Tall in the Saddle

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Tall in the Saddle

1946

1h 27m

Western

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3 Reviews

72%

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2,500+ Ratings

Cowboy Rocklin (John Wayne) rides into a dusty western township where he's been promised work on a ranch. But when he finds that his future boss has been gunned down, he's forced to find work elsewhere. Despite his sexist attitudes, Rocklin charms the fiery Arly (Ella Raines) with his cavalier bravado and lands a job at her family's ranch. There, however, he learns that Judge Garvey (Ward Bond) was involved in his original employer's murder and is now trying to steal the dead man's land.

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

RKO's Western is simple but entertaining and it's fun to see the Duke, who enjoys good chemistry with the tough and sexy Ella Raines just before he became a box-office star.

Rated: C+

Sep 24, 2008

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

A rousing oater that is both watchable and forgettable.

Rated: B-

Aug 6, 2005

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John J. Puccio

Movie Metropolis

...about as old-fashioned a cowboy picture as one could imagine, but it moves along quickly enough, and it adds a touch of mystery and romance to the usual fights and chases.

Rated: 6/10

May 3, 2005

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Roger P

I'm big fan of John Wayne and I think this one of his best films. He firmly established his movie persona as a tough, honest do the right thing hero that will be his trademark throughout his career. The supporting cast provides classic Hollywood cowboy stereotypes and are played exactly right. Yes, John has played his character throughout his early career, but, Tall in the Saddle, raises it to a much higher level. I hated to see it end

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/05/24

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James

Tall in the Saddle, I think is a very good film. The story is kinda hard to understand. But besides that I think that it has very good characters. George Gabby Hayes was very funny. I liked Ward Bond. The Card game scene was one of my favorite scenes. To me the first 45 min is the best. I didn't think that John Wayne and Ella Raines was the perfect match, but besides that, I enjoyed the film a lot.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/12/23

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Steve D

Better than average for Wayne.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/12/23

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Jared Z

Nothing special, but solid entertainment.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/24/22

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r 9

An OK film, but one that I didn't overly enjoy. I mostly like the premise of 'Tall in the Saddle', with it including a lot of aspects you'd expect from a western. It's quite an entwined story, though I'd say it pays off to a decent degree. I, personally, would've liked more action and improved pacing. John Wayne is, as predicted, the star of the acting lot. It's a fairly laid-back performance from Wayne, probably necessarily so given his character's nature. Away from him, I'm struggling to recall any other noteworthy performances; not that it includes any badness in that area. Ella Raines (Arly) and George Hayes (Dave) are good, I guess. I just needed that extra something for me to have fun with this.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

I love tall in the saddle. It is such a true western classic. And John wayne is one of my favorite actors. Tall in the saddle has got a great story line and everything about the movie is absolutely good. Ward bond was also good in it as well.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Edwin L. Marin

Director

John Wayne

Rocklin

Ella Raines

Arleta "Arly" Harolday

Audrey Long

Clara Cardell

Ward Bond

"Judge" Robert Garvey

George "Gabby" Hayes

Dave

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Synopsis

Cowboy Rocklin (John Wayne) rides into a dusty western township where he's been promised work on a ranch. But when he finds that his future boss has been gunned down, he's forced to find work elsewhere. Despite his sexist attitudes, Rocklin charms the fiery Arly (Ella Raines) with his cavalier bravado and lands a job at her family's ranch. There, however, he learns that Judge Garvey (Ward Bond) was involved in his original employer's murder and is now trying to steal the dead man's land.

Director: Edwin L. Marin
Producer: Robert Fellows
Screenwriter: Michael Hogan, Paul P. Fix
Production Co: RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 24, 1946, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2012
Runtime: 1h 27m

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