Directed by Andre de Toth
Screen Play by Winston Miller
From a story by Winston Miller and Finlay McDermid
Director of Photography: Edwin DuPar, ASC
Music by David Buttolph
Film Editor: Clarence Kolster, ACE
CAST: Randolph Scott (Jim Kipp/James Collins), Dolores Dorn (Julie Spencer), Marie Windsor (Alice Williams), Howard Petrie (Sheriff Brand), Harry Antrim (Dr. R.L. Spencer), Robert Keys (George Williams), Ernest Borgnine (Bill Rachin), Dubb Taylor (Eli Danvers), Tyler MacDuff (Vance Edwards), Archie Twitchell (Harrison), Paul Picerni, Phil Chambers, Mary Lou Holloway.
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Randolph Scott made six films with director Andre de Toth — two for Columbia, four for Warner Bros. The first two, Man In The Saddle (1951) and Carson City (1952) are quite good. But by the time they got to The Bounty Hunter (1954), their sixth collaboration, a noticeable fatigue was beginning to set in.
It’s a shame because the story’s a good one (Winston Miller also wrote Ford’s My Darling Clementine), with Scott a notorious bounty hunter recruited by the Pinkerton Agency to find some murderous train robbers and recover their loot. Scott’s a cold, hard, driven man here — a prototype for his later work with Budd Boetticher. He rides into Twin Forks and starts nosing around, putting the entire town on edge — an idea we’d see again with Audie Murphy in No Name On The Bullet (1959). Red herrings come fast and furious, making it impossible to figure out who the bandits are, which builds tension as it heads toward a satisfying end.
De Toth’s action scenes in The Bounty Hunter are uninspired, surprising since action’s usually his strong suit.
De Toth: “I had the feeling that I was at a dead end. There was less and less left in me to give.”*
There’s less cutting, slower pacing, clumsy staging and a noticeable sloppiness to the action sequences. For instance, the 3-D effect when Randy shoots off the sheriff’s hat (sending it sailing, lazily, toward the camera) is not only silly, but poorly done. It would never have made the cut in, say, Carson City.
De Toth was one of the best of the stereoscopic directors, if not the best — he also directed House Of Wax and Scott’s The Stranger Wore A Gun (both 1953). He was blind in one eye and therefore unable to see depth. Shot in the summer of 1953, The Bounty Hunter wasn’t released until September 1954. By then, the 3-D craze has peaked and was on its way out, so there were no 3-D engagements. Interestingly, the transfer I saw still contained 3-D’s necessary intermission card. 
As usual, Scott is joined by an able cast. Dolores Dorn has a good part as the good girl, and Marie Windsor is typically wonderful as the bad one.
Marie Windsor: “Randolph Scott was such a gentleman, and as for Ernest Borgnine, I sure like that man—he’s a good actor, too!”**
Borgnine is one of the townspeople under suspicion by Scott (and us), along with Dub Taylor (listed as “Dubb” in the credits) and Howard Petrie. They’re every bit as good here as you’d expect.
While it’s easy to find fault with The Bounty Hunter, it’s impossible for me to be completely objective about it. After all, it’s a 50s Western starring my favorite actor and actress: Randolph Scott and Marie Windsor. The Scott-Boetticher pictures (the Ranown Cycle) showed us just what a Randolph Scott movie could be, and films like The Bounty Hunter — solid, entertaining medium-budget Westerns — suffer by comparison today. There can only be one Seven Men From Now (1956). The intriguing story and Scott’s early attempt at an anti-hero make The Bounty Hunter maybe more interesting than good — but like any chance to spend 75 minutes or so in the company of Scott, Windsor or de Toth, well worth your time.
The Bounty Hunter is unavailable on DVD or Blu-ray in the States. It falls under the jurisdiction of Warner Archive. I contacted them about it through their Facebook page and was told it’s on hold, as they consider a 3-D Blu-ray release.
SOURCES: * De Toth On De Toth by Andre de Toth and Anthony Slide; ** an interview appearing on Western Clippings,
50 Westerns From The 50s. 
Toby, that’s a pretty fair assessment of this film. It’s a mid-range effort for both Scott and deToth; it’s entertaining enough, has an intriguing plot, and the cast (Scott especially) do some good work. But you’re right, there is a certain sloppiness apparent. When I last watched it I thought the editing during the opening scene was poorly done – did you notice that?
I did notice, which is a shame, since it could’ve been a very cool sequence. Rather spaghetti-esque, or maybe Boetticher-y.
For a film that sat for months waiting to be released, it sure has a rushed feel.
And the scene with the guy on the stove in the saloon is ridiculous.
And the scene with the guy on the stove in the saloon is ridiculous
Yeah, that comes across as very broad comedy, slapstick actually, and doesn’t really fit the overall tone of the movie. We probably sound very critical here, but I (and I’m pretty sure this is true of you too) still quite like the film. Scott’s inching towards an anti-heroic role and the detective story format are strong points in its favor.
I do like it. They were trying for something a little different, I think, and that’s to be applauded even if the results are a little off.
What bothers me is the almost rough-cut feel the problems with editing you brought up and the odd pacing. Seems like it just needed to be tweezed (a Frank Zappa word) a little to take it up a notch.
Toby and Colin have it pretty well covered here;cannot argue with
anything they have said.
For all its faults I will still buy the remastered Warner Archive DVD when it
finally arrives.The Spanish DVD is not too hot and looks similar to the rather
pallid version that is shown from time to time on UK TV.
As I have said before Warner Archive always hold back a few aces,lots
of people are after SUGARFOOT making its DVD debut.
Then theres SHOOTOUT AT MEDICINE BEND which is argubly Randys
least impressive Fifties Western;but I want it reegardless especially as
it will, no doubt, be remastered in widescreen.
A widescreen version of TALL MAN RIDING would be really cool too!
The first film from the Scott/De Toth team was far and away the best
(MAN IN THE SADDLE) one of the most underated of all Fifties Westerns.
As for the stove scene,it kinda reminds me of the scene in De Toths
SPRINGFIELD RIFLE where Gary Cooper slashes Lon Chaney across
his butt,because Chaney has mis-treated Coops horse!
I also seem to remember a scene in De Toths much later PLAY DIRTY
where a sniper shoots a guy in the butt! Having said that its a real long
time since I have seen that one!
Sorry to lower the tone (yet again!) of your very fine blog Toby.
Does the Spanish DVD have the intermission card in it? Is it full-frame?
I’m wondering if that’s the material what I saw. (Someone supplied me with a DVD-R of this one, and I don’t know what its original source is.)
Yep! the Spanish DVD does have the intermission card,its 4 x 3 and
was a Warner Spain “official” release not a nasty bootleg. The transfer
is far from perfect with lots of “flare” and looks only a slight improvement
on the version shown on UK TV.
At least with Warner Archive we know this title will be remastered at some
point and possibly in widescreen too!
Off topic: I understand that Warner Archive at some point will release the
five William Elliott crime “Noirs” that came at the tail end of his career.
I REALLY want to see those films. By Warners past track record and the
dates that they were made (post 1954) they should,hopefully,all be
remastered in widescreen.
Those Elliott crime films Dial Red O, etc. are very cool. A set of those would be beyond wonderful.
Hope they get around to giving us the rest of those Monogram/Allied Artists Westerns. I love those things.
The Bounty Hunter and other films on http://www.VUDU.com. Can rent for $2.99 or own for $9.00. Many other movies also. Check it out, might find something of interest. I did.
It appears–and hope I’m right–that there is consensus the first DeToth/Scott MAN IN THE SADDLE was best, an excellent Western. I need to get back to THE BOUNTY HUNTER (misrecorded earlier this year) but felt it was the least the one time I saw it, almost inexplicably dulll given a perfectly good subject, but rather than seeing DeToth becoming played out over time with his Randolph Scott movies, I thought the next to last RIDING SHOTGUN was very good and probably second best of the six. It had some nice individual touches and some real tension to the end.
I too moderate my criticism of Randolph Scott Westerns from 1946 to the end. He worked a lot through those years, and as both he and the films tend to get better all the way to the sublimity of the Ranowns, It’s just very hard to complain. As a Scott completist, I’m pretty near–I’m one of those disappointed by a black and white FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS last weekend and will hold out a little longer for this and see about CANADIAN PACIFIC later this month. Other than that, SUGARFOOT is the only one I’m missing.
The important thing–there was only one Randolph Scott. And you just can’t care about him too much.
I really like Riding Shotgun. Carson City has a lot going for it, too.
With these Scott Westerns, we’re talking about various shades of wonderful, and even the crummiest one is still pretty wonderful.
Not many stars who made as many movies as Randy did approached the batting average he had.
Further to my above comments about CANADIAN PACIFIC I feel that
Scotts most undervalued pre 1946 Western is WESTERN UNION.
Sometime we only judge films from TV viewings which does not always
show films to their best advantage.
The stunning new master sourced by Sidonis some time back is knock
your socks off jaw dropping quality;I have never seen a Forties Technicolor
film look so impressive.
Next week Koch in Germany will release this classic on DVD and Blu-Ray
and no doubt they will use the new master material.
If you think you have seen this great film……think again.
WESTERN UNION is for me the one truly great railroad Western and Scotts
performance in that film is one of his best ever!.
UNION PACIFIC comes a close second and much further behind is
CANADIAN PACIFIC and KANSAS PACIFIC……….have I left anything out
oh yes theres OVERLAND PACIFIC but I have not seen that one in over
forty years…………..paging Shout Factory!
This is really weird my previous post seems to have vanished.
Cannot remember everything I was going on about except that the
missing component in the Warner Scotts (excluding SEVEN MEN FROM NOW)
was producer Harry Joe Brown. The pre-Boetticher Columbia films are generally very good with the late Forties stuff being outstanding.
Blake mentioned wanting to see CANADIAN PACIFIC;which I do have a few
reservations about.
Though a generally a pretty good railroad Western it is marred by a couple
of really silly scenes.
(a) the blood transfusion scene on a moving train!
(b) when J Caroll Naish (in Gabby Hayes mode) gives the very stupid
indians sticks of dynamite to smoke.
Very non-p.c. though I am sure audiences at the time loved it as the film was a big hit.
Naish plays a character called “Dynamite Dawson and his term of endearment
is “cock-eyed terrapin”
Not the least of Randys Westerns by any means but pretty near the bottom
of the heap.My least favorite Scott is MAN BEHIND THE GUN,whoever at
Warners thought it would be a good idea to let Felix Fiest direct a Western!
Totally agree with Toby that the good ones far outweigh the lesser efforts.
This post should precede the one above……if that makes any sense.
It showed up. Must’ve just taken its time. It’s a logn way from the UK to North Carolina.
Thanks Toby,
It DID appear then it vanished……..I am having a weird afternoon anyway
possibly because you name-dropped Frank Zappa the other day!
I like mixing all my favorite things together from time to time Zappa and 50s Westerns, for example.
Will have to see if I can tie Rory Calhoun to Volkswagen Type 3’s.
I would love to see this one in 3-D. It was the first film to start production on the lot on July 14, 1953 after a three-month shutdown for tests and technical re-tooling. Filmed with the studios new All-Media rig, it was composed for 1.75:1.
Must say sorry for some of the above;of course WESTERN UNION
is NOT a railroad Western,but pretty darn close anyway.
I notice Harry Joe Brown produced that one as well.
Thanks Toby I have already added “stoked” to my new list of good
words to use,now I have to add “tweezed” as well.
Wish I could sort out some kind of Western tie-in to my all time favorite
band,The Flying Burrito Brothers!
Love the Burritos! I’m a big fan of all the Byrds-related country/rock stuff from that period.
Have you heard Sounds Of Goodbye by The Gosdin Brothers? Fabulous record.
Yeah; The Gosdin Brothers were great!
What a career Chris Hillman had/has….over fifty years of making
great music.
I even love that early HILLMEN l.p. that came out years ago on
Together records.
Saw the Byrds at the Middle Earth Club in Covent Garden in London
in 68 with Gram Parsons and Doug Dillard.
You guys are talking my kind of movies. Love those Wild Bill film noirs, short and sweet each of them. Elliott’s a little older looking (and slightly balder!) in these, but his personality and the moodiness of them and the noirish grit shines thru. I have these Elliott 5 and all the Scott movies mentioned above too. To those who say they can’t find them aren’t looking very hard. And though I had it already “Canadian Pacific” was just shown on TCM today (& yes it was a color version, unlike last week’s TCM showing of Fighting Man) Can. Pacific is a real good example of “Tru or Cine Color” type, blue, green and orange ish. Rails Into Laramie, Bounty Man and Shoot Out at Med Bend have all recently been on Encore Westerns.