The Hanging Tree
The Hanging Tree

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- 71/100 based on 4,496 votes
  • Released: 1959
  • Runtime: 107 mins
  • Director:
  • Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
  • Genres: Western

In 1873, on the Gold Trail, Montana, the mysterious and controlling Dr. Joseph Frail arrives in the small town of Skull Creek with miners in a gold rush. Dr. Frail buys a cabin on the top of a hill and he sees the smalltime thief Rune wounded and chased by a mob that wants to hang him. Dr. Frail helps and heals Rune; but in return, he demands that the young man becomes his bond servant. The alcoholic healer and preacher George Grubb tells to the locals that Dr. Frail, who is ... (Full plot summary below)

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Actors in The Hanging Tree:

Gary Cooper
Maria Schell
Karl Malden
George C. Scott
Karl Swenson
Virginia Gregg

Full Plot Details

In 1873, on the Gold Trail, Montana, the mysterious and controlling Dr. Joseph Frail arrives in the small town of Skull Creek with miners in a gold rush. Dr. Frail buys a cabin on the top of a hill and he sees the smalltime thief Rune wounded and chased by a mob that wants to hang him. Dr. Frail helps and heals Rune; but in return, he demands that the young man becomes his bond servant. The alcoholic healer and preacher George Grubb tells to the locals that Dr. Frail, who is an excellent gambler and gunfighter, is a devil and has a mysterious past but nobody gives attention to his words. Soon the stagecoach is robbed by thieves that kill the passengers but the coachman survives and three days later he reaches Skull Creek. He tells that the horses had speed down the hill with a young woman inside the stagecoach. The men organize a pursuit and the rude Frenchy Plante finds the Swedish Elizabeth Mahler burnt and blind. Dr. Frail and Rune take care of her and they learn that Elizabeth and her father, who was killed in the heist, had come to America to settle down. When Elizabeth is healed, she falls in an unrequited love with Dr. Frail and she decides to stay in Skull Creek to seek gold with Rune. They form a partnership with Frenchy and Dr. Frail secretly finances them to begin their business with The Lucky Lady Mine. When Elizabeth learns that Dr. Frail is helping her, she is upset that he is trying to control them and she promises to pay her debt to him someday. During a heavy rain, a tree falls down at the mine and the trio of partners finds a fortune in gold underground. Frenchy takes some gold to town to buy drinks with the locals and when he is drunk, he takes actions that will affect the lives of the locals and Skull Creek, mostly of Dr. Frail, Elizabeth and Rune.

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Movie Reviews

EmanuelLevy.Com - 9/10 by Emanuel LevyGary Cooper shines in one of his very last pictures, a Western directed by Delmer Daves.
The Spectator - 9/10 by Isabel QuiglyThe Hanging Tree seems, if you go by the cast, all set to become a Top Western; but somehow has slithered.
Ozus' World Movie Reviews - 9/10 by Dennis SchwartzGold Rush western about man's base nature.
User Review - 10/10 by Linda MAmongst the crazy wild West, this is a tender love story.
User Review - 10/10 by The Black FoxMarty Robbins sings the theme, and Gary plays an upright and quiet doctor with a hidden hot temper and a tragic past. He's compassionate and mysterious, and quiet but can be a little bitter. Just my type of hero. Well, sometimes. I love this movie. I used to think it weird...
User Review - 10/10 by Fred SAs a cinephile, I have seen a great many western movies and all of Gary Cooper's films, and this one is really a forgotten little gem. I will not spoil your viewing enjoyment by giving details of the movie's story, but I will comment on the film's cinematography and the actors' performances. The Hanging Tree (1959) is Gary Cooper's best western film and a much better movie than High Noon, period. It also the vehicle for one of Gary Cooper's finest performances ever. Sadly it is also one of last movies he ever made. Filmed in glorious Technicolor, the scenery near Yakima, Washington, is spectacular and the camera work excellent. Under the deft hand of renowned director Delmer Daves (assisted by Karl Malden who stepped in for Daves' during his illness near the end of filming), the actors provide an intense character study of greed, exploitation, moral corruption, redemption, and love - all set in the old west of the late 19th century. Other cast members giving outstanding performances are the beautiful Maria Schell, a drunken fortune hunter, Karl Malden, along with relative newcomers, George C Scott (in one of his more sinister roles) and a very young Ben Piazza. In fact, the entire cast gave excellent performances. The movie's title song, written by Jerry Livingston (music) and Mack David (lyrics) and sung by Marty Robbins, was nominated for an Academy Award (losing to High Hopes from A Hole In The Head). It is that type of catchy tune that once you hear it you will be whistling, singing and humming it forevermore. The song, The Hanging Tree, was far more popular and received greater airplay than the Oscar winner, High Hopes, and also outsold the winner by over ten thousand to one. For some unknown reason Warner Bros. has not released this terrific movie on DVD. I have an old, original Warner Home Video VHS copy from which I made a digitized DVD copy for my own use. This movie is one of those classics that is just begging to be restored and released on disc. I'd loved to see a good restored DVD copy of The Hanging Tree before I die. It does appear from time to time on Turner Classics Movies (TCM) television network. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend this movie to you because once you have seen it, you will never forget it. Rating: 10/10
User Review - 10/10 by Gordon SA classic, I could watch it over and over again.
User Review - 8/10 by Jim WExcellent western, made so by the latter-day talents ot screen legend Gary Cooper. The actor turned gray in more ways than one for films like this and "They Came to Cordura," as his characters walked a fine ethical line, not always landing on the right side. Off-beat story here, with Karl Malden doing a good job as the bad guy.
User Review - 8/10 by John Ra very good western movie with a good story line ,cast, and nice horses.
User Review - 6/10 by Joe DInteresting western with the gold rush as its background. Gary Cooper gives us a characterful frontier doctor.

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