High Noon (1952)

Not a frame is wasted in this taut, superbly directed, masterfully acted film, the first so-called "adult western," in which the traditional and predictable elements of action, song, and minimal romance give way to a swift, intense unraveling of a situation and to complex character development. High Noon is also the story of a western town, Hadleyville, and its sometimes stouthearted citizenry, the most prominent of whom is the stoic, heroic Will Kane (Gary Cooper), a lawman surrounded by friends and admirers at the start, deserted and doomed at the finish.

Just married, Will Kane and his beautiful blonde Quaker bride, Amy (Grace Kelly) are about to leave town forever, intending to put peacemaking behind them to settle down to ranch life. However, news comes that a fierce killer, Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald) is about to arrive and take vengeance against Will and the town for sending him to prison years earlier. Frank's brother, Ben (Sheb Wooley) and two gunslingers, James Pierce (Bob Wilke) and Jack Colby (Lee Van Cleef), are already at the depot, waiting for the train carrying Frank, which is due to arrive at high noon.

In a moment of panic, urged on by his friends, Will races his buckboard and bride out of town and down the road into the open prairie, but he suddenly pulls up. When Amy asks him why he is stopping, Will tells her that he has to go back, that it's his duty to return. She resists, and he tries to explain that Frank will follow them anywhere, and that the open prairie is not the place to get caught. Abandoned by town Against Amy's objections, Will returns to town but finds that all of his friends have scattered, most having gone to church services. He calls for his deputies, but only Baker (James Millican) shows up, tacks on a badge, and tells him he'll return shortly.

Amy, on the other hand, refuses to be a part of what she's sure will be her new husband's death and buys a ticket on the train leaving town. Will's former mistress, Helen Ramirez (Katy Jurado), keeps company with Harvey Pell (Lloyd Bridges). Once Will's most trusted deputy, Harvey now refuses to come his aid since he wants the marshal's job for himself. Hating Harvey for his devious, seemingly cowardly actions, Helen decides to leave town, knowing that Frank, her lover before the Marshal, will kill her too. She hurriedly sells her interests and packs, heading for the train depot.

Meanwhile, Will goes to the local saloon where he is mocked when he asks for men to serve as deputies. His close friend, Percy Mettrick (Otto Kruger), the very judge who married him a few hours earlier, urges Will to flee while packing his judicial books and trappings. At the church, Will appeals to the parishioners. Some are willing to go with him; others argue against putting up a fight, believing they should wait for the new marshal to arrive. Town leader Jonas Henderson (Thomas Mitchell) first champions Will, then says that, since it's a personal matter between Will and Frank, it is best settled between them.

Forced to stand alone Will decides to face the four outlaws alone, if need be, turning down offers of aid from a half-blind town drunk and a boy. Even his good friend William Fuller (Harry Morgan) won't come to the door when Will knocks, allowing his wife to tell the Marshal he's not home. Will then goes to Martin Howe (Lon Chaney, Jr.), a retired lawman, who also advises him to run. Holding up clawlike, arthritic hands, the old peacemaker says, "I'd be no good to you," adding that if he were to join Will, he'd worry the marshal so much that he'd cause him to make mistakes and get killed. While Will is inspecting his horse at the stable, Harvey suddenly appears and tells the marshal to saddle up the horse. When Will pulls away, saying "I'm tired of people telling me what to do," Harvey hits him, but Will fights back, finally knocking Harvey unconscious.

By the time Will walks back into the street, though, he is bruised and dazed. At the jail he lets a drunk (Jack Elam) out of his cell; then the Baker, his only remaining deputy, reappears, only to desert Will, saying that he and the Marshal are not enough to stand up to Frank and the others. Alone, Will awaits the killers. High noon The train arrives on time, and Frank gets off, greets his henchmen, straps on a gun, and immediately begins to search for Will. At the same time, Amy and Helen board the train, but at the last minute Amy gets off and runs back into the town. By then Will is involved in a running gun battle with the four killers. He kills two, but Frank and another trap him inside a shop. As Frank's pal edges around a corner to get a better shot, he is killed, shot in the back through the window of the sheriff's office by peace-loving Amy. Frank breaks inside, grabs Amy, and, using her as a shield, steps into the street, ordering Will to come out. "I'll come out. Let her go!" Will shouts, stepping outside. But before Frank can get off a shot Amy spins around and claws him, momentarily blinding Frank. As he throws her aside, Will shoots him to death.

The Marshal then goes to his bride and takes her in his arms as his buckboard is brought to him. The townsfolk appear as if from nowhere, crowding about Will, who silently and contemptuously scans them. He takes off his tin star and drops it into the dust, then turns and climbs into the buckboard and rides off with Amy.

A landmark western in every sense, High Noon was shot in high contrast by cinematographer Floyd Crosby, an approach director Fred Zinnemann used to bring documentary-like authenticity to the film. Zinnemann's outstanding economical direction is in full force here, every minute pertinent and packed with suspense, as the filmic action takes place in real time. The film takes almost as much time to unreel as Will Kane takes in the story to prepare for the gun battle. All of Cooper's years of experience before the cameras are evident in this moving, powerful masterpiece.

For Cooper, this was a tour de force, a film wherein his mere presence overwhelms the viewer and carries a story that is believable only through his actions. He utters no long speeches, yet his expressions and movements are those of a man resolute in his lonely duty and resigned to his own doom. Every confrontation with the unresponsive townspeople causes him to suffer. Background Inspired performance Cooper was perfect for the role of the taciturn lawman, though in truth, Cooper was in real agony during the production, enduring a bleeding ulcer and an injured hip during the thirty-one days of shooting. Cooper's exhaustion is evident onscreen, and after finishing the film, he said, "I'm all acted out." However Cooper's illness didn't prevent him from working very hard and putting in long hours under some trying conditions. Reportedly an appropriately haggard-looking Will Kane was just what Zinnemann was after, despite Hollywood's proclivity for dashing leading men.

Gregory Peck was offered the part first by producer Stanley Kramer, but turned it down, saying it was too close to the part he played in Tthe Gunfighter. Cooper read the script once and jumped at the chance to play the martyr Will Kane. He later stated that he knew the role was a natural for him. His father, a Montana Supreme Court justice, had told Cooper stories about the sheriffs he'd dealt with, and the stories came to life for the actor as he undertook the challenging role he loved so much. High Noon also gave both Kelly and Jurado their first major roles. Both would go on to stardom, then fade—one as a princess, the other as a supporting actress.

The story behind the story of High Noon is an interesting one, revealing the inner working of the industry at the time. While relating the plot to Kramer and some others, screenwriter Carl Foreman was told that it sounded similar to "The Tin Star," a story John W. Cunningham had recently published in The Saturday Evening Post. The rights to that story were then purchased and Cunningham later given story credit. Reportedly, Foreman based the role of the much put-upon marshal on his own plight at the time. He had wanted to direct the film, but Kramer brought in Zinnemann instead, at least in part because Foreman had been uncooperative when called before the House Un-American Activities Committee during the heyday of the Red Scare. Foreman, blacklisted immediately following the completion of the film, sold off his share of Kramer's production company for a reported $285,000, going to Europe and into what most considered movie limbo. Yet Foreman was not finished. He would later co-write, uncredited, the script for The Bridge on the River Kwai, which won a Best Picture Oscar in 1958.

Though Kramer later claimed that the project was entirely his own creation, Foreman contended neither Kramer nor his associates had any interest in the film from the outset. Kramer did, however, view the first showing with concern. Believing that it had a lot of dead spots, he ordered a series of closeups showing the anxiety lining Cooper's face, and included many quick cuts to clocks ticking relentlessly toward the doom of high noon. To further heighten the tension Kramer asked Dimitri Tiomkin to write a ballad that could be interwoven with the action. Though the composer protested that he only wrote scores, he and Ned Washington produced the wonderful "High Noon" ("Do Not Forsake Me"), sung by Tex Ritter. Both the score and the song have since become classics.

Awards High Noon was nominated for Best Film. Zinnemann was nominated for Best Director, and editors Elmo Williams and Harry Gerstad deservedly won Oscars for their drum-tight editing. Cooper won his second Oscar for his performance; he had received one eleven years earlier for his powerful portrayal of the title hero in Sergeant York (1941). The score and the song "High Noon" also won Academy Awards.

Performer Character:

Gary Cooper, Will Kane

Grace Kelly, Amy Kane

Thomas Mitchell, Jonas Henderson

Lloyd Bridges, Harvey Pell

Katy Jurado, Helen Ramirez

Otto Kruger, Percy Mettrick

Lon Chaney Jr., Martin Howe

Harry Morgan, William Fuller

Ian MacDonald, Frank Miller

Eve McVeagh, Mildred Fuller

Harry Shannon, Cooper

Lee Van Cleef, Jack Colby

Production Credits

Produce,r Stanley Kramer

Directo,r Fred Zinnemann

Screenwriter Carl Foreman based on the story "The Tin Star" by John W. Cunningham

Editors, Elmo Williams and Harry Gerstad

Cinematographer, Floyd Crosby

Compose,r Dimitri Tiomkin