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Tall in the Saddle

Play trailer Poster for Tall in the Saddle Released Jan 24, 1946 1h 27m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 3 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 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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Tall in the Saddle

Critics Reviews

View All (3) Critics Reviews
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 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews A rousing oater that is both watchable and forgettable. Rated: B- Aug 6, 2005 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Full Review Steve D Better than average for Wayne. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 04/12/23 Full Review Jared Z Nothing special, but solid entertainment. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/24/22 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews
Tall in the Saddle

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Movie Info

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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