The Tall T

Randolph Scott in The Tall T

Budd Boetticher's The Tall T, from 1957, is the solid, if unspectacular second feature of the Ranown cycle of B Westerns he made with Randolph Scott. Burt Kennedy adapted his script from an Elmore Leonard short story. The film contrasts the implacable integrity of Scott's character with the pungent villainy of Richard Boone and Henry Silva. All three principals are in superb form. Unfortunately, Scott's romantic scenes with Maureen O'Sullivan sink like an anchor. Enough abuse has been heaped upon Ms. O'Sullivan's talent and character by a former co-star (in his brilliant memoir Me Cheeta: My Life in Hollywood) that any further attempt by me to denigrate her would be piling on. Despite this caveat, The Tall T will satisfy Western fans.