Story of movie Man Without A Star : Man Without a Star is a 1955 American Technicolor Western film directed by King Vidor starring Kirk Douglas, Jeanne Crain, Claire Trevor and William Campbell. It was based on the novel of the same name, published in 1952, by Dee Linford. A remake was made for television in 1968 entitled A Man Called Gannon.
| Man Without a Star | |
|---|---|
Film poster by Reynold Brown | |
| Directed by | King Vidor |
| Produced by | Aaron Rosenberg |
| Written by | Dee Linford (novel) |
| Screenplay by | Borden Chase D.D. Beauchamp (as D. D. Beauchamp) |
| Starring | Kirk Douglas Jeanne Crain Claire Trevor William Campbell |
| Cinematography | Russell Metty |
| Edited by | Virgil W. Vogel |
Production company | Universal Pictures |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2.2 million (US) |
Screenplay
Easygoing cowboy Dempsey Rae (Kirk Douglas) and his boastful but impressionable young friend Jeff Jimson (William Campbell), both from Kansas City, "ride the rails" into a Wyoming cattle town. They witness the murder of the train guard en-route and net a $100 reward when they reach the next town. Dempsey has a female acquaintance in town (Idonee) and both decide to stay, after being hired to work (as alleged fellow-Texans) by Strap Davis, on a 10,000 head ranch for an absentee rancher named Reed Bowman. When Bowman finally arrives, Dempsey is surprised to find that he has been working for a very attractive woman (Jeanne Crain), one who has very ambitious plans. Her plans lead to a range war with her neighbors.
Dempsey defects to the opposing side but ultimately sides with Jimson, before riding off to a new life.
About half-way through the movie, Dempsey tells Jeff that many men follow a star to set their destination. When asked by Jeff what star he follows, Dempsey tells him that he follows no particular star. Therefore, he's a man without a star.
- Kirk Douglas as Dempsey Rae
- Jeanne Crain as Reed Bowman
- Claire Trevor as Idonee
- William Campbell as Jeff "Texas" Jimson
- Richard Boone as Steve Miles
- Jay C. Flippen as Strap Davis
- Myrna Hansen as Tess Cassidy
- Mara Corday as Moccasin Mary
- Eddy Waller as Tom Cassidy (as Eddy C. Waller)
- Sheb Wooley as Latigo
- George Wallace as Tom Carter
- Frank Chase as Little Waco
- Paul Birch as Mark Toliver
- Roy Barcroft as Sheriff Olson
- William Challee as Brick Gooder
- Malcolm Atterbury as Fancy Joe Toole
- Jack Elam appears (uncredited) as a ruffian with a knife in the early stages of the movie
Douglas later estimated he made over a million dollars from the film.
- List of American films of 1955
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