Shows 'N Tunes

In The Gunfighter, Gregory Peck demonstrates that being the best gunfighter is not all it’s cracked up to be; you just can’t quit. Jimmy Ringo rides into his hometown, hoping to find his wife and child. He is tired and wants to settle down. Wherever he goes, some young buck challenges him. His hometown is no different. Of the three westerns I watched, this movie is the most realistic. The Old West loses its glossy Hollywood veneer. Check out The New York Times review of the film.

Here are three movies set in the west, each with different and distinctive theme (see reviews of The Big Country and Duel in the Sun). Peck is said to play most of the scenes without a double. He claims he could do a running mount. I’m impressed.

Welcome to round two of Gregory Peck westerns (did you see last month’s review of The Big Country?): “A la Hollywood,” this steamy western stars Peck as the spoiled son of a land baron and Joseph Cotten as the educated, ethical other son the same land baron.

Along comes Jennifer Jones as the orphan, Pearl (hardly a child), sent to ranch by her father (recently hung) to live with the land baron’s wife, who was his first love. How’s that for a situation?

We have the ultimate triangle, but bold, brazen, bad boy Peck lights a passion in Pearl that will ultimately consume them. The casting, the acting, the scenery, makes this tempestuous love story irresistible. Gregory Peck is a hunk. Who would have thought ”the man in the grey flannel suit” could be so appealing. Run, don’t walk, to the library to check out Duel in the Sun!

And don’t forget to return next month for the third in the trio of Gregory Peck westerns.