Cowboy (film)

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Cowboy

Directed by	Delmer Daves
Produced by	Julian Blaustein
Written by	Frank Harris (book) Dalton Trumbo Edmund H. North
Starring	Glenn Ford Jack Lemmon
Music by	George Duning
Cinematography	Charles Lawton, Jr.
Editing by	Al Clark William A. Lyon
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures (theatrical) Columbia TriStar (DVD)
Release date(s)	February 19, 1958 (New York City, NY)
Running time	92 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
IMDb profile

Cowboy is a 1958 western film starring Glenn Ford and Jack Lemmon. This film is an adaptation of the Frank Harris semi-autobiographical novel My Reminiscences as a Cowboy. Lemmon's character is supposedly based on Harris.

It was never released to the public.^{[citation needed]} It only had a limited release in New York City in February of 1958. It received good reviews by those who did see it. It is rarely shown on television, but is available on DVD.

Cowboy was nominated for the Oscar for "Best Film Editing" and a Directors Guild of America award for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures".

1 Plot
2 Cast
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Plot

Frank Harris (Jack Lemmon) is a Chicago hotel clerk who dreams of being a cowboy and has fallen in love with Maria (Anna Kashfi), the daughter of hotel guest and Mexican cattle baron Señor Vidal (Donald Randolph). When Señor Vidal finds out, he orders Harris to stay away.

Meanwhile, Tom Reece (Glenn Ford) finishes his cattle drive and takes over an entire wing of the hotel, as usual. He makes a deal for Vidal's herd in Mexico. When Reece loses his profits in a poker game, Harris sees his opportunity to better himself (and see Maria again) - he offers his entire life savings for a partnership in Reece's next drive. Reece accepts.

The next morning, when Harris shows up, Reece tries to renege, not wanting to burden himself with an inexperienced greenhorn, but Harris holds him to his deal. As they travel to Vidal's ranch, life on the trail is not what Harris had envisioned, but he toughens up and Reece starts taking a liking to him.

When they reach their destination, Harris is devastated to learn that Maria has been married off by her father to Don Mauel Arriega (Eugene Iglesias). When Arriega sees them together, he warns Harris to keep away. In a fiesta, Arriega performs a dangerous stunt, placing a ring on a bull's horn from his horse, and challenges the Americans to do the same. Harris takes up his challenge, but on foot so as not to endanger his horse.

On the cattle drive back to Chicago, Maria's fate embitters Harris. Reece offers him advice, but Harris refuses to listen. However, after Reece saves his life, Harris regains his cheerful nature. At the end of the drive, they take over part of the hotel where Harris used to work, much to the surprise of his former boss.

[edit] Cast

Actor/Actress	Role
Glenn Ford	Tom Reece
Jack Lemmon	Frank Harris
Anna Kashfi	Maria Vidal, Arriega
Brian Donlevy	Doc Bender, Trailhand
Dick York	Charlie, Trailhand
Víctor Manuel Mendoza	Paco Mendoza, Ramrod
Richard Jaeckel	Paul Curtis
King Donovan	Joe Capper, Trailhand
Vaughn Taylor	Mr. Fowler, Chicago Hotel Manager
Donald Randolph	Senor Vidal, Maria's Father
James Westerfield	Mike Adams
Eugene Iglesias	Don Manuel Arriega
Frank DeKova	Alcaide