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IMDbPro

Abilene Town

  • 1946
  • Approved
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
Randolph Scott and Ann Dvorak in Abilene Town (1946)
DramaWestern

A sheriff tries to stop homesteader conflicts in the West after the Civil War.A sheriff tries to stop homesteader conflicts in the West after the Civil War.A sheriff tries to stop homesteader conflicts in the West after the Civil War.

  • Director
    • Edwin L. Marin
  • Writers
    • Ernest Haycox
    • Harold Shumate
  • Stars
    • Randolph Scott
    • Ann Dvorak
    • Edgar Buchanan
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.2/10
    1.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Edwin L. Marin
    • Writers
      • Ernest Haycox
      • Harold Shumate
    • Stars
      • Randolph Scott
      • Ann Dvorak
      • Edgar Buchanan
    • 41User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos23

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    Top cast37

    Edit
    Randolph Scott
    Randolph Scott
    • Dan Mitchell
    Ann Dvorak
    Ann Dvorak
    • Rita
    Edgar Buchanan
    Edgar Buchanan
    • Sheriff 'Bravo' Trimble
    Rhonda Fleming
    Rhonda Fleming
    • Sherry Balder
    Lloyd Bridges
    Lloyd Bridges
    • Henry Dreiser
    Helen Boyce
    • Big Annie
    Howard Freeman
    Howard Freeman
    • Ed Balder
    Richard Hale
    Richard Hale
    • Charlie Fair
    Jack Lambert
    Jack Lambert
    • Jet Younger
    Dick Curtis
    Dick Curtis
    • 'Cap' Ryker
    Earl Schenck
    Earl Schenck
    • George Hazelhurst
    Eddy Waller
    Eddy Waller
    • Hannaberry
    Hank Patterson
    Hank Patterson
    • Doug Neil
    Victor Adamson
    Victor Adamson
    • Farmer
    • (uncredited)
    Walter Baldwin
    Walter Baldwin
    • Train Conductor
    • (uncredited)
    Polly Bond
    • Town Girl #1
    • (uncredited)
    Danny Borzage
    • Musician
    • (uncredited)
    Paul Brinegar
    Paul Brinegar
    • Gambler
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Edwin L. Marin
    • Writers
      • Ernest Haycox
      • Harold Shumate
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews41

    6.21.4K
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    Featured reviews

    7Ryu_Darkwood

    Solid western, nothing more

    A righteous sheriff finds himself in the pinch when there is hostility against homesteaders. He urges his fellow villagers to choose sides and to help him end the conflict.

    Decent old-school western. Every cliché is there: from the fierce shootouts to the merry can-can dancers; from the stubborn but righteous sheriff to the crooks stirring up things in town. It's not as harsh as we're used to since Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinah and the boundary between right and wrong is pretty clear from the start. But I liked it as a fan of the western. It's not a classic in any way, but still a decent flick to see if you like the genre.
    Petey-10

    Glory Glory Hallelujah!

    Randolph Scott (1898-1987) plays the Marshall Dan Mitchell who tries to keep things peaceful in town.Edgar Buchanan (1903-1979) plays the sheriff Bravo Trimble who rather gambles than shoots. Lloyd Bridges (1913-1998) can be seen as Henry Dreiser.And sure there are also some pretty ladies involved.Abilene Town from 1946 is a nice old western with great actors.There are some brilliant scenes in the movie.I recommend Abilene Town for all of you who like old black and white western movies.Or if you just don't have anything better to do.
    6ma-cortes

    Highly watchable Western about confrontation between cattlemen and homesteaders

    The film is set in 1870 , post civil war , in Abilene ( a biblical name meaning city of the plains ), the pattern of the other celebrated cow towns of the Old west . Randolph Scott is the brave sheriff of Abilene along with Edgar Buchanan , they are fighting to stifle the conflicts between homesteaders ( led by a young Lloyd Bridges ) and cattlemen who hire gunfighters ( Jack Lambert ) . Meanwhile he develops a loving triangle between a Saloon girl ( Ann Dvorak ) and a good girl ( Rhonda Fleming ).

    The picture gets action Western , shootouts , a love story , musical numbers ( in charge of a gorgeous Anne Dvorak ) and is quite entertaining . It's a medium budget film with good actors , technicians, production values and pleasing results . The film is totally set in Abilene ( Kansas )which was the first of the major railhead cattle towns . From 1867 to 1872 it was a booming depot , shipping some one million Texas Longhorns by railroad to Kansas City and Chicago and meat markets in the East . The place was selected as a terminus for Texas cattle drives in 1867 . Then the long drives began from Texas over the Chisholm trail . At trail's end in Abilene the rowdy,free-spending cowboys attracted saloon keepers, gamblers , brothels and all types of frontier riff-raff , the town became notorious for its lawlessness . Gunmen were hired for a time to keep the peace in Abilene ( in the film the peacemaker results to be Randolph Scott and actually Wild Bill Hickok ) . With the numerous presence of homesteaders the town prospered , stabilized and grew , its lawabiding citizens decided to discourage the troublesome cattle trade with his transient cowboys and early requested the Texas cattlemen to drive their herds elsewhere , which they soon did and Abilene's role as a wild cow town came to an abrupt ending.

    The motion picture is directed in sure visual eye by Edwin L. Marin . He realized a variety films of all kind of genres , though especially Western , the best are starred by Scott , all well screen-written ( as Abilene , Canadian Pacific , Cariboo trail , Fighting man of the plains ). In fact his last films were Westerns until his early death at 52 .
    6FightingWesterner

    Okay Entertainment, But Not Randolph Scott's Best

    Uncompromising town Marshall Randolph Scott attempts to get to the bottom of a terror campaign against peaceful homesteaders who've settled on government land used by cattlemen in the plains around Abiline, Kansas.

    Scott gives an appropriately stern performance in this low-budget independent production, but this just isn't as good as his color studio westerns he made in the following decade.

    The script is intelligent but a bit too talky, failing to ignite any real fireworks until near the end.

    Cowardly Sheriff Edger Buchanan and Lloyd Bridges as a heroic farmer give adequate support, but villainous Jack Lambert is a real standout.

    Ann Dvorak's incredibly leggy costumes are a real treat.
    dougdoepke

    Strong, Unrealized Potential

    There's a good Western buried somewhere in this meandering screenplay. Someone in production apparently decided it was not a movie for the audience to take seriously. Thus, Edgar Buchanan's county sheriff provides more than just comedy relief, coming perilously close to acting the buffoon. Ann Dvorak's dance hall entertainer shows spunk, but the overproduced musical numbers are obviously there to build up her star billing. Between the comedy, the music and the romance, not a lot is left for plot development.

    And that's too bad, because the clash between Texas trail herders, and newly arriving homesteaders is nicely set up. Naturally the two sides are in conflict over land use; however, the focus here is on the commercial effect each side has on the town's prosperity. On one hand, the cowboys keep the saloons and bordellos busy (this latter, of course, is just hinted at), but they also shoot up the town and bring little business to the merchants. On the other hand, homesteaders offer the prospect of steady trade with the merchants and are peaceable, but they don't patronize the saloons or carouse in the bordellos. Thus the town's business interests split into two competing factions based on commercial self-interest.

    Now, this amounts to an interesting approach to the usual farmer vs. rancher conflict and provides a lot of plot potential. But this potential goes largely unrealized because of digressions with Buchanan, the unnecessary Scott-Fleming romance, and the overlong musical numbers. Note, as an indicator of the poorly disciplined script, its treatment of tallying up the potential profit numbers. Merchants are shown switching sides once the profit margins favoring homesteaders are calculated. But the script can't resist continuing this with a brief comedic follow-up which turns a serious and revealing point into an unnecessary laugh line. In a matinée Western, this might be forgivable, but Abilene Town is not a cheap production-- note all the extras in the crowd scenes.

    Anyway, Scott makes a very believable town marshal, ditto Dvorak as a musical performer, but glamorous Fleming looks out of place in the unglamorous role of a merchant's daughter. As a virile homesteader, Lloyd Bridges really shows more energy and ability than the part calls for and is obviously on his way to a bigger career. And when Scott says at the end something like-- This is the way towns change-- after facing down the cowboys, I expect he was uttering a genuine frontier truth. Even then, towns went where the money is. Nonetheless, the movie wastes a lot of that kind of potential, but may still please those who like to mix comedy, music, dance, and romance into their shoot-em-up's.

    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      At one point Sheriff Trimble, played by Edgar Buchanan, is musing about leaving his job and says, "Maybe I could go back to dentistry". Prior to becoming an actor, Buchanan had been a dentist.
    • Goofs
      Although 400 homesteaders build houses and fences out of wood, it is never explained where the wood comes from. The land looks arid, and the only trees seem to be in town, where there is no millwork.
    • Quotes

      Rita: [to Sherry] I don't know whether you joined us or we joined you, but it's good to be together.

    • Alternate versions
      Also available in a computer colorized version.
    • Connections
      Featured in Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs (2000)
    • Soundtracks
      I Love Out Here in the West
      Written by Fred Spielman and Kermit Goell

      Arranged by Jack Elliott

      Performed by Ann Dvorak (uncredited)

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    FAQ15

    • How long is Abilene Town?Powered by Alexa
    • Is this available on DVD?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 11, 1946 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La calle de los conflictos
    • Filming locations
      • Agoura Ranch, Agoura, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Guild Productions Inc.
      • Jules Levy presents
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 29 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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    Randolph Scott and Ann Dvorak in Abilene Town (1946)
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