| The Kentuckian | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Burt Lancaster |
| Produced by | Harold Hecht James Hill (uncredited) |
| Written by | Felix Holt (novel) A.B. Guthrie Jr. |
| Starring | Burt Lancaster Dianne Foster Diana Lynn Walter Matthau |
| Music by | Bernard Herrmann |
| Cinematography | Ernest Laszlo |
| Editing by | George E. Luckenbacher |
| Studio | Hecht-Lancaster Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | August 1, 1955 |
| Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Kentuckian is a 1955 (Technicolor) (CinemaScope) adventure film directed by Burt Lancaster, who also starred. It also marked the feature film debut of Walter Matthau. The picture is an adaptation of the novel The Gabriel Horn by Felix Holt. The picture would be shot on location in Kentucky location sites as the Cumberland Falls area, the Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park near London, Owensboro and Green River, and the Indiana site as the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Village near Rockport.[1]
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Frontiersman Elias "Big Eli" Wakefield (Burt Lancaster) decides to leave 1820s Kentucky and move to Texas with his son "Little Eli" (Donald MacDonald). Along the way, they run into two women who take a liking to the pair, indentured servant Hannah (Dianne Foster), who wants to go with them, and schoolteacher Susie (Diana Lynn), who would rather have Big Eli marry her and settle down. Big Eli also has to deal with villainous Stan Bodine (Walter Matthau), who cracks a mean bullwhip.