Winchester ’73 (1950)
Winchester ’73 (1950)
The first and arguably the best of the many (director) Anthony Mann – James Stewart (actor) collaborations most of which were Westerns – this one’s an essential (and one of the best from this genre)! With a story by Stuart Lake (The Westerner (1940)) and a screenplay by Borden Chase (Red River (1948)) and Robert Richards the plot revolves around the titled gun. Stewart plays Lin McAdam who wins the prized rifle in a sharp shooting contest against Dutch Henry Brown (Stephen McNally) only to have it promptly stolen by his rival. He then chases Brown following the rifle as it changes hands along the way until a climactic shootout. Shelley Winters Dan Duyrea Millard Mitchell Charles Drake John McIntire Will Geer Jay C. Flippen Rock Hudson and even Rock Hudson & James Best (among others) also appear. Later remade for TV also with Dan Duryea.