The Lusty Men (1952)
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100% of critics liked it
(10 reviews) -
86% of users liked it
(359 ratings)
The titular Lusty Men are rodeo riders in this modern-day western, assembled with a touch of the offbeat by director Nicholas Ray. Former rodeo star Robert Mitchum, disabled by a series of accidents, hobbles back to his Oklahoma hometown in hopes of replenishing his bank account. Aspiring… More The titular Lusty Men are rodeo riders in this modern-day western, assembled with a touch of the offbeat by director Nicholas Ray. Former rodeo star Robert Mitchum, disabled by a series of accidents, hobbles back to his Oklahoma hometown in hopes of replenishing his bank account. Aspiring bronco-buster Arthur Kennedy hires Mitchum to train him for an upcoming rodeo, promising that they'll split the winnings. It doesn't take a crystal ball to predict that Mitchum will soon fall hard for Kennedy's wife Susan Hayward; she can take Mitchum or leave him, but decides to take him so that he'll continue to train Kennedy. After a falling out, Mitchum quits his job and enters the rodeo himself, hoping to win the prize from the arrogant Kennedy. He proves he still has what it takes, but does so at the price of his life. The Lusty Men was co-adapted by one-time cowboy David Dotort from a Life magazine story by Claude Stannish. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Nicholas Ray
- Genres
- Western, Drama
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Sep 24, 1952 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
A somewhat slow starter, once underway it is kept playing with growing interest under Nicholas Ray's firm direction.
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, Time Out
The story isn't much (the security of family life versus the rootlessness and danger of working as a rodeo rider), but the situation is rich in emotional resonances which Ray conjures into life convincingly.
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Bosley Crowther, New York Times
The punch of the film is in its details of rodeo life as it is, and for this R. K. O. and Producer Jerry Wald have a dynamic film.
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
A masterpiece by Nicholas Ray -- perhaps the most melancholy and reflective of his films.
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Ray's last b/w film captures the life of rodeo players with vivid details, lyrical images, and melnacholy mood, centering on a romantic triangle, well played by Arthur Kennedy, Susan Hayward, and especially Robert Mitchum as the aging champ.
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Cast
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Susan Hayward
as Louise Merritt
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Robert Mitchum
as Jeff McCloud
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Arthur Kennedy
as Wes Merritt
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Arthur Hunnicutt
as Booker Davis
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Frank Faylen
as Al Dawson
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Walter Coy
as Buster Burgess
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Carol Nugent
as Rusty Davis
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Maria Hart
as Rosemary Maddox
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Lorna Thayer
as Grace Burgess
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Burt Mustin
as Jeremiah
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Karen King
as Ginny Logan
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Jimmy Dodd
as Red Logan
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Eleanor Todd
as Babs
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Lane Bradford
as Jim-Bob Tyler
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Robert Bray
as Fritz
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Paul E. Burns
as Waite
- Mary Jane Carey
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Lane Chandler
as Announcer
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Sam Flint
as Doctor
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Riley Hill
as Hoag the Ranch Hand
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Emmett Lynn
as Travis White
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Dennis Moore
as Cashier
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Denver Pyle
as Niko
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Marshall Reed
as Jim-Bob
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Chuck Roberson
as Tall Cowboy
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George Sherwood
as Vet
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Glenn Strange
as Rig Ferris the Foreman
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Ralph Volkie
as Slicker
- Dan White
- Chili Williams
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Sheb Wooley
as Slim
- Gerald Roberts
- Hazel Boyne
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Alice Kirby
as Girl
- Sally Yarnell
- Jerry Ambler
- Louise Saraydar
