Customer Reviews

Dallas [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It must have come as quite a shock when Gary Cooper received the script for his fourth starring vehicle under the Warner's contract he'd signed in 1948.After three classy features("The Fountainhead","Task Force",and "Bright Leaf")with first-rate directors(King Vidor,Delmer Daves,and Michael Curtiz),"Dallas" was a distinct comedown.It had been announced for Errol Flynn(also on the wane by this time),but Cooper was assigned at the eleventh hour.The studio's choice of journeyman Stuart Heisler to direct was hardly a vote of confidance either.If you look at Cooper's gag cameo in the previous year's "It's A Great Feeling",you can get a pretty good idea of how the star was regarded by his new employers.The appearance is brief---Cooper is carelessy photographed(at a time when his age was starting to betray him),and the exchange with Dennis Morgan trades on the old "yup" and "nope" routine that had dogged him since the beginning of his career----two decades of fine performances had taken him way beyond that insulting cliche,yet here he was,engaging in a self-parody that had to hurt.Unfortunatly for Cooper,"Dallas" is more of the same.There is Technicolor,though it doesn't flatter him(his hair looks almost orange at times,even in original dye-transfer prints),and the whole thing has a slapdash,backlot feel about it.So my recommendation?You must get this movie! It's practically a textbook on the declining careers of the pre-war generation of great leading men---a fallow period in the late forties when youngsters like Gregory Peck,Burt Lancaster,and Robert Mitchum were getting the really intresting parts,while the veteran stars---Gable,Flynn,Cooper---were having to make do in studio product that made no allowance for changing times,or the leading man's advancing age(s).Gary Cooper is fabulous in "Dallas"---you can tell he's making the best of a bad job.He's winging dialogue,peppering dull scenes with quirky mannerisms----in short,making plenty out of nothing---getting a lemon,and giving us lemonade.Watch for his introductary scene---it's a classic---and only Cooper could make it look so good----burning that wanted poster and lighting his cigar---yeah! His leading lady is Ruth Roman---oh well,I guess that's where Warner's saved some money---after all,Coop didn't come cheap.For the record,"Dallas" had a negative cost of 1.390 million,and final worldwide rentals were 4.490 million,so Cooper in a western was still boxoffice----it's just a shame WB didn't think enough of him to put a little more effort into the piece.I still love it though---and what a kick to see Raymond Massey in a seedy land-grabber villain role(and Steve Cochran's his brother!)---bet Massey loved telling that one to his lunch companions at the Player's Club.Barbara Payton's there too---read her sleazy auto-bio,watch this movie---and think about it.There's lots to like in "Dallas"---a great(and I mean GREAT)Max Steiner score---a priceless scene where Cooper masquerades as a "dude"---and a sock finish when he finally corners Massey."High Noon" was a year away,but if you wanna know the truth,this one's actually more fun.

Warner Bros. presents "DALLAS" (30 December 1950) (94 mins/Color) (Dolby digitally remastered) -- Our story line and plot, A throwback to the "old fashioned" Westerns of the 30s and 40s such as DODGE CITY (1939) --- DALLAS has a number of things going for it: Gary Cooper at his coolest, blazing Technicolor photography by Ernest Haller "GONE WITH THE WIND" (1939) and a pulse-pounding score by Max Steiner the composer of "PAINTED DESERT" (1938), "KING KONG" (1933), "GWTW" (1939), "DODGE CITY" (1939) and so many other scores for Warner Bros --- In addition, there is a masquerade, mistaken identity, a faked death and more hair-breath escapes than a Republic serial --- As always, Cooper defines what it is to be a man under pressure --- this is pure entertainment! --- Some interesting cast members with Reed Hadley playing Wild Bill Hickok, Buddy Roosevelt an old time B-Western star during the '20s & '30s, Leif Erickson as U.S. Marshal Martin Weatherby, Fred Graham the great stuntman from so many action serials and western films, the beautiful Barbara Payton whose life away from the screen was even more interesting --- Gary Cooper's laconic performance holds the audience's interest throughout.

Under the production staff of:
Stuart Heisler - Director
Anthony Veiller - Producer
Derek N. Twist - Screenwriter
John Twist - Screenwriter
Ernest Haller - Cinematographer
Max Steiner - Composer (Music Score)
Clarence Kolster - Editor
Douglas Bacon - Art Director
George James Hopkins - Set Designer
Marjorie Best - Costume Designer
Oliver S. Garretson - Sound/Sound Designer
Albert S. Greenway - Makeup
Fred Phillips - Makeup
Chuck Hansen - First Assistant Director

SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIOS:
1. Gary Cooper (aka: Frank James Cooper)
Date of Birth: 7 May 1901 - Helena, Montana
Date of Death: 13 May 1961 - Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California

2. Ruth Roman
Date of Birth: 22 December 1922 - Lynn, Massachusetts
Date of Death: 9 September 1999 - Laguna Beach, California

3. Steve Cochran
Date of Birth: 25 May 1917 - Eureka, California
Date of Death: 15 June 1965 - Pacific Ocean (acute infectious edema)

4. Raymond Massey
Date of Birth: 30 August 1896 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date of Death: 29 July 1983 - Los Angeles, California

the cast includes:
Gary Cooper ... Blayde Hollister
Ruth Roman ... Tonia Robles
Steve Cochran ... Bryant Marlow
Raymond Massey ... Will Marlow
Barbara Payton ... Flo
Leif Erickson ... U.S. Marshal Martin Weatherby
Antonio Moreno ... Don Felipe Robles
Jerome Cowan ... Matt Coulter
Reed Hadley ... Wild Bill Hickok
Gil Donaldson ... Luis Robles
Monte Blue ... Tarrant County Sheriff
Roy Bucko ... Prisoner
Ben Corbett ... Bystander
Gene Evans ... Drunk in Saloon
Al Ferguson ... Springfield Citizen
Fred Graham ... Tough in Saloon
Cactus Mack ... Dallas Citizen
Zon Murray ... Longfellow Cullen Marlow
Buddy Roosevelt ... Springfield Citizen

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc) and Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- If you're into the memories of B-Westerns with high drama, this is the one you've been anxiously waiting for --- please stand up and take a bow Western Classics --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 94 mins on DVD ~ Warner Bros. ~ (5/13/2003)

I never heard of this movie until just before I ordered it. What a find. This is the B Western at its best (it's officially a B Western because one short scene is used twice). Coop is at his raucous best. Raymond Massey as the bad guy really plays it up. As for Ruth Roman, when she runs up to the returning Gary Cooper and says, "Reb, you've come back, you're safe", well, If I were Coop, I would have married her on the set right there. It kind of reminds me of Marilyn saying "I'd go anywhere with you now" in Bus Stop. At one point Miss Roman wears a green and white outfit that is plain but very fetching.

There is enough action to satisfy any western fan. At the beginning Coop shoots it out with Wild Bill. How is that possible since Coop is the star and Wild Bill never got shot before Deadwood? I'll never tell. Get the movie to find out. Classy and almost over the top at the same time. In fact, this movie skirts the edge of over-the-top several times to wonderful effect.

My favorite line is from Raymond Massey when he is talking about his brother who is always causing him trouble - "He's trying to put the blight on me".

I think this may turn out to be one of my top 10 favorite westerns.

DALLAS is a routine action/western, the sort of thing John Wayne did in his sleep for Republic throughout the forties. And why shouldn't Coop be permitted to amble through this sort of stuff? And amble he does, looking terrific in his tan buckskin shirt, every inch the hero. The movie is never boring and it zips merrily along, from one action sequence to the next, pausing for an occasional breath so that Cooper and Ruth Roman can set up their eventual kiss at the end. I agree with the previous two reviews that Max Steiner's score is fabulous (far better than the film deserves, truth be told). I also agree that Steiner's score for THE HANGING TREE is "utterly sublime". Not only isn't the score out on CD, but Warner Home Video has taken THE HANGING TREE out of distribution here in the U.S. Not overseas, just here! What idiocy! Furthermore, why?

"Dallas" (1950) is one of those revenge dramas that are so popular among westerns. Similar films include "The Searchers" (1956) in which the Duke hunts down the Indians who killed his brother and family and kidnapped his niece, "The Bravados" (1958) in which Gregory Peck hunts the men who killed his wife, and "Hang em High" (1968) in which Clint Eastwood hunts down the men who tried to hang him. In this case, a Confederate officer (Gary Cooper) hunts down the brothers (Raymond Massey, Steve Cochran) who killed his family.

Gary Cooper (1901-61) is a film icon, ranked #11 in AFI's list of 100 top male stars. Nominated 5 times for an Oscar, he won twice ("Sergeant York" and "High Noon"). His films were in the top 10 box office 18 times between 1936 and 1957, a record surpassed only by John Wayne. Despite appearing in a variety of films, Cooper is best remembered for his westerns ("The Plainsman", "The Westerner", "Vera Cruz", "High Noon", "Man of the West")

Beautiful and sultry Ruth Roman (1922-99) is best remembered for her Golden Globe nominated role in "Champion" (1949). She made 50+ films before transitioning to TV in the late 50s where she had recurring roles in "The Long Hot Summer" (1965-6), "Gunsmoke" (1969-71), "Knotts Landing" (1986-7) and "Murder She Wrote" (1987-9).

The great Raymond Massey (1896-1983) plays a real estate magnet with a clouded past. Massey is best remembered for his roles as Lincoln in "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" (1940), "The Day Lincoln was Shot" (1950) and "How the West Was Won" (1962). On TV he played Dr. Gillespie in the series "Dr Kildare" (1961-5). He made nearly 100 films. I remember him best for his over the top portrayal of John Brown in "Santa Fe Trail" (1940).

Dark and handsome Steve Cochran (1917-65) debuted in "Wonder Man" (1945) as a heavy and did such a good job he continued to be the heavy in dozens of films. I remember him best as James Cagney's treacherous sidekick from "White Heat" (1949). He claimed - "The big secret in playing a gangster in movies is to really believe that the character you are playing is doing no wrong."

Stuart Heisler (1896-1979) directs. He made a dozen or so films between 1936 and 1956 and then transitioned to TV where he worked on westerns like "Rawhide" and "Lawman".

Between 1935 and 1956 Austrian composer Max Steiner (1888-1971) was nominated for an Oscar 19 times, and won for "Since You Went Away" (1944), "Now Voyager" (1942), and "The Informer" (1935). He was so well known that he appeared on a 33 cent stamp (1999) along with Dimitri Tiomkin and Alfred Newman.

1950 was a good year for films with Oscars for "All About Eve" (Picture, Director, Supporting Actor), "Cyrano" (Actor) and "Born yesterday" (Actress). The top grossers included "Cinderella", "King Solomon's Mines", "Annie Get Your Gun" and "Sunset Boulevard". Other notable films released in 1950 were - "The Asphalt Jungle", "Cheaper by the Dozen", "The Glass Menagerie", "Rashomon", "The Third Man", and "Twelve O'Clock High". Westerns were popular with films like "Ambush", "Broken Arrow", "The Gunfighter" and "Winchester 73".

The NY Times' Bosley Crowther said "Except for a few clever "gimmicks" that are dropped here and there in the tale, this is one of those two-gun-man horse operas that comes right down from William S. Hart."

Dallas is a pretty good B western, but that's all it is. Cooper had done work in many other westerns, as have Massey and Cochran.

Dallas is one of those unique movies, with a great cast of stars,lead by Gary Cooper. A good story,excellent format in color,highly recommend for all those Western fans who enjoy a good flick with good acting,action/adventure, & solid story.Veteran actor Raymond Massey is excellent as a villain too!

Very good Gary Cooper western movie. Been years and years since viewing Dallas. Enjoyed every minute of it. Full of action and suspense. Excellent DVD copy.

I just finished reading the reviews for Dallas, and most of them are not very flattering. Overall, I think Dallas is a pretty solid Western. The plot is decent (although a little goofy at times), and the action moves along nicely. Gary Cooper makes a fine cowboy and was one of the best leading men in Hollywood at the time this file was made. Although Dallas may not be as exciting as other Westerns, it is worth watching, especially if you like Gary Cooper. Hardly a classic, but not as bad as some of the other reviewers make it out to be.

I am a perennial western fan.I recently watched DALLAS starring Gary Cooper,Leif Erikson,Ruth Roman, Raymond Massey, and Steve Cochran. I thoroughly enjoyed it.Roman is a member of a wealthy Spanish family and a gorgeous,smart, and independent woman of the west for the most part.Cooper is a former Confederate Colonel with a reward on his head but a man on a mission post-Civil War seeking justice for the gruesome death and destruction of his family at the hands of the despicable Marlowe Brothers played by Massey and Cochran.After the war they are continually wreaking havoc with decent ranchers and farmers stealing cattle and land.Erikson plays a fish out of water US Marshal from the East in a misguided attempt to impress Roman's character so that she will marry him.Of course he is no match for the man of action, strong and relatively silent "Coop".DALLAS is fast paced with a laissez-affaire attitude toward whether the story was executed semi-seriously or semi-humourously.In any event it works.Just like in real life. It is an old fashioned,hero on horseback, gun blazing,exciting chases(outlaws after the hero and the posse after the hero),great stunts(appears to be Cooper or Jock O'Mahoney,but well done), and competition for the girl among the protaganists(Cooper and Erikson).
Massey is mean and nasty as the main villian.The only thing missing is a black top hat.The handsome and tough(like Robert Mitchum) Steve Cochran, who usually played a tough in urban crime dramas of the 50's is barely recognizable because of the southern confederate cap he wears and a great handlebar mustache.He is agressive and reckless in his manner and equally up to Massey's ruthlessness,but he isn't the brains of the outfit obviously.I highly recommend DALLAS for your Western library.This is a fun movie to watch.

RLJ

Dallas was made after Gary Cooper had appeared in The Plainsman and the Westerner, but before High Noon and his later Westerns, where Cooper was an older, serious, and sober sort.

In Dallas, Cooper is only occasionally serious and sober. He plays former Confederate raider Blayde "Reb" Hollister, whose life in Georgia suffered at the hands of brothers who are stealing cattle around Dallas. The brothers are played by Raymond Massey and Steve Cochran. Hollister, wanted as a fugitive, masquerades as a dandified US Marshal from up north, the real identity of hapless Leif Erickson, playing a much different character than he did almost twenty years later in The High Chapparal television series.

There is some good things here, a good, and at times, hilarious script by John Twist, and fine performances all around. But there is a lot of silliness, like the opening sequence when Hoolister pretends to be killed by Wild Bill Hickok. Hickok never really gives a good reason why he's playing along with Hollister. And the masquerading as Erickson, particularly when his fiancee, played by Ruth Roman, is involved.

Maybe the idea was that Dallas would be action with a lot of laughs. Maybe Dallas would have been better with less laughs and a more straightforward story.