The Train Robbers/Tall in the Saddle

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

John Wayne leads the way through a rough-and-tumbleweed West. In Tall in the Saddle, he arrives in a dusty town to work on a nearby spread but there may be more to his intentions than meets the eye. Gabby Hayes, the best whisker-faced, gibberish-jabbering Western sidekick ever, joins Wayne in this exciting cowboy tale. In The Train Robbers, a widow (Ann-Margret) wants to clear her family's name by finding and returning the gold her husband stole. Wayne (along with Ben Johnson, Rod Taylor and others) signs on to help her. But where there's gold, there's sure to be trouble. Saddle up!

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Features:
  • cc
  • The Train Robbers: Widescreen (16x9 2.4:1) version
  • The Train Robbers: New featurette Working With a Western Legend
  • The Train Robbers: Vintage featurette The Wayne Train
  • The Train Robbers: John Wayne trailer gallery
  • The Train Robbers: Languages - English & Francais
  • The Train Robbers: Subtitles - English, Francais & Espanol (feature film only)
  • Tall in the Saddle: Full-screen version
  • Tall in the Saddle: John Wayne trailer gallery
  • Tall in the Saddle: Subtitles - English, Francais & Espanol (feature film only)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       John Wayne - Lane
       John Wayne - Rocklin
       Ella Raines - Arly Harolday
       Ann - Margret - Mrs. Lowe
       Rod Taylor - Grady
       Audrey Long - Clara Cardell
       Ben Johnson - Jesse
       George "Gabby" Hayes - Dave
       Ward Bond - "Judge" Garvey
       Christopher George - Calhoun
       Elizabeth Risdon - Miss Martin
       Bobby Vinton - Ben
       Donald Douglas - Mr. Harolday
       Russell Wade - Clint Harolday
       Frank Puglia - Juan Tala
       Paul Fix - Bob Clews
       Harry Woods - George Clews
       Emory Parnell - Sheriff Jackson
       Raymond Hatton - Zeke
       Russell Simpson - Pat
       Cy Kendall - Cap, the Bartender
       Russell Hopton
       Frank Darien
       Frank Orth - Ferdy Davis
       Clem Bevans
       Eddy Waller
       Chuck Roberson - Stunts
       George Chandler
       Bob McKenzie - Doc Riding
       Jerry Gatlin - Sam
       Walter S. Baldwin - Stan
       Ricardo Montalban - Pinkerton Man
       Wheaton Chambers - Ab Jenkins
       William Desmond
       Erville Alderson

• Director:

  Burt Kennedy, Edwin L. Marin

• Producer:

  Michael Wayne, Robert M. Fellows

• Screenwriter:

  Burt Kennedy, Paul Fix, Michael Hogan

• Cinematographer:

  William H. Clothier, Robert de Grasse

• Composer (Music Score):

  Dominic Frontiere

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Constantin Bakaleinikoff

• Composer (Music Score):

  Roy Webb

• Editor:

  Frank Santillo, Philip Martin

• Production Designer:

  Alfred Sweeney

• Art Director:

  Ray Moyer, Ralph Berger, Albert S. D'Agostino

• Associate Producer:

  Theron Warth

• Set Designer:

  Ray Moyer, Alfred Sweeney, Darrell Silvera, William L. Stevens

• Costume Designer:

  Luster Bayless, Edward Stevenson

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  John E. Tribby

• Makeup:

  David Grayson, George Masters, Joseph di Bella

• Special Effects:

  Howard Jensen, Vernon Walker

• First Assistant Director:

  Fred R. Simpson, Harry Scott

• Stunts:

  Cliff Lyons

• Short Story Author:

  Gordon Ray Young

REVIEW:

• This engaging John Wayne vehicle is a solid example of the kind of programmer Wayne made towards the end of his career. The Train Robbers boasts a tight script from Burt Kennedy that blends action, humor, iconic characterizations and the kind of meditations on machismo that define the Wayne filmography. Kennedy's direction is similarly tight, offering a taut pace and well-crafted action sequences. He also gets plenty of mileage out of a flavorful musical score by Dominic Frontiere and grand, scope-format photography by William Clothier. Best of all, Kennedy gets vivid performances from his cast that fit the archetypal characterizations in his script perfectly: Wayne is his classic self as the tough but good-hearted 'man's man' and Ann Margret lays on the charm as the woman who's inexperienced yet strong enough to go toe to toe with him. There's also a gallery of strong supporting performances backing up the star duo: Ben Johnson is charming as Wayne's most faithful friend, Rod Taylor steals a few scene as a motor-mouthed member of the gang and Christopher George has a few dramatically charged scenes as the hard-headed new guy who has to earn Wayne's respect. In short, The Train Robbers is strong genre fare and well worth the time for fans of classic Westerns. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi