The Moonlighter

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The Moonlighter

Released Sep 19, 1953

1h 15m

Western

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2 Reviews

20%

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50+ Ratings

Wes Anderson (Fred MacMurray) is caught cattle rustling and promptly jailed. The public is outraged, but, since Wes always worked at night, they don't know what he looks like. Still, they break into the prison and lynch a hobo they think is Wes, while the actual culprit sneaks off to see his old flame, Rela (Barbara Stanwyck), who has recently taken up with his straitlaced brother, Tom (William Ching). But Tom is envious of his outlaw brother, and he decides to join Wes in a life of crime.

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Josephine O'Neill

Daily Telegraph (Australia)

I cannot imagine why Warners put two top stars into such a production, or why the earnest Miss Stanwyck, even for art's sake, should love MacMurray's unshaven dolt.

Mar 25, 2019

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

A muddled Western, set in the early part of the 20th century, shot unnecessarily in 3-D and in Black-and-White, that's indifferently helmed by Roy Rowland.

Rated: C+

Dec 29, 2012

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j f

Starts strong, but fizzles. I did really enjoy and appreciate the intermission in a 75 minute movie. Should bring back the intermission, especially since even if you got ‘em, you can’t smoke them in theaters.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/26/24

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Steve D

Badass Barbara saves it.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/28/23

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Audience Member

Good movie well worth watching James Welch, Henderson, Arkansas May 23, 2023

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/23/23

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kevin w

Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck are the big guns in this oater about love and redemption. He's a bandit, see, so she won't have him in spite of their lifelong yearning for one another. Will he give up his crooked ways for her love, for their decency? For some reason or the other all the actors sound like actors reading the script at first, stilted, flat, dull...maybe it's bad direction. But by the final third it doesn't seem quite so bad.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

Barbara Stanwyck gets top billing, but the film is pretty much about Fred McMurray who's in most scenes, whilst she only occupies a fraction of his screen time. He does a fair job in a lacklustre western.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

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Audience Member

A drama more than a Western. Not a lot of action until the last ten minutes. Starring of the great actresses, Barbara Stanwyc and the underrated Fred MacMiurray. The casting cast save this mediocre Western.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

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Roy Rowland

Director

Barbara Stanwyck

Rela

Fred MacMurray

Wes Anderson

Ward Bond

Cole Gardner

William Ching

Tom Anderson

John Dierkes

Sheriff Daws

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Synopsis

Wes Anderson (Fred MacMurray) is caught cattle rustling and promptly jailed. The public is outraged, but, since Wes always worked at night, they don't know what he looks like. Still, they break into the prison and lynch a hobo they think is Wes, while the actual culprit sneaks off to see his old flame, Rela (Barbara Stanwyck), who has recently taken up with his straitlaced brother, Tom (William Ching). But Tom is envious of his outlaw brother, and he decides to join Wes in a life of crime.

Director: Roy Rowland
Producer: Joseph Bernhard
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: J.B. Productions
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 19, 1953, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 22, 2009
Runtime: 1h 15m

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