The Tin Star (1957) - Turner Classic Movies

Brief Synopsis

An experienced bounty hunter helps a young sheriff learn the meaning of his badge.

Cast & Crew

Read More

Anthony Mann

Henry Fonda

Anthony Perkins

Sheriff Ben Owens

Betsy Palmer

Michel Ray

Neville Brand

Photos & Videos

View All

Ben Mankiewicz Intro -- The Tin Star (1957)

Tin Star, The - (Original Trailer)

Film Details

Also Known As

The Tin Badge

Genre

Western

Period

Release Date

Nov 6, 1957

Premiere Information

New York opening: 23 Oct 1957

Production Company

Paramount Pictures Corp.; Perlsea Co.

Distribution Company

Paramount Pictures Corp.

Country

United States

Location

Riverside, California, United States; Riverside--Prado Dam, California, United States; San Fernando Valley, California, United States; San Fernando Valley--Janss Ranch, California, United States; San Fernando Valley--Morrison Ranch, California, United States

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 33m

Sound

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color

Black and White

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.85 : 1

Film Length

8,354ft

Synopsis

Morgan Hickman, a bounty hunter, is treated coldly when he brings the body of a dangerous outlaw into a small western town to claim his reward. Ben Owens, the town's timid temporary sheriff, must verify the outlaw's identity before giving Morg the money, so the bounty hunter heads to the livery barn, where he befriends little Kip Mayfield. Morg accompanies Kip to his home outside of town, and the boy's widowed mother Nona agrees to put him up. That night, Morg sadly reveals to Nona that he lost his own wife and son. Nona then remarks that her deceased husband was an Indian. When Morg looks surprised, Nona angrily tells him that he may leave in the morning. The next day, Ben's sweetheart, Millie Parker, whose father was the sheriff for twenty years, reminds Ben that he promised to turn in his badge as soon as a permanent sheriff is located, but he admits that he hopes to remain in the job. Old Dr. Joe McCord assures her that Ben will be fine, but she is certain that he will be killed, as was her father. Morg returns to town, and soon afterward, Bart Bogardus, the dead outlaw's cousin, repeatedly shoots a "half-breed" in the street, then claims that the killing was in self-defense. Ben nervously demands Bogardus' weapons, but he threatens the sheriff with his gun. Morg shoots the gun out of Bogardus' hand, and later, Ben asks Morg, who has revealed that he was once a sheriff, how to handle troublemakers. Morg replies that a sheriff must always shoot to kill. That night, Morg admits to Nona that, while he wants to continue his stay in her home, he, like most white people, was reared to hate Indians. Her husband, she replies, was killed for having the courage to stand up for himself as an equal, and since then, she adds bitterly, the townspeople have turned their hatred on her and her son. Ben worriedly tells Morg the next day that the judge has released Bogardus, and Morg agrees to coach him on handling guns and outlaws. When the stagecoach driver is later shot by two gunmen outside of town, Ben organizes a posse, but Morg refuses to participate, claiming that he will never again wear a badge. Having received his reward money, Morg buys Kip a pony and prepares to leave town. That night, Doc McCord delivers a baby, but on his way home, is stopped by Ed McGaffey, whose brother Zeke has been shot in a "hunting accident." At daybreak, the doctor heads for home, but Ed is certain he knows that the two brothers are the killers sought by the posse. Zeke begs Ed to let the doctor go, but Ed grabs his gun and pursues him. The whole town has turned out for "McCord Day," the doctor's seventy-fifth birthday, but the singing and clapping stop as everyone realizes that the beloved doctor has been killed. As was his custom, Doc McCord had described Zeke's injury in his notebook, and when the mayor reads this, he places a dead-or-alive reward on the brothers' heads. An angry mob then charges off to the McGaffey homestead to seek revenge. As the men pass his house, Kip decides to chase them on his pony, and shortly afterward, as Morg prepares to pursue the McGaffey brothers on his own, he and Nona realize that the boy is gone. The McGaffey brothers are absent by the time the posse arrives, but Bogardus, who has assumed control of the mob, orders them to set fire to the house. Soon after they leave, Kip arrives, and when his dog runs into the canyon behind the house, the child follows. Morg and Ben follow the hoof prints, arriving near the McGaffeys' cavern hideout just as Ed begins shooting at the boy. Kip is led to safety, whereupon Ben swears he will take the outlaws in alive. Just as Morg predicts, however, Ed shoots at Ben when he attempts to approach the cave. Morg lights a fire by the cave's entrance, and soon the two brothers are forced to surrender. Bogardus, who wants Ben's job, is furious that Ben and Morg have captured the outlaws, and he orders the mob to lynch the McGaffeys. Ben tries to enlist the help of the town officials, but none of them supports his decision to give the McGaffeys a fair trial, and Ben finds himself facing Bogardus and his lynch mob alone. This time, Ben stands up to Bogardus and is surprised when Morg appears at his side with a star on his chest. When Ben approaches Bogardus and slaps him, Bogardus draws his gun and fires. Ben shoots back, killing Bogardus. Their leader slain, the mob loses its fury. Ben asks Morg to remain in town as a lawman, but Morg assures the sheriff that he can handle the job alone, and Millie decides that she will marry Ben. Morg, Nona and Kip then leave town to begin a new life together.

Director

Anthony Mann

Cast

Henry Fonda

Anthony Perkins

Sheriff Ben Owens

Betsy Palmer

Michel Ray

Neville Brand

John Mcintire

Mary Webster

Peter Baldwin

Richard Shannon

Lee Van Cleef

Editor McGaffey

James Bell

Howard Petrie

Russell Simpson

Hal K. Dawson

Jack Kenney

Mickey Finn

Posse member McCall

Frank Cady

Bob Kenaston

Posse member Hardman

Allen Gettel

Posse member Sloan

Frank Cordell

Frank Mcgrath

Tim Sullivan

Crew

Elmer Bernstein

Richard Blaydon

Cy Brooskin

Assistant Director

Buddy Clark

Sam Comer

Hugo Grenzbach

Sound Recording

Loyal Griggs

Director of Photography

Ric Hardman

Assistant to the prod

Grace Harris

Edith Head

Len Hendry

Dialogue Director

Joseph Macmillan Johnson

Joel Kane

From a story by

Winston Leverett

Sound Recording

Alma Macrorie

Nellie Manley

Hair style Supervisor

Frank Mccoy

Frank Mckelvy

Jim Miller

Michael D. Moore

Assistant Director

Ed Morse

Casting Director

Dudley Nichols

Hal Pereira

William Perlberg

Otto Pierce

Camera Operator

Harry Ray

Sound Recording

G. E. Richardson

Wilma Riter

Stanley Scheuer

Script Supervisor

George Seaton

Carl Silvera

Barney Slater

From a story by

Wally Westmore

Makeup Supervisor

Videos

Tin Star, The - (Original Trailer) An experienced bounty hunter (Henry Fonda) helps a young sheriff (Anthony Perkins) learn the meaning of his badge in Anthony Mann's The Tin Star (1957).

Intro Aired: Oct 2017

Ben Mankiewicz Intro -- The Tin Star (1957) Ben Mankiewicz introduces The Tin Star, 1957.

Film Details

Also Known As

The Tin Badge

Genre

Western

Period

Release Date

Nov 6, 1957

Premiere Information

New York opening: 23 Oct 1957

Production Company

Paramount Pictures Corp.; Perlsea Co.

Distribution Company

Paramount Pictures Corp.

Country

United States

Location

Riverside, California, United States; Riverside--Prado Dam, California, United States; San Fernando Valley, California, United States; San Fernando Valley--Janss Ranch, California, United States; San Fernando Valley--Morrison Ranch, California, United States

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 33m

Sound

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color

Black and White

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.85 : 1

Film Length

8,354ft

Award Nominations

Best Writing, Screenplay

1958

Articles

The Tin Star

December 10, 2007

Veteran bounty-hunter Morg Hickman (Henry Fonda) is bringing a dead outlaw into a town where the sheriff has recently been killed. A young, inexperienced Ben Owens (Anthony Perkins) is the temporary replacement, but he lacks the confidence that can only come from experience as a seasoned lawman. Once Owens realizes that Hickman was once a sheriff, he views him as a mentor and asks his help in acquiring the skills needed to maintain his new position. Hickman tells him that being a sheriff is a foolish and dangerous quest, but agrees to instruct the fledgling lawman in handling people - in his view, a much more important skill than handling a gun.

Based on the story The Tin Badge by Barney Slater and Joel Kane, aging screenwriter Dudley Nichols fashioned The Tin Star (1957), a straightforward Western of an older man trying to impart some hard-won wisdom to a young greenhorn who's trying to do right in a world often gone wrong. Director Anthony Mann made his distinctive mark with a film that addresses the emotional damage done to heroes of high ideals by those who have none, a frequent theme in Mann's films (The Man from Laramie [1955], Winchester '73 [1950]).

The Tin Star is also concerned with the merits and potential pitfalls of "going it alone," of standing up for right and wrong, even if you have to do it by yourself. This was a theme that Fred Zinnemann's High Noon (1952) tackled within the context of McCarthyism, a virulent presence still felt in Hollywood in the late 1950s when The Tin Star was made. Fonda, an ardent opponent of McCarthyism and its ilk, brings a world-weary wisdom to his role, while Perkins is earnest yet believable as the idealistic young man not yet touched by the evil that other men do.

To prepare for his role as an unready, but willing, Western sheriff, Anthony Perkins received a little help. Rodd Redwing, a fifty-year-old Chickasaw Indian who had been in films since 1922, was hired to coach Perkins in the proper drawing and firing of six-gun pistols. Perkins supposedly only got the rhythm right by practicing to a jazz recording of "Shine On, Harvest Moon." Meanwhile, Mickey Finn, an ex-L.A. cop turned professional stuntman, taught Perkins the ins-and-outs of fighting in front of the camera. Perkins was an apt pupil, disappearing between takes to concentrate on every upcoming shot.

The reviews of The Tin Star were mostly positive. The New York Post said, "The Tin Star is mighty satisfactory frontier drama. Anthony Perkins helps Henry Fonda make it so; the two performances are simpatico, with Perkins looking to the veteran Fonda for leadership. And Fonda gives, but comes out star anyway with his quiet, sure, graceful underplaying."

Producers: William Perlberg and George Seaton
Director: Anthony Mann
Screenplay: Dudley Nichols, Joel Kane and Barney Slater (story)
Cinematography: Loyal Griggs
Art Direction: J. MacMillan Johnson, Hal Pereira
Music: Elmer Bernstein
Film Editing: Alma Macrorie
Cast: Henry Fonda (Morg Hickman), Anthony Perkins (Sheriff Ben Owens), Betsy Palmer (Nona Mayfield), Michel Ray (Kip Mayfield), Neville Brand (Bart Bogardus).
BW-93m.

by Scott McGee

SOURCES:
The Fondas: The Films and Careers of Henry, Jane & Peter Fonda by John Springer
Fonda: My Life by Henry Fonda
Split Image: The Life of Anthony Perkins by Charles Winecoff

The Tin Star

Veteran bounty-hunter Morg Hickman (Henry Fonda) is bringing a dead outlaw into a town where the sheriff has recently been killed. A young, inexperienced Ben Owens (Anthony Perkins) is the temporary replacement, but he lacks the confidence that can only come from experience as a seasoned lawman. Once Owens realizes that Hickman was once a sheriff, he views him as a mentor and asks his help in acquiring the skills needed to maintain his new position. Hickman tells him that being a sheriff is a foolish and dangerous quest, but agrees to instruct the fledgling lawman in handling people - in his view, a much more important skill than handling a gun. Based on the story The Tin Badge by Barney Slater and Joel Kane, aging screenwriter Dudley Nichols fashioned The Tin Star (1957), a straightforward Western of an older man trying to impart some hard-won wisdom to a young greenhorn who's trying to do right in a world often gone wrong. Director Anthony Mann made his distinctive mark with a film that addresses the emotional damage done to heroes of high ideals by those who have none, a frequent theme in Mann's films (The Man from Laramie [1955], Winchester '73 [1950]). The Tin Star is also concerned with the merits and potential pitfalls of "going it alone," of standing up for right and wrong, even if you have to do it by yourself. This was a theme that Fred Zinnemann's High Noon (1952) tackled within the context of McCarthyism, a virulent presence still felt in Hollywood in the late 1950s when The Tin Star was made. Fonda, an ardent opponent of McCarthyism and its ilk, brings a world-weary wisdom to his role, while Perkins is earnest yet believable as the idealistic young man not yet touched by the evil that other men do. To prepare for his role as an unready, but willing, Western sheriff, Anthony Perkins received a little help. Rodd Redwing, a fifty-year-old Chickasaw Indian who had been in films since 1922, was hired to coach Perkins in the proper drawing and firing of six-gun pistols. Perkins supposedly only got the rhythm right by practicing to a jazz recording of "Shine On, Harvest Moon." Meanwhile, Mickey Finn, an ex-L.A. cop turned professional stuntman, taught Perkins the ins-and-outs of fighting in front of the camera. Perkins was an apt pupil, disappearing between takes to concentrate on every upcoming shot. The reviews of The Tin Star were mostly positive. The New York Post said, "The Tin Star is mighty satisfactory frontier drama. Anthony Perkins helps Henry Fonda make it so; the two performances are simpatico, with Perkins looking to the veteran Fonda for leadership. And Fonda gives, but comes out star anyway with his quiet, sure, graceful underplaying." Producers: William Perlberg and George Seaton Director: Anthony Mann Screenplay: Dudley Nichols, Joel Kane and Barney Slater (story) Cinematography: Loyal Griggs Art Direction: J. MacMillan Johnson, Hal Pereira Music: Elmer Bernstein Film Editing: Alma Macrorie Cast: Henry Fonda (Morg Hickman), Anthony Perkins (Sheriff Ben Owens), Betsy Palmer (Nona Mayfield), Michel Ray (Kip Mayfield), Neville Brand (Bart Bogardus). BW-93m. by Scott McGee SOURCES: The Fondas: The Films and Careers of Henry, Jane & Peter Fonda by John Springer Fonda: My Life by Henry Fonda Split Image: The Life of Anthony Perkins by Charles Winecoff

Elmer Bernstein (1922-2004)

August 23, 2004

Elmer Bernstein, the film composer who created unforgettable music for such classics as The Magnificent Seven, To Kill a Mockingbird, and won his only Academy Award for Thoroughly Modern Millie, died of natural causes at his Ojai, California home on August 17. He was 82.

Elmer Bernstein, who was not related to Leonard Bernstein, was born on August 4, 1922, in New York City. He displayed a talent in music at a very young age, and was given a scholarship to study piano at Juilliard when he was only 12. He entered New York University in 1939, where he majored in music education. After graduating in 1942, he joined the Army Air Corps, where he remained throughout World War II, mostly working on scores for propaganda films. It was around this time he became interested in film scoring when he went to see William Dieterle's The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), a film whose score was composed by Bernard Herrmann, a man Bernstein idolized as the ideal film composer.

Bernstein, who originally intended to be a concert pianist and gave several performances in New York after being discharged from military service, decided to relocate to Hollywood in 1950. He did his first score for the football film Saturday's Hero (1950), and then proved his worth with his trenchant, moody music for the Joan Crawford vehicle Sudden Fear (1952). Rumors of his "communist" leanings came to surface at this time, and, feeling the effects of the blacklist, he found himself scoring such cheesy fare as Robot Monster; Cat Women of the Moon (both 1953); and Miss Robin Caruso (1954).

Despite his politics, Otto Preminger hired him to do the music for The Man With the Golden Arm, (1955) in which Frank Sinatra played a heroin-addicted jazz musician. Fittingly, Bernstein used some memorable jazz motifs for the film and his fine scoring put him back on the map. It prompted the attention of Cecil B. De Mille, who had Bernstein replace the ailing Victor Young on The Ten Commandments (1956). His thundering, heavily orchestrated score perfectly suite the bombastic epic, and he promptly earned his first Oscar® nod for music.

After The Ten Commandments (1956), Bernstein continued to distinguish himself in a row of fine films: The Rainmaker (1956), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), Some Came Running (1958), The Magnificent Seven (a most memorable galloping march, 1960); To Kill a Mockingbird (unique in its use of single piano notes and haunting use of a flute, 1962); Hud (1963); earned a deserved Academy Award for the delightful, "flapper" music for the Julie Andrews period comedy Thoroughly Modern Mille (1967), and True Grit (1969).

His career faltered by the '80s though, as he did some routine Bill Murray comedies: Meatballs (1980) and Stripes (1981). But then director John Landis had Bernstein write the sumptuous score for his comedy Trading Places (1983), and Bernstein soon found himself back in the game. He then graced the silver screen for a few more years composing some terrific pieces for such popular commercial hits as My Left Foot (1989), A River Runs Through It (1992) and The Age of Innocence (1993). Far From Heaven, his final feature film score, received an Oscar® nomination for Best Score in 2002. He is survived by his wife, Eve; sons Peter and Gregory; daughters Emilie and Elizabeth; and five grandchildren.

by Michael T. Toole

Elmer Bernstein (1922-2004)

Elmer Bernstein, the film composer who created unforgettable music for such classics as The Magnificent Seven, To Kill a Mockingbird, and won his only Academy Award for Thoroughly Modern Millie, died of natural causes at his Ojai, California home on August 17. He was 82. Elmer Bernstein, who was not related to Leonard Bernstein, was born on August 4, 1922, in New York City. He displayed a talent in music at a very young age, and was given a scholarship to study piano at Juilliard when he was only 12. He entered New York University in 1939, where he majored in music education. After graduating in 1942, he joined the Army Air Corps, where he remained throughout World War II, mostly working on scores for propaganda films. It was around this time he became interested in film scoring when he went to see William Dieterle's The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), a film whose score was composed by Bernard Herrmann, a man Bernstein idolized as the ideal film composer. Bernstein, who originally intended to be a concert pianist and gave several performances in New York after being discharged from military service, decided to relocate to Hollywood in 1950. He did his first score for the football film Saturday's Hero (1950), and then proved his worth with his trenchant, moody music for the Joan Crawford vehicle Sudden Fear (1952). Rumors of his "communist" leanings came to surface at this time, and, feeling the effects of the blacklist, he found himself scoring such cheesy fare as Robot Monster; Cat Women of the Moon (both 1953); and Miss Robin Caruso (1954). Despite his politics, Otto Preminger hired him to do the music for The Man With the Golden Arm, (1955) in which Frank Sinatra played a heroin-addicted jazz musician. Fittingly, Bernstein used some memorable jazz motifs for the film and his fine scoring put him back on the map. It prompted the attention of Cecil B. De Mille, who had Bernstein replace the ailing Victor Young on The Ten Commandments (1956). His thundering, heavily orchestrated score perfectly suite the bombastic epic, and he promptly earned his first Oscar® nod for music. After The Ten Commandments (1956), Bernstein continued to distinguish himself in a row of fine films: The Rainmaker (1956), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), Some Came Running (1958), The Magnificent Seven (a most memorable galloping march, 1960); To Kill a Mockingbird (unique in its use of single piano notes and haunting use of a flute, 1962); Hud (1963); earned a deserved Academy Award for the delightful, "flapper" music for the Julie Andrews period comedy Thoroughly Modern Mille (1967), and True Grit (1969). His career faltered by the '80s though, as he did some routine Bill Murray comedies: Meatballs (1980) and Stripes (1981). But then director John Landis had Bernstein write the sumptuous score for his comedy Trading Places (1983), and Bernstein soon found himself back in the game. He then graced the silver screen for a few more years composing some terrific pieces for such popular commercial hits as My Left Foot (1989), A River Runs Through It (1992) and The Age of Innocence (1993). Far From Heaven, his final feature film score, received an Oscar® nomination for Best Score in 2002. He is survived by his wife, Eve; sons Peter and Gregory; daughters Emilie and Elizabeth; and five grandchildren. by Michael T. Toole

Quotes

Do I look like a sheriff?
- Kip Mayfield

You look more like a sheriff that the sheriff does.
- Morg Hickman

A decent man does not want to kill. But if you're gonna shoot, shoot to kill.
- Morg Hickman

How come they picked you?
- Morg Hickman

I'm only temporary.
- Sheriff Ben Owens

You're more temporary than you think.
- Morg Hickman

Do you know who I am?
- Bart Bogardus

I didn't ask.
- Morg Hickman

Bogardus is the name. Bart Bogardus. Jamerson was a kin of mine.
- Bart Bogardus

Well, every family has got one black sheep...some of 'em has got two.
- Morg Hickman

Trivia

Notes

The working title of this film was The Tin Badge. According to Hollywood Reporter news items, Jeffrey Hunter was briefly considered for the role of "Sheriff Ben Owens" because of Anthony Perkins' illness, but the film's starting date was pushed back to allow Perkins to recuperate. A September 1956 Hollywood Reporter news item noted that the picture originally had been set to be shot in color but was switched to black and white. Hollywood Reporter news items add the following actors to the cast, although their appearance in the completed picture has not been confirmed: Bernard Shoeffel, Dick Bailey, Eric Alden, Roger Creed, Paul Palmer, Stewart East and Nick Burgani.
According to a October 19, 1956 Hollywood Reporter news item, the film was partially shot on location at the Morrison Ranch and Janss Ranch, both in the San Fernando Valley, and near the Prado Dam in Riverside, CA. The picture was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Story and Screenplay (Written for the Screen).

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States Fall November 1957

Released in United States on Video August 26, 1992

VistaVision

Released in United States Fall November 1957

Released in United States on Video August 26, 1992

By using this site, you agree to our updated Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use