Abilene Town
'Abilene Town is a 1946 American Western film directed by Edwin L. Marin and starring Randolph Scott, Ann Dvorak, Edgar Buchanan, Rhonda Fleming and Lloyd Bridges. Adapted from Ernest Haycox's 1941 novel Trail Town, the production's plot is set in the Old West, in the cattle town of Abilene, Kansas in 1870.

Cast

Randolph Scott as Marshal Dan Mitchell
Ann Dvorak as Rita
Edgar Buchanan as Sheriff Bravo Trimble
Rhonda Fleming as Sherry Balder
Lloyd Bridges as Henry Dreiser
Helen Boyce as Big Annie
Howard Freeman as Ed Balder
Richard Hale as Charlie Fair
Jack Lambert as Jet Younger
Dick Curtis as Cap Ryker
Eddy Waller as Hannaberry
Hank Patterson as Doug Neil
Chubby Johnson as homesteader (uncredited in screen debut)
Guy Wilkerson as card player with Sheriff Trimble (uncredited)

Reception

The film received generally positive reviews in newspapers and trade publications in 1946. In its January 9 review that year, the widely read New Yorkbased entertainment paper Variety calls the production a "ripsnorting, spectacular meller" that is actionpacked with a "tight screenplay". The Film Daily, another trade paper at the time, judged the production to be "a superwestern" that succeeded "in capturing the hellroaring spirit that marked the expansion of the United States westward". The reviewing service Harrison's Reports was more understated in its assessment of the film, characterizing it as a "fairly good Western", although the trade journal did admire its "fastmoving" plot and Randolph Scott's steadfast performance, observing that he "plays the fearless marshal with conviction". Mae Tinee, the critic for the Chicago Tribune in 1946, headlines her January 24 review "'Abilene Town' Among Better Western Films". In that appraisal Tinee compliments the production's attention to detail but expresses disappointment with the latter portion of the film, especially with regard to its ending:

For the first twothirds of this film, it is a betterthanaverage western. Adapted from a novel by Ernest Haycox, "Abilene Town" has a capable cast. This story of the fight between the cattle men and the homesteaders has a good deal of authenticity as to detail. The saloons look like saloons. The chorus girls are lumpy and not expensively costumed. They do the same show, featuring the same songs and musical numbers for a couple of nights running. Ann Dvorak dances in white high buttoned, high heeled shoes which actually look as tho [sic] they might have been the height of fashion in 1870. The bad man looks really bad. The hero stops to rest, panting and sweating, after a rough and tumble fight with the villain...It is only in the last part of the picture that the corn starts to flourish, and the ending is too sweet for words. There is plenty of shootin' and fightin' and a very realistic cattle stampede. The average Western fan undoubtedly will be happy with "Abilene Town."

Production

Lloyd Bridges, whose career was temporarily derailed as a result of the blacklist, was the father of actors Beau Bridges and Jeff Bridges.

Home media
Abilene Town was released on Region 0 DVD by Alpha Video on July 27, 2010.

Directed by Edwin L. Marin
Written by Ernest Haycox
(novel "Trail Town")
Screenplay by Harold Shumate
Produced by Jules Levey
Starring Randolph Scott
Ann Dvorak
Edgar Buchanan
Rhonda Fleming
Lloyd Bridges
Cinematography Archie Stout
Edited by Richard V. Heermance
Music by Gerard Carbonara
Albert Glasser
Charles Koff
James Mayfield
Max Terr
Production
companies

Guild Productions
Jules Levy Presents
Distributed by United Artists
Release date


January 11, 1946 (United States)