STRANGER ON THE RUN (1967)

After three decades in Hollywood (Warners montage department to B-pics; indies & tv; now under contract to Universal), ultra-efficient director Don Siegel made one last Movie-of-the-Week (actually ‘Tuesday Night at the Movies’) before belatedly gaining A-list momentum, at the ripe age of 56, with his next project, the superior police procedural MADIGAN/’68.  But first came this undercooked chamber Western for future MADIGAN co-star Henry Fonda, playing a rail-rodding tramp in a story meant to mimic BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK.  (Working title: BAD DAY AT BANNER.)  There’s a redemptive backstory we only find out about late in the film (same for too much narrative info), but basically, Fonda has a message to deliver to a dead woman; gets blamed for her murder; goes on the run with a posse of railroad ‘enforcers’ on his tail (led by Michael Parks in blonde Brando mode); then hides out with widow woman Anne Baxter who gives him shelter and a horse.  Handsomely shot for a tv film of the period (Siegel could squeeze production value out of a rock), but too much of the narrative is merely vague when it wants to be mysterious.  Dan Duryea, Sal Mineo, Walter Berke among the many recognizable supporting players, plus an honest to goodness token Black, Bernie Hamilton, added for that Black hand meets White hand shot.  1967, ya know.  Another pass at the script and a better score might have helped.  (A mournful theme song 'repeats' like an undigested green pepper.)  NOTE: Though shot for broadcast tv in standard Academy Ratio (1.37:1), it’s framed to allow a blowup to 1.85:1 for theatrical international release.  If you have the capability, bump it up a notch.

DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: As mentioned, BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK an obvious influence.  https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2011/07/bad-day-at-black-rock-1955.html