The Proud Ones |  | Director: Robert D. Webb
Actors: Robert Ryan, Virginia Mayo, Jeffrey Hunter, Robert Middleton, Walter Brennan
Studio: 20th Century Fox
List Price: $14.98
Buy Used: $4.74
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New (23) from $6.97
Seller: independentrecords2
Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 13186
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 94 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 2233901
UPC: 024543238997
EAN: 0024543238997
ASIN: B000EHSVW8
Theatrical Release Date: May 1956
Release Date: May 23, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Movie DVD
Amazon.com
The main draw (and quick draw) of this 1956 Western is the marvelous presence of Robert Ryan in the lead role. This underappreciated actor plays a Kansas marshal with a history of perceived cowardice in his past. Everything comes to a head in a single week: a cattle drive ends in town, bringing shootin' and hollerin'; Ryan's nemesis, a casino-runner played by veteran bad guy Robert Middleton, arrives to soak the suckers; and young hotshot Jeffrey Hunter, whose father was killed by Ryan, arrives with revenge on his mind. Oh, and Ryan himself begins to suffer from blinding headaches. Despite the crowded plot, the results are Fifties Western boilerplate, with few distinguishing features beyond the cast. But the supporting ranks are crowded with essential horse-saga actors: Walter Brennan, Arthur O'Connell, Rodolfo Acosta, and of course the bearded, lizard-eyed Middleton. Virginia Mayo plays Ryan's hotel-keeper ladyfriend. Ace cinematographer Lucien Ballard gets a few good outdoor CinemaScope set-ups into the generally backlot feel of the thing. But the reason to see the film is lanky Robert Ryan, whose compelling mix of neurosis, gentleness, and fury is on full display here. --Robert Horton
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 15
 Truly Superb (but overlooked) little Western May 13, 2006
B. Cathey (Wendell, NC United States)
33 out of 34 found this review helpful
Robert Ryan made a number of Westerns during the 1950s and '60s, but always he seemed to be overshadowed by other actors in the genre. Nevertheless, who can forget THE WILD BUNCH or his magnificent portrayal of "old man Clanton" in the seriously underrated HOUR OF THE GUN (with James Garner). And his self-effacing determination is equally unforgettable in THE DAY OF THE OUTLAW. Now one of his best roles, as the straight-arrow sheriff in THE PROUD ONES is on DVD and available at a very reasonable price. Finally. THE PROUD ONES is perhaps director Robert Webb's finest picture, combining great action scenes and plot twists, taught dialogue, and a superior cast that includes not only Ryan, but Jeffrey Hunter, Walter Brennan, Virginia Mayo, and Robert Middleton. Minor roles are given attention as well, especially Arthur O'Connell (as Ryan's deputy) and, important thematically, the wonderful Paul Burns, who plays the town drunk and panhandler....Hunter, when he finally assumes the mantle of sheriff, will give alms to Burns at the finish of the movie, just as Ryan did at the beginning, when he was sheriff. This touch dramatically completes the movie and has much to say about Hunter's increased maturity. THE PROUD ONES is a superb movie, with a great story...it will repay re-viewing. Unlike some Westerns, I don't tire of watching it periodically. It is that good....
 Great Robert Ryan Western March 26, 2006
Terence Allen (Atlanta, GA USA)
22 out of 25 found this review helpful
The Proud Ones is one those great Westerns that gets overlooked when the great ones are mentioned. Maybe that because it never enjoyed a wide (if any) release on VHS. But now that it's coming to DVD, one can only hope that many fans of the genre will come to appreciate it.
Robert Ryan usually played a villain or a washed up, faded man of action in westerns, but in The Proud Ones, he plays the good guy. Ryan plays Cass Silver, a marshal of a booming cow town whose enjoying a relatively quiet life with girlfriend and hotel owner Virginia Mayo when Honest John Barrett, played by perennial Western villain Robert Middleton, shows up to open a saloon/gambling parlor. Barrett and Silver have a history. In a similar situation, Silver left town rather fight it out with Barrett, who is corrupt and murderous. Barrett and Silver head for a showdown, while Silver also has to deal with Jeffrey Hunter, playing the son of a gunfighter Silver had to kill years earlier.
The Proud Ones has lots of drama, gunplay, and Western action. It should not be missed.
Good Robert Ryan Western June 17, 2006
William W. Miller (Sparks, NV United States)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
Big screen western with good cast and interesting story line. Lawman Ryan is nicked in a gun fight and starts to have vision problems that inhibits his ability to deal with the bad guys. He has to rely on the son of a man he killed in a questionable gunfight in his past to aid him when the going gets tough. Robert Ryan is fine as the town lawman, and Jeffrey Hunter gives an adequate pre Searchers performance as the offspring of the man Ryan killed. The great Walter Brennan is all but waisted in a small role as deputy as is Arthur O'Connel. Villan Robert Middleton as always, is smooth and greasy and provides the worthy evil advisary whom Ryan has had past run ins with. All in all, not a classic, but an intersting and satisfyingly entertaining western film footnote. I'd rate as 3.5 stars but will round up in deference to the release of the film on DVD.
"Ryan...Mayo...Hunter...Middleton ~ The Proud Ones (1956)" August 13, 2006
J. Lovins (Missouri-USA)
12 out of 14 found this review helpful
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment present "THE PROUD ONES" (1956) (94 mins Color), under director Robert Webb, produced by Robert L. Jacks, book author Verne Athanas, screenplay by Edmund H. North, Edward North and Joseph Petracca, musical direction by Lionel Newman . . . . .cast includes Robert Ryan (Marshal Cass Silver), Virginia Mayo (Sally), Jeffrey Hunter (Thad Anderson), Robert Middleton (Honest John Barrett), Walter Brennan (Jake, Jailer), Arthur O'Connell (Jim Dexter, Deputy), Rodopho (Rudy) Acosta (Chico), George Mathews (Dillon, Saloon Manager), Fay Roope (Markham), Edward Platt (Dr. Barlow), Whit Bissell (Mr. Bolton), Paul E. Burns (Billy Smith, Town Drunk), Richard Deacon (Barber), I. Stanford Jolley (Crooked Card Player), , , , ,our story has Robert Middleton making a lot of trouble for our hero Robert Ryan who is the Marshal of a small Kansas town...more trouble is coming when the trail herd cowboys arrive to gamble and possibly kill Ryan...can he depend upon Jeffrey Hunter for help or even the girl Virginia Mayo who knows Ryan is losing his sight and could be killed not caring...this builds to a climatic end with Jeffrey Hunter questioning if he should come to the aid of Ryan who killed his father years ago...don't touch that dial, you're about to find out!
Specal footnote, actor Robert Ryan (born Robert Bushnell Ryan on November 11, 1909, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor, imposing, ruggedly handsome lead who made his film debut in "Golden Gloves" (1940) and signed with RKO two years later...Ryan hit his stride in the late 1940s playing a string of psychopathic or hard-boiled types, the role that first put him on the map was as the anti-semitic killer in Edward Dmytryk's film-noir "Crossfire" (1947), and the over-the-hill pug in the classic boxing drama, "The Set-Up" (1949), directed by Robert Wise (which Ryan regarded as his favorite of all of his films) was practically dumped onto the market by RKO, though the studio soon found itself with an unexpected success when the film received good reviews, it was entered in the Cannes Film Festival, and it won the Best Picture award in the British Academy Award competition...from then on Ryan's speciality was tough/tender roles, finding particular expression in the films of celebrated directors such as Nicholas Ray, Robert Wise and Sam Fuller...on Ray's "On Dangerous Ground" (1951) he portrayed a burnt-out violent city-cop finding redemption whilst solving a rural murder. . other important films were Anthony Mann's western "The Naked Spur" (1953), Sam Fuller's uproarious Japanese set gangland thriller "House of Bamboo" (1955), "Bad Day at Black Rock" (1955), and the socially conscious heist-movie "Odds Against Tomorrow" (1959). He also appeared in several all-star war films, including "The Longest Day" (1962) and "Battle of the Bulge" (1965)...in his latter years, Ryan continued playing key roles in major films, most notable of these were "The Professionals" (1966), "The Dirty Dozen" (1967), and Sam Peckinpah's highly influential brutal western "The Wild Bunch" (1969), Ryan was memorable as William Holden's buddy-turned-nemesis, then came "Lawman" (1971), "The Iceman Cometh" (1973)...he married Jessica Cadwalader on March 11, 1939, and they remained married until her death from cancer in 1972; they had 3 children, Ryan died from lung cancer in New York City the following year at the age of 63.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIOS:
1. Robert Ryan (aka: Robert Bushnell Ryan)
Birth Date: 11/11/1909 - Chicago, Illinois
Died: 7/11/1973 - New York, New York
2. Virginia Mayo (aka: Virginia Clara Jones)
Birth Date: 11/30/1920 - St. Louis, Missouri
Died: 1/17/2005 - Thousand Oaks, California
3. Jeffrey Hunter (aka: Henry Herman McKinnies Jr)
Birth Date: 11/25/1926 - New Orleans, Louisiana
Died: 5/27/1969 - Los Angeles, California
4. Robert Middleton (aka: Samuel Messer)
Birth Date: 5/13/1911 - Cincinnati, Ohio
Died: 6/14/1977 - Hollywood, California
5. Robert D. Webb (Director)
Birth Date: 1/08/1903 - Kentucky
Died: 4/18/1990 - Orange County, California
Want to thank 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment for releasing "The Proud Ones" (1956), the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage era of the '40s & '50s...order your copy now from Amazon or 20th Century Fox Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available, stay tuned onceagain for top notch wonderful character actors of the cinema brought back so many wonderful memories of the times when film makers cared about you who purchased a ticket and came back for more...just the way we like 'em.
Total Time: 94 mins on DVD ~ 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment #2233901 ~ (5/23/2006)
A solid Western November 5, 2006
Roberto Frangie (Leon, Gto. Mexico)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
Robert Middleton was a big brutish character actor... We have seen him in "The Silver Chalice" opposite Paul Newman, in "Friendly Persuasion" opposite Gary Cooper, and in "Love Me Tender" with Elvis Presley...
In "The Proud Ones", he is at his best as the smooth-faced and smooth-spoken saloon owner who tries to have the lawman relieved of his job in order for the town to be wide open for wild business...
Middleton makes a considerable impression as Honest John Barrett, distinctive in his dishonesty and insincere manners... He is a thief ready for anything in order to control his lucrative interests, hiring cheap crooks like George Mathews (Dillon) who results a fraud according to his rules... We see him hiring dangerous gunmen willing to slay at any time like Chico (Rodolfo Acosta), who swears to the Marshal that he will kill him one day...
The film arouses profound suspicion that we are pushed to ask ourselves why a suspicious man like the Marshal had to shoot someone apparently unarmed from behind and can we justify his action?! ¿Is he, by any chance, a 'trigger-happy' murderer?
Jeffrey Hunter performs the mistaken cowboy involved in a sinful act to avenge his father's death with the wrong man... He never believes the rectitude of the Marshal who has a questionable past... Hunter accuses him of killing his father... 'It was either him or me', exclaims Ryan, 'but I never shot an unarmed man in my life.'
The climax of the film proves clearly and openly the whole truth to the tormented young man when he confronts Barrett in a showdown... The film wakes up our attention in its development when we discover that the proud Marshall is losing the power of seeing, a serious problem considered suicidal for a lawman who has powerful enemies...
With the lovely Virginia Mayo, the good jailer Brennan and the timid O'Connell, "The Proud Ones" is a solid Western, which remembers me a similar one, "The Lonely Man" with Jack Palance and Anthony Perkins...
Showing reviews 1-5 of 15
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