Movie Review: ****^ Picnic (1955)

 This is a very good movie where passion wins out over what would make sense financially.  Madge Owens (Kim Novak) has a boy, Alan Benson (Cliff Robertson) who has claimed her as she is the most beautiful girl in town.  However she is not satisfied being a thing instead of a person.  When Hal Carter (William Holden) comes to town things change.  He is a transient and down on his luck, but knows Benson from college and hopes to get a job.  It is also the day of the Labor Day  picnic.  Carter goes to the picnic with Madge's younger sister, Millie (Susan Strasburg).  She is obviously young for him but Madge is with Benson.  Madge's mother (Betty Field) does what she can to keep her daughter with Benson; but before the night is over, Madge leaves with Carter.  A school teacher (Rosalind Russell) rents a room from the mother.  She has a long term boy friend (Arthur O'Connell) who does not commit.  After she has drunk some she makes a pass at Carter who rejects her.  She rips his shirt.  The evening turns out well for her as her boyfriend finally proposes marriage.  Shortly after his shirt is ripped, Carter and Madge take off in Benson's car which Carter had been using all night.  He returns the car in the morning, and the police want to arrest him for stealing the car, he runs and has to leave town, but not before seeing Madge.  He confesses his love, as does she.  He runs and catches the train.  Benson calls to say he forgives Madge; but Madge decides to follow Carter, taking the bus.  

The actors do very well at their rolls.  This is a movie based on a stage play of the same name written by William Inge.  A couple musicals were written based on the same play, but were not successful.

Movie Review: ***^Man of the West (1958)

What happens when a reformed outlaw is forced to meet his old gang due to circumstances.  That is the plot of this movie.  Gary Cooper plays Link Jones, who was an outlaw, but left the visit and ran away four or five days to the west to get away from the killing and the lifestyle.  He has started a family, and become a farmer, and left his old life behind.  He is chosen to take money collected by the community, to go east and hire a school teacher.
He is making his way, but the train is robbed at the rewatering station.  In a rush to get away Link is left behind, with two other passengers, and the money is stolen.  Billie Ellis (Julie London) and Sam Beasley (Arthur O'Connell) are also stranded, and impose on Link to keep them safe.  It is a week before another train comes by.  Link goes to his old hideout, where he discovers the old gang, who also took his money and guns.  The old gang leader, Dock Tobin (Lee Cobb) recognizes him, and takes him back in the gang to the chagrin of other members.  He has a feud with Coaley (Jack Lord) after he attempts to make the woman disrobe.  This lead to a classic Western fight later in the movie, in which Beasley takes a bullet for link, and Tobin kills Coaley.  The climax is an attempted robbery of a bank, which turns out to be a ghost town with no money.  The bottom line is Link returns to killing, killing the members of the gang, as the members other than Dock were intent on killing him.
I especially like Dock's character.  He is the old man who is going senile, and is a little crazy.  He is also the tough guy who shows off his own strength, and maintains his leadership in the gang.  He is the uncle of Link, and a couple other cousins are in the gang.  This is a movie worth watching.  Negatives include the smoking of cigarettes, fighting and gun play--western violence.