The second film shown was YELLOW SKY (1948), a terrific 20th Century-Fox Western which starred Greogry Peck, Anne Baxter, and Richard Widmark. The terrific supporting cast includes Harry Morgan, Charles Kemper (who seems to turn up in every other movie I've seen recently), and a young John Russell.
William Wellman Jr. (seen at left) introduced the movie and recounted that he had been on location in Lone Pine with his father.
He told an amusing anecdote about having tried to find a way to be in the movie without anyone realizing it. He climbed into a hayloft visible in the background of a scene and covered himself up with the hay, thinking he might be able to glimpse a bit of himself in the finished movie without others recognizing him. He said he covered himself up so well with the hay that he's never been able to find himself on the screen -- but when you watch the movie, know there's an unseen 11-year-old boy in that hayloft!
Incidentally, William Wellman's director's chair and YELLOW SKY memorabilia were donated by the Wellman family to the Lone Pine Film Museum, seen in photos I posted in 2014 and 2010.
Below is a gallery of images of Gregory Peck and Anne Baxter in YELLOW SKY, with John Russell seen along with Peck and Widmark in the final photos of this set.
You can read more about YELLOW SKY in my 2008 review. It's available on DVD from 20th Century-Fox, and I highly recommend it.
One of my favourite westerns. Love the photos.
ReplyDeleteHow nice that the Yellow Sky memorabilia has been donated to the Lone Pine museum. I expect you'll be looking forward to seeing it all.
Love this one too, everything about it, amazing cinematography and super cast. I've said before what a big Anne Baxter fan I am and she does a great job alongside these strong men. Very under appreciated western.
ReplyDeleteGreat reviews! Makes me want to hunt this one down!
ReplyDeleteVery good western movie of 1948. Its atmosphéric with just the right amount of dialogue to keep it intriguing.
ReplyDeleteAnd while we know Greg Peck is all gorgeous masculine beauty, in this one he is wildly sexy in tight jeans and 3-day whiskers.
And he delivers too on his authoritative screen presence and his signature reflective moody pouting and averted squinty-eye glancing.
Yes there are heavy doses of outdated gender abuse, but it does not feel so gratuitous as Anne Baxter’s smart confident fierce female-lead manages to hold her own with the grimey pack of gunslingers.
In fact the film seems keen to show the brutal filth of the group,
playing it against both Anne's sharp courage and Greg's refinding of his way.
I highly recommend this one to Greg fans and western fans alike. From the library of 1930s--1960s westerns this holds up and remains quite interesting.
Thanks to all for sharing your thoughts on this excellent film! Would love for more Western fans check it out.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes,
Laura