Winchester '73

Synopsis: In a marksmanship contest, Lin McAdam wins a prized Winchester rifle, which is immediately stolen by the runner-up, Dutch Henry Brown. This "story of a rifle" then follows McAdams' pursuit, and the rifle as it changes hands, until a final showdown and shoot-out on a rocky mountain precipice.
Genre: Action, Drama, Western
Director(s): Anthony Mann
Production: Universal Pictures
  1 win & 1 nomination.
 
IMDB:
7.7
Rotten Tomatoes:
100%
NOT RATED
Year:
1950
92 min
538 Views


Boy, oh, boy,

a Winchester '73!

What I'd give

to have that gun!

One of a Thousand?

First one I ever seen!

But mister,

that's a real gun!

I heard it took over

a year to make it!

Yeah! They give the first

to President Grant!

I'll sure be in good company

when I win that one!

We've hit a lot of towns,

Lin! What makes

you think he'd be here?

He'll be here!

We've been wrong before!

He'll be here!

On account of that?

If he isn't here already,

that gun'll bring him!

Hyah! Hyah!

Hyah!

Stayin' overnight,

mister?

Maybe!

We'll board your horses!

Two bits in the corral

with grain feedin'!

Four bits to stall 'em!

Real clean stall?

Yes, sir!

You can look for yourself!

You look like

an honest man!

Here! I'll take

your word for it, mister!

I don't care!

Let go! Let go!

You've got no right

to treat me this way!

I'm not doing anything now

that I haven't been doing

for the last six months!

-Just till over the Fourth!

- Why don't you pick on

the gunslingers...

and the tinhorn gamblers

instead of a girl tryin'to make

an honest dollar?

What about Steve?

You know I'm expecting him

any minute!

If he comes to town

and finds I'm gone, he's liable

never to catch up with me!

Come on!

Oh, no!

Is there something

I can do for you, ma'am?

- Stranger in town?

- That's right!

But I was talkin' to the lady!

Yeah! Well, don't fret

about it, Lola!

If Steve comes along,

I'll send him on after you!

Thanks, anyway!

Get up! Hyah!

Lola's all right!

It's just that some folks

in town!!!

think the dance hall girls

might give the place

a bad name over the holiday!

Not that I'm one of them!

You boys plan

to stay for a while?

We might!

Dodge House about

the best place in town!

Might be full up,

but I'll put in a word

with Jake!

Oh! Might as well

drop off your guns

here at the office!

Let's have 'em!

- Now, wait a minute!

You must have a real good reason

to ask a man to do

a fool thing like that!

We don't allow anybody

to wear guns in Dodge City!

Hadn't you noticed?

- Who's ''we''?

- Oh, didn't I introduce myself?

Well, where in the--

Where'd I put that thing?

I had it here someplace!

A man could get himselfkilled

hiding his badge like that.

I'm the marshal, Wyatt Earp!

Oh, well!

Come to think of it,

everyone did look

kind of undressed!

Yeah? Hmm?

Virgil,

here's some more guns!

Take good care of'em!

You're gonna get this

office so cluttered up

with six-guns!!!

a man won't have

a place to spit!

We got half the guns in Kansas

hangin' on the wall right now!

An awful lot of law

for one little cow town!

This is the kind of cow town

that needs a lot of law!

You boys gonna try

for the Winchester?

I sort of thought I would!

You'll have some

tough competition!

Who do you think

is the toughest?

Well, uh, as of now,

uh, Dutch Henry Brown!

You ever hear of him?

No! Can't say I

recall the name!

Local boy?

No! I'd say he was

sort of in on a pass!

You can sign up for the shoot

over there!

That's Dutch Henry Brown!

I thought you said

you didn't know him!

I said I didn't

recall the name!

Pick out a name

and write it down!

All right if I

use my own?

Some folks do!

Yeah, some folks do!

Lin McAdam,

that'll be two dollars!

Bein' as you're a stranger

and nobody knows nothin'

about you,

I'm just gonna

make your odds five to one!

I'll take a little

of that!

And who would you be?

High-Spade Frankie Wilson!

With a hyphen!

That's what I sit on

when I get tired!

Friend of yours?

I wouldn't exactly

call him that!

Personal matter?

Yeah, very!

Have you got

any goat's milk?

Ain't cow's milk good enough?

Give it to our cat!

Don't hurt her!

This personal matter,

I hope it can wait

till after you fellas

leave town!

It'll wait!

Oh, uh, for the!!!

gentleman at the end!

From the gentleman

at the far end of the bar!

Let's have a nice, quiet

Fourth ofJuly, shall we?

We're about to begin

the proceedings.

Right this way.

All right!

Gentlemen and ladies,

today, at our

centennial celebration,

we are going to make history

here in Dodge City!

My old man shoots a Henry,

and he says it's

the best gun there is!

Gentlemen, if you please!

Ain't no better

than a Spencer!

When the Winchester people--

A Spencer's better

than anything you can get!

Young men, dry up!

Without being unkind to

either the Henry or the Spencer,

do you suppose we could

agree that this is

the finest gun in the world?

Can I touch it?

You can, if you keep shut

till I get done talkin'!

All right!

Fellas, this is what

you're shootin' for!

Take a good look at it

and say a prayer!

Pass it along

for the others to see!

That's real pretty!

Mm-hmm!

While the contestants

are examining the prize

to be awarded to the winner,

I'll tell you

something about it.

It seems when

the Winchester people are

turning out these here guns,

every so often,

maybe one gun out of

every ten or twenty thousand,

well, it comes out just perfect!

Now, naturally,

it ain't for sale!

I would give a year's wages

for that gun,

but money won't buy it!

It wouldn't be right

to sell it!

So the Winchester people,

they have given it a name.

They call it

One of a Thousand,

and that's a good name.

President Grant has got one

and Buffalo Bill Cody.

And today, you're going to see

one of these here men

win something...

that I would give my right--

that I would give

my left hand to own!

If you folks'd

behave yourselves,

I could give my right hand!

However, that is the prize!

All right! First group,

pick up your rifles,

get your shells

from Bat Masterson

and the sheriff here!!!

and take your position

on the firing line!

Rules for the contest are!!!

three rounds of three shots each

to an elimination!

High score wins!

Over there, boys!

Hold your rifles!

Ready, boys?

Aim! Fire!

One bull's-eye

and two in the first

for number five!

One bull's-eye,

two in the first, number five.

Three bull's-eyes

for number six!

Three bull's-eyes,

number six.

Better check it.

It's a real tight group.

You call it luck,

or do you come by it natural?

Let's just say

I learned from a good man!

Three bull's-eyes

for number seven!

Three bull's-eyes,

number seven.

Almost the same grouping.

Huh! Hmm!

Looks like you fellas might've

learned from the same man!

He taught quite a few folks

how to shoot!

Only trouble was,

he taught him how!

He didn't teach 'em

what to shoot at!

Maybe he figured

a man should know that

without tellin'!

Yeah!

That was his big mistake!

He lived just long enough

to find it out!

Huh? Well, all right!

Next group up to the line!

All rounds being completed,

the decision

of the judges is!!!

a tie between Lin McAdam

and Dutch Henry Brown!

The targets-- The targets

will be moved back 25 yards!

You all right?

- Yeah! Find out where

he put up his horse?

Right next to ours,

next to Wells Fargo!

Don't try anything,

not with Bat Masterson

and Wyatt Earp around!

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Robert L. Richards

Robert L. Richards was a film screenwriter. Richards worked on a number of notable films of the 1940s and 1950s including Winchester '73, Johnny Stool Pigeon, and Act of Violence. His radio work included writing for the Suspense series which aired on the CBS network from 1942 until 1962. Among Richards' numerous Suspense offerings was his critically acclaimed neogothic horror thriller entitled The House in Cypress Canyon broadcast on December 5, 1946. Considered one of the tautest, most chilling dramas in the Suspense canon, the now classic show featured Robert Taylor, Cathy Lewis, Hans Conried, and Howard Duff in starring roles. Richards was blacklisted in Hollywood because of his left wing views. He wrote under various pseudonyms to get work, until he finally gave up and became a carpenter. He retired to Pátzcuaro, Mexico, where he died, still bitter about the career he had lost. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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