was lucky in his occasional risky bravado episodes. but that's what you expect of Gable. The relationship between Stark and Ben and Clint was certainly unusual. The last 10 min. bring a few surprises in sorting out the final relationships between the principles, which have been simmering through most of the film....I didn't get around to discussing Ben's troubled, more trigger happy, brother. Remember that, as former members of Quantrill's raiders, the brothers were used to stealing, burning and killing. The James-Younger gang would emerge as the final incarnation of Quantrill's raiders.

In an update, I recently became aware of two other excellent epic cattle drive films from this general era: "Cowboy", starring Glenn Ford and Jack Lemmon, and "The Texans", back in the '30s, starring Randolph Scott.

"My Dreams Are Little, just a small spread in Prarie Dog Creek"

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 22 January 2006]

Clark Gable and Cameron Mitchell are the brothers Allison, a pair of weary Confederate veterans in the Yankee country of Montana territory. Like Rooster Cogburn who robbed a Yankee paymaster for a fresh grubstake, the brothers decide to steal from Robert Ryan who's carrying a money belt with a lot of currency.

Ryan however takes them on as partners in a scheme he has to drive Texas cattle to Montana and start the cattle business there in the north country. On the way back the trio meet up with Jane Russell and a party of settlers. Later on Gable rescues her from the Sioux.

Gable and Russell get that chemistry going. But Gable just wants to settle down in his home town of Prarie Dog Creek, Texas. Russell is looking to escape from places like that. So her sights are turned on would be empire builder Ryan.

The guys and Jane have quite a few adventures on the drive back to Texas. It's been done before, in Red River, in Randolph Scott's film The Texans.

The Tall Men is a good action western. It doesn't have the grand sweep or the visual poetry that either of the other two films have. But it's a worthy addition to the works of director Raoul Walsh and the main players.

The Dull Men

[ArtVandelayImporterExporter · 4/10 · 22 November 2021]

Some beautiful location photography, if you can make it to the second hour of this snoozefest. Alas, the first hour will test your patience. It offers super-annuated Clark Gable repeatedly posing in front of a green screen, and a couple of unbearably long stretches stuck in a cabin with Jane Russell. Was Howard Hughes in charge of production?

It takes nearly two hourss to finally get an Indian raid and a cattle stampede. Too little too late.

Somewhat of a twist near the end. Still not worth the long slog unless you just want to enjoy the Technicolor, which probably seemed a lot more amazing in the mid-1950s than it does today, I dunno.

Even Jane Russell's fabulous pair - or the foot fetish scenes - can't save this movie.

Entertaining Western with shades of "Red River."

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 8/10 · 10 October 1999]

Howard Hawks' monumental "Red River," told the story of the first cattle drive from deep Texas to Abilene, Kansas... Veteran Raoul Walsh superbly handles "The Tall Men" from San Antone, Texas to Mineral City, Montana, with simplicity, confidence and great sense of humor...

Ben Allison (Clark Gable) and his brother Clint (Cameron Mitchell) ride to the gold fields of Montana...

In town, Nathan Stark (Robert Ryan) proposes to Ben the chance to gain big money... He names Ben his trail boss, the one to drive 4,000 heads of cattle l,500 miles from San Antone, Texas to Montana...

On his way to San Antone, Ben rescues Nella Turner (Jane Russell) from Sioux attack, and falls in love with her...

After passing the night together, her ideas of dreaming 'high' struck with his, to settle down one day on a little ranch in his home country along the prairie of Dog Creek...

In San Antone, while preparing for the long journey, Nella transfers her care to Stark, a good connoisseur, a person with a taste, an ambitious rich businessman who has no interest in being a 'small' man...

Antagonism between Stark and the Allison brothers increased during the hazardous journey...

Gable portrays an honest man tied to a small dream who fights and loves everything in sight on both sides of the Rio Grande...

Russell appeared among the audience 'looking surly on a pile of straw' in "The Outlaw." Thirteen years later, she is allowed to enjoy a colorful 'prairie' tub-bath, to be called 'grandma' by the legendary 'King,' to sing: 'I want a tall man...'

Either hero or villain, Ryan manages to come up with excellent performances... He always proved to be a very fine actor... Here he plays the heavy double-crossing cattle baron, the man who admired Ben: 'There goes the man I ever respected. He's what every boy thinks he's going to be when he grows up, and wishes he had been when he's an old man.'

Cameron Mitchell appeared with Gary Cooper and Richard Widmark in "Garden of Evil." He played "The High Chaparral" in TV. He is fine as Gable's unstable, unbalanced brother...

Juan Garcia is excellent and quiet amusing as Luis, Ben's Mexican loyal friend... When Nella asked him why he loves Ben so much, he answered: 'Why man loves his home? Why I love my Mexico? I owe Señor Ben my life, Señorita.'

With great scenery, and filmed in the voluptuous rich landscape of Durango, Colorado, "The Tall Men" is loaded with action in big scale: Confrontation with the jay-hawkers who demand one dollar for every head before crossing the State line; spectacular 'run wild' stampede of the herd through the canyon where brave Sioux were waiting...

Will you take my boots off?

[hitchcockthelegend · 6/10 · 25 January 2014]

The Tall Men is directed by Raoul Walsh and stars Clark Gable, Jane Russell, Cameron Mitchell and Robert Ryan. Produced out of 20th Century Fox by William A. Bacher and William B. Hawks, it's adapted for the screen by Frank S. Nugent & Sydney Boehm from a novel written by Heck Allen (as Clay Fisher). Filmed out of Durango, the cinematography is by Leo Tover in a CinemaScope/DeLuxe production and Victor Young provides the score.

Montana Territory 1866

"They came from the South, headed for the gold-fields….Ben & Clint Allison, lonely, desperate men. Riding away from a heartbreak memory of Gettysburg. Looking for a new life. A story of tall men-and long shadows."

The Tall Men has professionalism written all over it, from the tight direction by Walsh to the on the money writing, it's a Western that has no pretencions. The panoramic vistas are beautifully realised by the makers and in spite of Russell's flat style of acting, the cast put credibility into the cattle drive and romantic aspects of the story. Tho action sequences are few and far between, the film succeeds because of the well written characters and the landscapes that frame them. There's even much comedy to enjoy as well, a department where Russell does earn her corn in the movie (there's also a bath moment to get us boys hot under the collar too). Most notably the comedy works for her when playing off of Gable who seems to be enjoying himself as the rough, tough and cheeky Ben Allison. Very talky to be sure, there are for instance many extended scenes of our lead protagonists swapping dialogue, but it all serves a purpose and in the capable hands of Walsh the sequences serve to drive the narrative forward.

Solid enjoyable stuff if ultimately a touch too long. 6.5/10

Gable's Great - Pity About The Movie!

[jpdoherty · 4/10 · 8 July 2009]

20 Century Fox's THE TALL MEN (1955) is one of their elaborate Cinemascope/colour westerns they were so expert at producing in the fifties. But let's not lose the run of ourselves altogether here for it's not really that good and there are some serious anomalies in the production. Besides a couple of blatant continuity problems, the screenplay by Sidney Boehm and Frank Nugent is unremarkable and quite pedestrian. But most importantly the direction by veteran Raoul Walsh is lame and unexciting. None of Walsh'e fifties movies are very interesting! This once great director of such forties classics as "They Died With Their Boots On" (1941), "Gentleman Jim"(1942), "White Heat" (1949) and his masterpiece "Objective Burma" (1945) appeared to have lost his creative punch in any of his later films. ( His final movie - a western called "A Distant Trumpet" (1964) was an unmitigated disaster!) However,THE TALL MEN is saved primarily by the screen presence of its star Clark Gable and also by the sparkling Cinemascope cinematography of Leo Tover plus the remarkable score by the great Victor Young.

From a novel by Clay Fisher THE TALL MEN is the story of two brothers (Gable and Cameron Mitchell), late of the Confederate army, who arrive in Texas intending to make their fortune. They meet and hook up with a somewhat unscrupulous businessman (a surprisingly bland Robert Ryan in a poorly written role) and make a deal with him to drive 5000 head of cattle to Montana. Before the drive they rescue a feisty Jane Russell from the Indians and take her along on the journey resulting, of course, in Gable and Ryan vying for her affections. Along the trail there are some good action scenes when Gable and his Vaqueros take on a gang of Jayhawkers and fend off a well staged Indian attack near the picture's end.(A splendid set piece where the Vaqueros stampede the cattle into the path of the marauding Indians).

This was Gable's first real "John Wayne" type western (There are even shades of Howard Hawks "Red River" and interestingly Hawks' younger brother William is producer on THE TALL MEN). Gable had dabbled in the genre before in movies like "Boom Town" (1940), "Across The Wide Missouri" (1951) and the excellent "Lone Star" (1952) but in THE TALL MEN and with dazzling panache he is the real deal herding cattle across the prairie. He had never before done this kind of movie and it suited him extremely well. It's a great pity he never did more of this type of western! (A later one - directed by Walsh again - the abysmal "The King & Four Queens" (1957) is best left in the obscurity it deserves). The supporting cast are uniformly OK with the only real drawback being Jane Russell! An actress I always found most irritating who - with her smart mouth and that snarl-like facial expression - never impressed me as the choice female in any movie. To me she was so unappealing and could emit about as much sex appeal as a Humpback Whale! So how Gable came to choose her as his leading lady is one of the great mysteries of life I guess! She just doesn't compliment him in the slightest! Someone like Susan Hayward or his old MGM co-star Ava Gardner would have been much more suitable!

One of the most tangible aspects of the film is Victor Young's extraordinary music! The great composer of such hit tunes from his film scores as "My Foolish Heart", "Love Letters", "Stella By Starlight" ("The Uninvited") and "When I Fall In Love" (from "One Minute To Zero") was no stranger when it came to writing for the great outdoors of the American west. Among his music for westerns are such classics as "Wells Fargo" (1937), "Northwest Mounted Police" (1940),"Rio Grande" (1950), "Johnny Guitar" (1954) and most memorably "Shane" (1953). For THE TALL MEN he composed one of his finest themes for a western! First heard over the credits it is used later in the picture to point up the vast spectacle of 5000 cattle lumbering across the plains. With its appealing key changes and rich engaging orchestration this long loping piece is not only melodic but is wonderfully appropriate! The year after THE TALL MEN Victor Young passed away! He was only 56 years old! That same year he was posthumously awarded an Oscar for his magnificent score for "Around The World In 80 Days". During his career he was nominated 19 times. When he died he had just begun working on his score for a now forgotten film called "China Gate" and had only written the Main Title music. His friend Max Steiner stepped in and finished the score without pay. The music credit on "China Gate" reads "Music by Victor Young - Extended by his old friend Max Steiner".

If you can overlook some of the glaring faults in THE TALL MEN like the slim screenplay, the uneven direction, some iffy performances, a couple of continuity problems and the presence of Miss Russell there is some enjoyment to be had from the movie thanks to the stunning widescreen cinematography, Young's awesome score and of course the inimitable Clark Gable strutting his stuff like never before.

I want a tall man,not a small man...

[dbdumonteil · 19 April 2003]

...that's enough for me.That's what Jane Russel sings ,and this ditty comes back as a leitmotiv ,along with another one,a rather saucy song about her peaches ,and the tree the man who wants them has to climb up to.Russell has a big dream,and Gable a small one,there's the rub;wealthy Ryan can provide Russell with the luxury and easy life she longs for :in a long conversation with Gable,Russel tells him about her childhood,and her mother who died in the harness ,and however "daddy used to love her as much as it could be".The movie is nothing but an initiatory journey for Russel,who plays the only character whose psychology will mutate along the way.

This is a classic western,which recalls "red river" , a bit overlong because an action-packed story this is definitely not.The cinematography is splendid ,and enhances marvelous landscapes with a good use of scope ,but the movie lacks madness of earlier Walsh works such as "Colorado territory" or "pursued" or even later extravaganzas such as "band of angels".

Clark Gable points 'em north

[NewEnglandPat · 7/10 · 20 March 2003]

Clark Gable is the trail boss who ramrods a cattle drive from Texas to Montana in this colorful, sprawling western that has plenty of action. Jane Russell supplies the romance, such as it is, between Gable and co-star Robert Ryan, who'll stop at nothing to owning all of Montana because he dreams big dreams. Naturally, Gable comes to the rescue of Russell a time or two during the film but her head is turned by Ryan's promise of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Beautiful Mexican scenery is the backdrop for this story as the herd makes its way north to Indian country. A lengthy battle takes place between the cattlemen and the Indians that is expertly done but Gable's cunning saves the day, and the beef, for Mineral City. The cast, CinemaScope lensing and Victor Young's plaintive music score are all very good.

fair but not spectacular fare

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 9 February 2006]

Despite this film starring Clark Gable, Cameron Mitchell and Robert Ryan, it's not exactly the most exciting or interesting film I've ever seen. In fact, with these stars I really expected something more memorable. Instead, it's an unusual but completely ordinary Western about a kidnapping and Gable and Mitchell hiding out with Jane Russell. The dialog is pretty far-fetched and the story just seems to drag. Maybe part of it was because the movie was often set in the middle of winter during a snow storm--this couldn't help but give the movie a certain degree of claustrophobia--keeping much of the "action" indoors. While I am not saying it's a bad film, there are better ones and unless you are a die-hard fan, try watching some other Gable or Ryan film first.

A well rounded sagebrush saga.

[michaelRokeefe · 6/10 · 2 December 2006]

Raoul Walsh directs this strong western. Brothers Ben Allison(Clark Gable)and Clint Allison(Cameron Mitchell)are Confederate army veterans that endure a cattle drive with cattle baron Nathan Stark(Robert Ryan). The brothers do not trust their new boss...let alone like him. On the drive from Texas to Montana, there is harsh winter weather and Indian country to deal with. Along the drive they encounter a beautiful woman, Nella(Jane Russell), who joins the drive for her own protection. And the brothers and the baron all want her, but her sights are set on Ben.

Gable appears to be at the top of his game, as his career is nearing its end. He is strong and self assured. Russell is very flirtatious and more than an eye-full. It is very hard not to notice her. Other players on the bill: Juan Garcia, Emile Meyer and Mae Marsh.

"Don't get lost bashful boy, you're in the big city now,"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 28 March 2007]

Set in the Montana Territory of 1866, brothers Ben (Clark Gable) and Clint (Cameron Mitchell) Allison find themselves talked into a cattle drive from Texas back to Boomtown, after robbing high roller Nathan Stark (Robert Ryan) in his own saloon. Ryan's character is the taller of the two main stars, but it's not enough to win the heart of Nella Turner (Jane Russell), after she see saws her way between the two through much of the story. Russell of course steals any scene in which she's featured, and with the help of a provocative wardrobe, one is constantly reminded of her best assets.

Constantly on the lookout for tidbits from an earlier era, I was as shocked as the Allison Brothers when the stable guy wanted to charge them sixteen dollars for two horses overnight. I don't think I've seen another Western where the charge was more than two bucks. What made that especially onerous was when Nella was quoted a dollar fifty a night, nine dollars for the week at a ritzy hotel in San Antone. Kind of makes you wonder what the horses got that humans didn't!

Amid the tension of the romantic triangle, I got a kick out of the comic relief elements in the story, all wonderfully understated, and usually involving Russell's character. The best included the cutting of the girdle scene, her drenching river crossing, and brother Clint's frog in the bucket. Curiously, even though they were brothers, I found it intriguing how Clint sounded more and more Mexican as the story progressed.

I can empathize with other reviewers on this board who felt the film was a bit on the long side. Considering that the cattle drive was fifteen hundred miles, that would have taken at least two months in real time, and probably longer. This was the only time I ever saw in a movie where they had to hoist the wagons down over rock cliffs, something I would never have considered. So what do you leave out, the Jayhawkers or Red Cloud?

By the time the story's over, Nella's big dreams and Ben's small ones find a way to converge in the most minor of twist endings. It was interesting too how the words to Nella's 'Tall Man' song always seemed to fit the occasion; I wonder if she had one for Prairie Dog Creek?

Clark Gable leads 5000 head of cattle from Texas to Montana

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 7 July 2012]

Set shortly after the Civil War two former Confederate soldiers, brothers Ben and Clint Allison ride into a town in Montana Territory hoping to make some money... they do this by kidnapping and robbing businessman Nathan Stark. While they are robbing him Stark makes a proposition... they can take the money and live the rest of their lives as hunted men or they can join him in a potentially very profitable venture; to drive 5000 head of cattle from Texas where they are cheap to Montana where hungry prospectors will pay top dollar for prime beef; they except his proposal and set off south. Along the way Ben rescues settler Nella Turner from a band of Sioux; it looks as if they will get close to each other but when he talks of his plans to live on a ranch in Texas she considers his dreams too small and they have a rapid falling out... she quickly appears to fall for Stark's charms, and wealth, though. Having got to San Antonio they purchase the herd and hire a group of Mexicans who have worked with Ben before to help on the drive. On the drive north they have to deal with people trying to force them to pay a 'tax' to enter Kansas, tensions between Ben and Nella and finally they must get through Sioux territory after the army warn them that the trail is closed.

The first thing I noticed was the spectacular scenery; it may have been filmed in Mexico rather than between Montana and Texas but it looked great; especially on the way south when they were riding through deep snow. The story was told at a fairly slow pace but that isn't a bad thing as it reflects the fact that the action takes place over a period of months; it also gives us time to get to know the characters before the action starts. Clark Gable is clearly the star of the film and he does a fine job as Sam Allison, Robert Ryan also puts in a solid performance as Stark and Jane Russell was good enough as Nella although at times it felt as though she was in a different, more light-hearted film! The action, when it came was impressive; especially when they ran the cattle through a canyon during the attack by the Sioux... at one point a wagon broke and it was crushed to nothing by the stampeding cattle in seconds! They were obviously pleased with some of the shots as I'm sure I saw the same Sioux and his horse come crashing down three times! There is a little twist at the end when they get to Montana but I won't spoil that here. Overall I'd say this is a pretty good western; definitely worth watching if you are a fan of the genre.

"If he wants them peaches of mine, he'll have to climb the tree."

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 5 May 2014]

Cattle-driving Clark Gable meets Jane Russell and sparks fly. But, almost right away, they break up. Why? Well turns out Gable wants to live a simple, quiet life on a ranch of his own. Jane's not happy about that. She wants more out of life than her parents had. Gable's got small dreams, Jane's got big dreams. I want to stop right here and ask for a pat on the back for saying Jane Russell's got big anything without going into the gutter. Anyway, after they break up Jane wastes no time going for ambitious businessman Robert Ryan.

Good but not great CinemaScope western that really should be a classic considering the cast and director (Raoul Walsh). Overlength doesn't help. It certainly looks good. Some of the reviews I've read here are overly harsh, I think. Gable, Ryan, and Cameron Mitchell are all solid. Jane Russell is sexy (duh) and gets to sing a fun song full of double entendres. She has nice chemistry with Gable, who looks about ten years older than his actual age at the time. Gable and Russell fans will enjoy it.

Gable & Scenery Good - Soundtrack the real indicator of mediocre

[emkt_o · 5/10 · 7 October 2020]

This is one of those "Big Promise" color movies of the mid-50s. And judged in that light, then a big failure.

Scenery & Photography is fabulous, and Clark Gable always delivers the goods.

But then... Jane Russell. She can't sing, altho she did it many times many movies. She can't really act, unless she is mad. And maybe she's 135 pounds when Clark calls her "Grandma," but Jane's always been a wide-load and acting cute isn't her forte. She's the woman all men desire, and spends most of the time brushing them off.

Cameron Mitchell is compelling alternating between obnoxious & sympathetic, but his character is so schizo that while he serves some plot elements he's really just 2-D and makes no sense.

Robert Ryan is one of the most compelling actors of his generation, but he goes through the whole movie as tho on Quaaludes, never raising his voice, even when he wants to kill Mitchell.

So a lot falls on the bad direction as there is never any tension to the pace. And to see Raoul Walsh is the director is mind-boggling. He certainly fell asleep at the wheels with the soundtrack, clearly one of Victor Young's worst. No matter what the tension-level of the scene is, Young orchestrates Muzak, except when the Indians show up and he does the most basest tom-tom shtick, embarrassing all concerned.

Looks good, seems like Fox was trying to cash in on Mitchum/Monroe in "River of No Return," but Gable/Russell don't really hit off, except for pulling each other's boot off.

Really takes off when the cattle drive starts

[smorrow2-1 · 8/10 · 28 June 2010]

The first thing you notice is the stunning photography and use of the location. Does anyone do the wide screen better Raoul Walsh? I mean he practically invented it with "The Big Trail" back in 1930 with the 70mm Grandeur process. You feel like you're in for a real big screen treat, but then the story moves inside and the story get pretty pedestrian pretty quick. There is an interesting twist I won't spoil that leads to a cattle drive from Texas to Montana. I'm a sucker for a cattle drive and this one delivers big time.

Just before the drive starts, as I watched the foreground action, I was thinking it didn't look like 5,000 cattle in the background. The foreground action was a little silly but it's Clark Gable and Robert Ryan so who can complain? Then Raoul Walsh starts putting it together close shot, long shot, cattle coming at you, cattle lumbering away from you, track shots, panning shots. These are not quick cuts trying to trick you into thinking you're seeing something you're not; these are slow cuts beautifully and artistically assembled to give you the breadth and scope required to understand what an undertaking this is going to be. Dozens of vaqueros, several supply wagons, a herd of extra horses, and all those long horn cattle! Really breath taking stuff. At several times I paused the film and every time it looks like a perfectly balanced painting of the old west was on screen.

There's a silly romance and trumped up rivalry that doesn't interfere with the real story too much -- and after all, it's Gable and Ryan so it's not painful or embarrassing at all. There's a wonderful line by the Ryan character about the Gable character that goes, "He's what every boy thinks he's going to be when he grows up and wishes he had been when he's an old man." Ryan delivers with such an understated honesty that you truly believe his character would say it and about Gable it would be true.

I highly recommend this movie and strongly urge you try to see the wide screen version. While you're being swept along by the story elements, give a thought to the master artist, Raoul Walsh. While singing the praises of John Ford, I always save a chorus for Walsh.

Classic Western with Great Stars

[whpratt1 · 6/10 · 25 December 2006]

Great 1955 Western with plenty of horses and cattle traveling across great Western scenery and veteran super stars. Clark Cable,(Col.Ben Allison),"Band of Angels", is bound and determined to travel his cattle through Indian Country and a strong minded woman Jane Russell,(Nella Turner),"The Born Losers", who takes baths in her tub and taunts the men who look in her direction or even swimming in a brook. Robert Ryan, (Nathan Stark),"The Iceman Cometh" plays a tricky character that Col. Ben has to watch carefully and they get themselves into some difficult situations. Great film to enjoy from the 1950's with plenty of action, comedy, drama and romance. Jane Russell gives great female charm in almost every scene. Enjoy

DULL...LETHARGIC...MISFIRE

[LeonLouisRicci · 4/10 · 5 August 2021]

Absolutely Nothing Works in this Laborious Big-Money, Technicolor, Cinemascope Western.

All the Stars are too Old for Their Roles. Robert Ryan is Totally Wasted.

Jane Russell Removing Her Boots (multiple times) is Meant to be Sexy.

Clark Gable Looks Lifeless. Cameron Mitchell is Miss-Cast.

The Action is Lackluster and the Pacing Torturous. The Movie Looks-Good and that's about it.

A Big-Budget Misfire of Gigantic Proportion.

Most of the Film Appears to Take Place in Slow Motion. The Romance is Icky, the Men May be Tall...But That's All.

Director Raoul Walsh and Clark Gable Stand-Out in this Weak, Over-Blown Western, circa 1955 as Belonging in Another Time and Place.

It's a Dud, and Fans of the Cast and Director are Better Served Skipping this, because Overall it's just Embarrassing.