Winchester '73 | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Anthony Mann |
Produced by | Aaron Rosenberg |
Screenplay by |
Borden Chase Robert L. Richards |
Story by | Stuart N. Lake |
Starring |
James Stewart Shelley Winters Dan Duryea Stephen McNally |
Music by | Joseph Gershenson |
Cinematography | William H. Daniels |
Edited by | Edward Curtiss |
Production
company |
Universal Pictures
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Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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92 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $2,250,000 (US rentals) |
Winchester '73 is a 1950 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann starring James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea and Stephen McNally. Written by Borden Chase and Robert L. Richards, the film is about the journey of a prized rifle from one ill-fated owner to another and a cowboy's search for a murderous fugitive. The movie features early film performances by Rock Hudson as an American Indian, Tony Curtis, and James Best. The film received a Writers Guild of America Award nomination for Best Written American Western. This is the first Western film collaboration between Anthony Mann and James Stewart. It was filmed in black and white.
In 2015, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
In 1876, Lin McAdam (James Stewart) and friend 'High-Spade' Frankie Wilson (Millard Mitchell) pursue outlaw 'Dutch Henry' Brown (Stephen McNally) into Dodge City, Kansas. They arrive just in time to see a man forcing a saloon-hall girl named Lola (Shelley Winters) onto the stage leaving town. Once the man reveals himself to be Sheriff Wyatt Earp (Will Geer) Lin backs down. Earp informs the two men that firearms are not allowed in town and they must check them in with Earp's brother Virgil. Lin and Dutch Henry see each other in the saloon, but are unable to fight due to the presence of Earp. Lin enters a shooting competition, contending against Dutch Henry among others, that is held on the Fourth of July. They end up the two finalists for a highly coveted "One of One Thousand" Winchester 1873 rifle. Lin wins by betting that he can shoot through a stamp placed over the hole of round piece from an Indian necklace. Dutch Henry claims that he is leaving town, but instead goes to Lin's room at the boarding house and steals the rifle. Dutch and his two cohorts leave town with Lin and High-Spade in hot pursuit.