Product Details

• Actors: Randolph Scott, Ann Dvorak, Edgar Buchanan, Rhonda Fleming, Lloyd Bridges
• Directors: Edwin L. Marin
• Writers: Ernest Haycox, Harold Shumate
• Producers: Herbert J. Biberman, Jules Levey
• Format: Black & White, EP, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Madacy Records
• VHS Release Date: September 19, 1997
• Run Time: 89 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303935494
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #628,005 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Stiff-as-a-board town marshal Randolph Scott, with his laconic drawl and smiling as if at some personal joke, is the moral authority of an end-of-the-trail frontier town in this surprisingly intriguing 1946 Western. The community is literally split down the middle--shops and churches line one side of main street, saloons and taverns the other--and Abilene's citizens tolerate the rowdy, rough-and-tumble antics of trail hands and rambunctious cowboys as long as they remain on their side of the street. Lloyd Bridges plays the leader of a flock of newly arrived settlers who inadvertently tip the uneasy balance when they string up the open range and draw the fire of the cattlemen, who bring their reign of terror into the town. Edwin L. Marin's professional (if pedestrian) direction keeps the film plugging along, but the smart script, an ingeniously mercenary climactic battle plan, and a defiantly righteous performance from Bridges give the film bite. Hellfire in heels dance-hall girl Ann Dvorak's love-hate relationship with Scott provides comic sparks and a potent challenge to his chaste courting of shop girl Rhonda Fleming. Edgar Buchanan is suitably dry as a cowardly, card-playing county sheriff who knows the value of a voting constituency. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The tame always win, October 24, 2004

By 

Steven Hellerstedt "SH" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Abilene Town (DVD)

Smart and briskly told, ABILENE TOWN is an above-average homesteader vs. cattle rancher movie. Randolph Scott stars as the town marshal of Abilene who finds himself in the middle of a land war. Short of only John Wayne, Scott is the man for the task. The movie opens with Scott in church, singing hymns with the angelic Rhonda Fleming. The pious music is interrupted by the sound of gunfire. The cattle drovers are in town, shooting up the honey pots.
Check that - they're shooting up-wards in the saloons, more in emphatic syncopation with song and dance girl Ann Dvorak's act that in meanness. The wranglers and ramrods are saving that meanness for act two, when the hymn singing, sodbusting homesteaders arrive and begin planting houses and barb-wiring up the northern terminus of the Abilene Trail. That levels out their aim some.
ABILENE TOWN is about the tension of opposites, with Randolph Scott smack in the middle. His character is a failed rancher who sympathizes with the "decent life" desiring homesteaders. He has to chose between Good Girl Rhonda Fleming and Bad Girl (with a heart of gold) Ann Dvorak. The movie also pits the merchants against the saloons, cattle against wheat, the pious against the profane. It's a contest between a restoration of the status quo and the establishment of a new order.
With its strong story, straight-ahead direction, and solid cast, ABILENE TOWN is a treat. Scott is well within his competent comfort zone as the man with the badge, Edgar Buchanan and Ann Dvorak leaven things with amusing diversions, and a young Lloyd Bridge is effective as the firebrand leader of the sodbusters. Hired thug Chet Younger, played by the underrated Jack Lambert, burns enough barns and shoots enough defenseless women and children to keep our sympathies from straying over to the wrong side of the fence. The transfer print on the review copy was faded out some, which tends to flatten out the picture. Nothing major. Otherwise it's in good shape, a real bargain considering its deeply discounted price.
ABILENE TOWN is a classic western that will delight fans of the genre and quite possibly hold the attention of non-converts as well.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE WEST AS IT WAS, ALMOST., February 19, 2008

By 

Kay's Husband (Virginia, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Abilene Town (DVD)

As most viewers will be aware, this movie used Ernest Haycox's book TRAIL TOWN as it guiding background. It must have been familiar territory for Randolph Scott as he appeared in movies made from many western author's books: Zane Grey, Jonas Ward, Luke Short, and Haycox among others.

This western is one of very few that shows one condition of the 'ole' west as it pretty much was, the towns oft times were divided down the middle, with the saloons and other sinful devices on one side of town, with the schools, churches, and businesses on the other. Often the train tracks helped to separate the two sections. And the twain did not meet, no pun intended. This condition did not apply to all towns for certain, but did occur in many. As the film shows for a town marshal to walk both sections of the town took great proficiency. And though it did not happen that often, some trail towns did suffer from "treeing the town", but most often as the film depicts, the town's folk armed themselves and sent the 'cowboys' off, on their way.

One must also find pleasure with the talents of the cast in this picture, and also in their youthful appearances. The musical numbers are quite catchy, though when I watch a western most musical interludes get on my nerves. I want my westerns fairly realistic without singing cowboys, but in this movie as many others, the music adds to the allure of the movie magic. Ann Dvorak is just magnificent in both song and dance.

I have a couple copies of this film and must say it is one of my favorites, mainly due to Scott. But through many viewing I have come to appreciate the other actors roles as well. And anyone having seen THE DESPERADOES knows that Edgar Buchanan and Randolph Scott did very well together on any screen.

Looking for an enjoyable 90 minutes or so of film, then you might want to watch this movie from long ago. And don't miss Scott's obedient horse that follows him everywhere. Wonder how they got the horse to do that.

Semper Fi.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Abilene Town (1946) " Enhanced", February 2, 2011

By 

P. Davies - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Abilene Town (1946) (DVD)

Avoid this at ALL costs. The disc is a DVDr, the insert, a cheap paper photocopy, the picture quality 3rd rate VHS at best. To call this " Enhanced " is beyond laughable. No way should this be sold through Amazon, it's just a cheap bootleg and should be removed immediately. To add insult to injury, this is priced a lot higher than other versions of the title ( the reason I was duped into buying it ). I'll sign off now, I'm just going to the Post Office to return it.