The Hangman Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Hangman Blu-ray Movie Review

OK, let's play: is there a C+?

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 25, 2012

There are some performers who are so indelibly associated with roles they played on television that it’s hard to separate actor from character. The soon to be released Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a case in point: though she looks absolutely nothing like her iconic Addams Family heroine, Carolyn Jones is such a recognizable presence that one almost expects John Astin to burst out of one of those horrifying pods and emit a lusty, “Morticia, mi amore”. (Few other than cult television fanatics probably remember Kevin McCarthy’s blessedly short-lived series—with co-stars Lana Turner and George Hamilton, no less—entitled Harold Robbins’ The Survivors.) Another new Olive Films release, 1959’s The Hangman, presents a veritable treasure trove of iconic television presences in roles that would at first (and probably second) glance seem far removed from the characters that brought them fame in a weekly series format. Therefore, we have island castaway starlet Ginger Grant (Tina Louise, of course) as the ex-lover of an “is he or isn’t he?” criminal in the guise of Hawaii Five-O’s McGarrett (Jack Lord, of course), while Davy Crocket and/or Dan’l Boone (Fess Parker, of course) looks on as the town Sheriff. The putative star of the film is onetime MGM matinee idol who by 1959 was starring in a television series of his own (The Detectives), Robert Taylor. Directed by the legendary Michael Curtiz, The Hangman is an odd little western, one curiously short on the standard action setups which defined the genre (at least in the fifties, for the most part), and one which seems distinctly at odds with Curtiz’s own penchant for action and adventure, but which is at least somewhat in tune with the director’s preference for characters thrust into unexpected circumstances.

Taylor portrays Federal Marshal Mackenzie Bovard (why is it this era of Western frequently features improbably named heroes?). Bovard has rounded up most of the members of a gang which killed an innocent man during a holdup. There’s one last bad guy he needs to track down, though, and the only person who can identify this culprit is the last gang member that Bovard caught—and that gent is due to hang from the wrong end of a rope within a week. Bovard hits on the idea of visiting the missing villain’s former haunt, a Fort, to see if any of the man’s former soldier buddies might be willing to help Bovard identify the man for the hefty reward of $500. Unfortunately, the Fort’s Commander won’t allow any of his men to leave their posts, plus the culprit—whose name is Johnny Butterfield—was so well liked that the sense is Bovard wouldn’t be able to find a willing soul to help him in any case. A soldier overhearing the mention of a reward does let Bovard know that Butterfield’s former flame, Selah (Tina Louise), is still at the Fort, having hit hard times since Johnny jilted her some time ago. And so Bovard doesn’t miss a beat, offering Selah the reward if she’ll accompany him to the town where Bovard thinks Butterfield is hiding out. Selah is conflicted and initially turns Bovard down, though Bovard is sure she’ll ultimately come to her senses to claim the funds.

When Bovard arrives at the town, he meets up with Sheriff Buck Weston (Fess Parker) and lets the Sheriff know he’s looking for Johnny Butterfield. Armed with a general description of the man, Bovard deduces that Butterfield is indeed in the town but is now going by the name Johnny Bishop (Jack Lord). The town seems ill prepared to accept Bovard’s contention that Butterfield – Bishop is a wanted criminal, as Bishop is a hard worker, beloved by all, and a married man with a pregnant wife. Buck assumes that the “helper” Bovard is convinced will soon be arriving to identify Butterfield is a trooper, and so is surprised once Selah does indeed finally show up. That sets the main section of The Hangman into motion. Selah initially insists that “Bishop” is not Butterfield, though Bovard has a more than sneaking suspicion she’s lying. Is Bishop Butterfield? Will Selah sell her soul (and rat out her maybe former lover, who’s now married) for $500? And why is Buck making goo-goo eyes at Selah all of a sudden?

The Hangman is a fairly rote piece that never works up much emotion one way or the other, perhaps due to the somewhat laconic lead performance by Taylor, a man who always seemed to be a rather odd choice for a major motion picture star. Much more interesting here, especially for fans of Gilligan’s Island (and you know who you are), is the really appealing work of Tina Louise, who gets to show that she’s more than just a pretty face (and knock out body). Her Selah is a finely nuanced character, full of guilt and remorse, but also determined in a steely kind of way to look out for herself and get herself out of the financial predicament and less than glamorous lifestyle she finds herself trapped in. Louise had a sadly curtailed big screen career, especially once Gilligan’s Island started, but The Hangman proves she was an actress of more than typical skill, and her performance is a highlight of this film. (It should be noted that another character actress from the halcyon days of sixties television is on hand here as well. Mabel Albertson, whom many will recognize from her recurring role as the migraine prone mother of Darren Stephens in Bewitched, plays a busy body who is a resident at the hotel where Bovard stays. Real trivia buffs may know that Albertson was Cloris Leachman's real life mother-in-law.)

Dramatically, The Hangman never really gels, and the climax, which sees a daring jail escape and then a patently bizarre quasi-love triangle between Buck, Bovard and Selah, just is a jarring kind of finale. The “all’s well that ends well” feeling is distinctly at odds with what has just happened, both with regard to Bishop – Butterfield (what exactly is going to happen to that pregnant wife, for instance?) and with regard to Buck, who is certain Selah wants to marry him (guess what—she doesn’t). Even Curtiz seems to have things slightly backward. Instead of the typical crane shot pulling back away from the action as “The End” comes into frame, Curtiz instead dollies in toward Buck as he waves at Selah and Bovard riding off together into the dusty sunset. One of The Detectives and Ginger Grant make for an extremely odd couple indeed.

The Hangman Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Hangman is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. In terms of typical damage like scratches and blemishes, The Hangman's elements are in surprisingly good shape. What hampers this transfer is some recurrent flicker, some of which is really bad (the worst example happens at circa 36:00 and lasts for a couple of seconds). Contrast is also slightly inconsistent at times, with a number of outdoor shots looking just slightly blown out, with whites that are too milky and some faded blacks. The bulk of this high definition presentation looks really rather good, however. The image is often nicely crisp and well detailed, and Loyal Griggs' cinematography is rendered very accurately. That said, there are occasional times when the image becomes strangely soft and overly grainy, as if it sourced from different elements than the bulk of the film (see Screencap 15, the one with Parker and Louise carrying packages, for a good example). It's a little unusual to see a black and white Western from 1959, but the dusty ambience of the little town that Bovard finds himself in is captured quite well here, and while there's no really thrilling depth of field to be found throughout this picture, the more intimate surroundings look decently sharp and should please those who aren't expecting a totally top notch looking transfer. As with most previous Olive Films releases, there doesn't appear to have been any digital tweaking whatsoever, so what you see is indeed what you get.

The Hangman Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Hangman features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix that suffices quite well for this smaller scale Western, a film which really doesn't offer a wealth of opportunity for any soundtrack—let alone a stereo one—to really show off. With only a couple of unambitious quasi-action pieces in the film (which amount to some fist fights and a few shots being fired), The Hangman instead relies almost entirely on quiet dialogue scenes, and those are presented quite effectively here. Harry Sukman's nicely dramatic score is also well represented, with especially appealingly full midrange. There is no damage to report on this track.

The Hangman Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Once again, as is Olive Films' modus operandi, there are no supplements of any kind on the Blu-ray disc.

The Hangman Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Hangman is one of those middling efforts that isn't really very exciting, but which has a certain cachet now due to at least one of its co-stars, an actress who went on to greater (?) glory in one of the most fondly remembered sitcoms of the sixties. Tina Louise acquits herself more than admirably here, offering a finely detailed performance that is equal parts steel and vulnerability. She's probably the film's greatest asset, even with the participation of a director as legendary as Michael Curtiz. Otherwise, this is pretty tame stuff, rote and predictable, albeit with a completely peculiar ending. The Blu- ray continues Olive Films' generally very good to excellent batting average in terms of video and audio, though the film itself is really no great shakes one way or the other.