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Man in the Shadow is directed by Jack Arnold and written by Gene L. Coon. it stars Jeff Chandler, Orson Welles, Colleen Miller, Ben Alexander, John Larch and Barbara Lawrence. Uncredited music is by Hans J. Salter and Herman Stein, and cinematography by Arthur E. Arling.

The cattle town of Spurline is ruled by Virgil Renchler (Welles), one man refuses to bow to his despotic rule - Sheriff Ben Sadler (Chandler).

Obreos No Son Permitidos A Traves De Esta Cerca.

The above statement means that field hands are not permitted beyond this fence, it's an opening salvo that greets viewers of this atmospheric and relevant CinemaScope picture, and it's something that perfectly sets up the unseemly tone of the story.

The story is simple enough, a town is run by an unsavoury business man who thinks he and his cronies are above the law, the townsfolk think he is as well and tow the line, even in view of the overt racism and treatment to those of other ethnicity. When a murder is committed it brings in the upright and loyal to the law Sheriff, who as you might guess will have to stand alone against tyranny.

"Now you're shocked? All you decent people were shocked? For god's sake why? Because my name's Ben Sadler instead of Juan Martine, cuz I'm a tax payer instead of a drifter?"

With mood established, both in narrative thrust and monochrome magic, film is more concerned with political bile, the abuse of power and troubled consciousness than being an action piece. You may well know how this is all going to end, but it's told and performed in such a gripping fashion that it holds court from first frame till last. A number of striking images would grace many a film noir, the night shots of the town, a dastardly crime perpetrated in the shadow of a swinging lamp, the ominous lighting of the Renchler Ranch, and then there's the potency of the criminal acts, which are admirably constructed. Both Arnold and Arling proving to have keen eyes for visual impact.

Welles doesn't have to stretch himself but makes a telling mark as the big bad, while Larch does a nice line in snarly henchmen villainy. Sadly where Miller is concerned, as Renchler's daughter it's a token role that any gal could have played, the role seemingly only serving to have her strip to her undies and be annoyed with her dad. Head and shoulders above everyone is Chandler, there are those who call him wooden (amongst over things), not a bit of it. The right role, such as this, showcases his worth, his subtleties, his physicality and a calming grace that makes one lament his too short career and life.

Thematically this sort of piece has been done much better elsewhere, but this is laudable stuff all told and well worth discovering for potential first time viewers. 7/10

With the debate over illegal immigration and the concern that it is mostly coming from south of the American border, Man in the Shadow is a film that has assumed a serious relevance for us today.

Jeff Chandler is the sheriff of a small southwestern town and a Mexican migrant worker, Martin Garralaga, has brought news of a homicide committed by white ranch hands on the property of his employer Orson Welles. It seems that a young Mexican was paying to much attention to Welles's daughter, Colleen Miller, and Welles wanted to teach him the error of his ways. Of course Leo Gordon and John Larch go too far and now a murder has to be covered up.

It becomes two murders when witness Garralaga also turns up dead. Though Welles and his Golden Empire Ranch have a stranglehold on the local economy and the town's leading citizens beg Chandler not to pursue the case, Chandler doggedly goes ahead anyway. He's the sheriff and it's his duty.

Chandler in this modern western is a standup straight arrow sheriff in the mold of Gary Cooper or John Wayne. He takes his oath of office quite seriously. And what happens to him during the course of the investigation makes the townspeople want to re-examine just how much they want to kowtow to Welles and his hired thugs.

Mario Siletti, the town barber and one of the few who backs Chandler without reservation, puts it best in that his father fled from a guy who was running Italy in the Twenties the same way Welles was running this corner of the USA.

Orson Welles just by his appearance in what is a B picture lent enormous prestige to it. This was one of those acting jobs he did trying to earn money to finance his own projects. But Welles never gave less than 100% of himself in anything he did. His portrait of a malevolent Ben Cartwright is a great piece of work.

Man in the Shadow played the bottom of double features in the Fifties, but those who saw it were not disappointed.

Intriguing and thrilling semi-Western about a honest marshal called Sadler has to confront a vicious land baron and his hoodlums . He is Virgil Ranchler whose ranch is bigger than five European countries . Violence and fear gripped in a land of the lawless but there appears marshal Ben Sandler (Jeff Chandler) as the only man in the country willing to stand up to powerful Virgil Ranchler (Orson Welles who rewrote sections of the script) . When his ruthless henchmen (John Larch , Leo Gordon) go to far and kill one of his migrant workmen , earnest Ben Sadler suspects Ranchler is behind the cruel death . As the sheriff goes after him even if it means his job and everyone else's . However , Sadler gets not support from townsfolk when he attempts to find justice .

Offbeat semi-Western about an upright marshal taking on a wealthy rancher responsible for immigrant's brutal death . The film packs violence , suspense , drama , thrills , moving set pieces and results to be quite entertaining . It's a medium-low budget film with good actors , technicians , production values and pleasing results . However , some reviewers and journalists told that producer Albert Zugsmith's low budget didn't allow for a single cow to be shown . A good almost-Western of the kind that was already close in the then changing climate of Hollywood , what follows result to be Westerns in which stand out the twilight style , typical of the sixties . There is plenty of intrigue and thriller in the movie ; it continues to thicken to the inevitable final showdown .

It's a stirring thriller with breathtaking confrontation between leading roles , Jeff Chandler and Orson Welles . Jeff Chandler interprets efficiently a marshal responsible for law and order in a cattle town . Orson Welles is terrific as Virgil Renchler , a wealthy man who owns most of the town providing a thriving economy . The role of Virgil Renchler was originally supposed to be played by Robert Middleton ; however the casting agency instead suggested Orson Welles, who badly needed money to pay tax . Orson Welles interpreted for getting financing to shoot his pictures , as he played several peculiar as well as exotic characters such as ¨The Tartari¨ , ¨Saul¨ , ¨Cagliostro¨ , ¨Cesare Borgia¨ and ¨Black rose¨ . Support cast is pretty good such as John Larch , Colleen Miller , Ben Alexander , James Gleason , William Schallert , Royal Dano , Paul Fix and a wasted Barbara Lawrence as wife . Special mention for Leo Gordon , he chomps his way through role of despicable villain , his ordinary character as a cruelly baddie , as he is pretty well , and bears a two-fisted and mocking aspect , subsequently he would play similar characters .

Enjoyable and thrilling musical score by Joseph Gershenson . Evocative cinematography in Black and White Cinemascope by Arthur E Arling . This ¨Enemy in the shadow¨ also titled ¨Pay the devil¨or ¨Seeds of wrath¨ was expertly staged by Jack Arnold who carried out an exciting climax of the picture . Being compellingly directed and resulting to be one of his best forays into the thriller genre . Arnold makes a nice camera work with clever choreography on the showdown , fighting , moving confrontations and suspenseful set pieces . He reigns supreme as one of the greatest filmmakers of 50s science , achieving an important cult popularity with classics as "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," and its follow-up titled "Revenge of the Creature" that was a nice sequel . "Tarantula" was likewise a lot of amusement and of course "The Incredible Shrinking Man" attained his greatest enduring cult popularity , it's a thought-provoking and impressive classic that's lost none of its power throughout the years . Arnold's final two genre entries were the interesting "Monster on the Campus" and the outlandish "The Space Children¨ . In addition to his film work, Arnold also directed episodes of such TV shows .

Seems like shapely actress Colleen Miller appears outside her regular clothes about as often as in them, as in nightgown and underwear. But then, the movie posters had to have something provocative to promote.

The premise itself has been around the block more than a few times—a reluctant lawman stands up to local tyrant despite opposition from frightened townspeople. Still, the movie works pretty well up to two points where the screenplay buckles—the rope dragging and the town turn-around. Neither of these is very believable within context. But then, the film is on a budget and does have to motivate a wrap-up.

I gather producer Zugsmith helped finance Welles' next feature Touch of Evil (1957) in return for appearing here. The part is relatively small, and Welles underplays without the needed malevolence. Seems almost like he's walking through. Nonetheless, it's a solid cast of supporting players, familiar faces from thuggish Leo Gordon to Dragnet's Ben Alexander taking a break from the LAPD. The support works well to provide more color than usual.

Rather sad to see that earnest actor Jeff Chandler again, knowing he died unnecessarily at 42 as result of medical malpractice (a foreign object left inside following an operation, as I recall). He's quite good here as the conflicted sheriff struggling to do his duty.

All in all, it's a decent enough programmer, better than Zugsmith's usual quickie fare, thanks in large part (I expect) to under-rated director Jack Arnold.

I'm going to make no apologies for this: I am an Orson Welles fiend. I've seen everything he's directed, and have moved onto chasing down all the little cameos he did to finance his other pictures. I can't explain it, its just a thing. So bear that in mind when you read the following.

For people who sit through all kinds of trash hoping to catch a glimpse of Orson Welles, this movie is a 8/10. Its one of the better ones. It has value. He is a main role, a sort of villain type. He is in more than a few scenes. Feels like half of the picture.

The value here is that the movie is a fun schlocky noir movie, and that Orson appears with little makeup, just one of his noses by the look of it. Highly recommended for my kind of people.

Now, for people who don't care about Orson Welles, this movie is also not bad. Its a pretty fun B-movie. I'd say only a 5/10 though. For balance, therefore...

7/10.

The law in the nineteen fifties was straight forward enough, if you happen to be white. Minorities on the other hand were lucky if ever there were men behind the badge with the willingness to stand up to wealthy, powerful men. This 1950's film was directed by Jack Arnold and written by Gene L.Coon. It depicts the story of Ben Sadler (Jeff Chandler) the town's sheriff, who is informed of the death of Jesus Cisneros (Martin Garralaga), an immigrant worker or 'Bracero' who is murdered by two ranch hands. From the moment the sheriff begins his investigation into the murder, he is besieged by local town's people of the danger of taking on Mr. Virgil Renchler (Orsen Wells) the most powerful man in the state. Still, Sadler is determined to bring the two men to justice. John Larch, Royal Dano, Paul Fix, Leo Gordon and William Schallert are among the most notable actors who give life to this otherwise Black and white picture. The acting is good and so too is the dark drama, which allows the movie to be interesting. Chandler gives a powerful performance and shows why he became a popular staple of the era. ****

Jeff Chandler gives a capable performance as Ben Sadler, the Sheriff of the small town of Spurline. The main business is an enormous ranch presided over by arrogant fat cat Virgil Renchler (Orson Welles). One night, two of his hands, Ed Yates (John Larch), and Chet Huneker (Leo Gordon), go too far and kill a young worker. Now, a witness (Martin Garralaga) sees this, and goes to tell the Sheriff. Ben still believes in things like justice, so he takes on all comers in order to discover the truth of the matter. This also means he must go against the entire town, who are far too eager to keep Renchler happy and to keep his business.

Written by Gene L. Coon, and directed by Jack Arnold, this is overall a more routine and less interesting yarn than their previous Western, "No Name on the Bullet". Welles is awfully low-key as the antagonist; it seems as if his heart really wasn't in this one. But at least his role isn't purely one-dimensional; he's more tender around his young daughter "Skippy" (the stunning Colleen Miller). Really, it's the swaggering attitude of jerks like Yates and Huneker that helps to pick up the slack since Welles / Renchler gets relatively little screen time.

The filmmaking is generally very good, with top black & white cinematography by Arthur E. Arling. For a change, the action takes place in the present day, with people using phones and cars regularly. The atmosphere is strong, with a nearly wordless opening five minutes or so.

The main value of "Man in the Shadow" is the presence of a superior gathering of character actors: Ben Alexander, James Gleason, Royal Dano, Paul Fix, Mario Siletti, William Schallert, Forrest Lewis, and Mort Mills. Larch and Gordon are effective as the brutish thugs, but Barbara Lawrence gets a rather thankless role as the Sheriffs' concerned wife.

The theme is solid if hardly inspired: the good lawman surrounded by townspeople too afraid to back him up. At least Coon and Arnold make the proceedings reasonably entertaining.

Seven out of 10.

Jack Arnold 's follow-up to "the incredible shrinking man " ,by far his masterpiece , " man in the shadow" is a "modern" western ,with a very simple screenplay .

Very simple ,but very efficient too,and from the first sequence on ,a violent beat up which causes the death of a bracero ranch hand : an old man,who considers the young victim his son,saw the whole scene .But does the life of a bracero matter when you deal with a tycoon ,who rules the nearby town ,can ruin it,can starve it by not selling his crops to them?

Orson Welles is ideally cast as the tycoon ,but his character seems influenced by his hateful foreman ,his evil genius ,who also desires his daughter ( the key to the movie is "cherchez la femme" ); Jeff Chandler ,the marshall, is considered a pawn in their game (so you're the sheriff,you were elected and you can be fired if you do not follow the rules) ;but in spite of the danger ,he soldiers on ...

He's alone in the whole town , where the inhabitants are too afraid of the wealthy owner's power; even his wife does not really support him .His situation looks like Gary Cooper's in "high noon" (1952)

"Man in the Shadow" is a vigorous movie. Maybe an Orson Welles presence in a movie has the maximum temperature level, because, most of the time, having bought a certain effect over the years, Welles started to use roles of irascible, violent, arrogant men, exactly the role which was booked in this great movie starring Jeff Chandler, an underrated actor who lived very little. It's really a violent movie set in a small town dominated by a completely unscrupulous man. Its plot allows a certain parallelism with Arthur Penn's "The Chase, 1966", whose sheriff played by Marlon Brando faces a similar situation. It is a great movie in black and white. But the fact is that black and white only exceeds the violence, the racism and the growing tension that eventually explodes at the end of the movie. Jack Arnold, I think, made a great movie here, and Chandler has one of his best film performances, with Welles showing an all-time skill. Great representative of the 50's, great movie !!!

This is a great film with great Classic actors and producers, namely: Jeff Chandler, (Ben Sadler),"Return to Peyton Place",'61, who plays the role of a Sheriff in town and has to deal with race relations and bigots. Orson Welles,(Virgil Renchler),"Hot Money",'83, is the so-called boss of the town and has all the town folks wrapped around his little pinkie. Colleen Miller,(Skippy Renchler),"Step Down to Terror",'58, is married to Virgil and is a pretty hot number that puts some sex into this semi-Western. Barbara Lawrence,(Helen Sadler),is the wife of Ben and does her very best to stand by her man no matter what people think of him and punch him to death quite often. Jeff Chandler passed away at the early age of 42 and was at the height of his career and made only a few more pictures after this Classic film of 1957.

Jeff Chandler is always a rewarding actor, his parts are usually paragons of virtue, courage and all good male characteristics, and in the film, a minor counterpart to "Touch of Evil", he walks the full length in fighting alone for a seemingly hopeless cause as the whole town is ruled by the corruption of Orson Welles. It's not a major film, but it has definite qualities which make it worth watching and learning from. Orson Welles' daughter (in the film) plays an important part and actually ultimately saves the plot, while almost all the other (male) actors are ordinary corrupt hoodlums. There is a circle around the leadership of the town that ultimately wakes up to what is going on - when it is almost too late. It's a moral story with the message to never give up if you are certain that you are right, especially if you fight for the truth, and as such it's an important film and argument.

Less Metaphorical, than the Director's Sci-Fi of the Decade, and more to an Obvious Observation in an Eisenhower Era of Overlooked and Unspoken Racism. The Post-War Spoils enjoyed by Americans of the White-Bread variety were not readily Available to People of Color and Non-Christians.

This type of Social Criticism was usually not spoken of in "Polite" Company or around the Dinner Table in White-Picket Fence Suburbia. It was "Left" to the Fringe Elements like B-Movies and Lurid Faced Paperbacks.

Socially Conscious Director Jack Arnold, considered one of the Best B-Movie Auteurs teams up with a "Behemoth" of Filmland Orson Welles, who by the Mid-Fifties was fighting for His Life in Hollywood. Out of Favor, Wells was forever Financing His Pictures with "Work for Hire" Acting Gigs, and this was one of them.

He brings to the Movie a Larger than Life Character who literally Dominates the Frame with that Booming Voice and Big Stature. Jeff Chandler is meekly dwarfed by Orson in every Scene as the Sheriff with a Moral Compass Standing Alone among the Cowering Townspeople completely Corrupted by Capitalism represented as the "Golden Empire" Ranch, clouding Their Vision with little effort.

Film-Noir's Edgy influence is present here, but by this Time in Hollywood moved more often from the City to the Country or Suburban Landscapes where Americans were trying to Escape Urban Squalor becoming more Populated with "Sub-Humans", only to find, at least in the Southwest, "Wetbacks" who weren't even Citizens, let alone Caucasian.

Overall, far from being Subtle, this In-Your-Face look at "Trouble in Paradise", combines Genres as it made its "Liberal" Talking Points, and now could be Considered a "Voice in the Wilderness" for the Population that at least Tried to be a Guiding Light to a New Era of Concern yet to be Fulfilled, Sadly, to this Day.

This is a good "pre-civil rights movement" western, continuing in the tradition of "High Noon" and "Bad Day at Black Rock". Colleen Miller plays Orson Welles daughter, (not his wife as someone posted previously.) Jeff Chandler (who died way too young at 42) is the sheriff and conscience in the film and he does a good job in this role. The fact that the cowboys have beaten a defenseless Chincano to death is something that most citizens in the town would rather forget.Chandler's character and his family are harassed by the murderous and prejudiced cowboys who work for Welles.The climax of this film is hard to watch even today. The director was Jack Arnold,who was great at expressing his opinions in low-budget films,such as "It Came from Outer Space" and "The Tattered Dress."

Many reviewers here have referred to this excellent film as a 'B' picture. That is a false accusation for multiple reasons.

Firstly, no programmer was EVER shot in Cinemascope. Secondly, Jeff Chandler, the main character, was a big star at Universal-International at this point in his career -- not to mention Orson Welles' participation in the picture. All of these factors equal an 'A' picture.

Sure, it was shot in black and white and has no major female stars. However, the female roles in the story are quite insignificant -- no major major actress would want such roles.

The film is quite timely considering it's subject matter: fascism and racism. It's frankly ahead of its time in its position on equal protection under the law for all, regardless of race -- that people of color have value and are human beings too!

I thought Chandler's performance was very strong in this film. This role suit him well and his on-screen virility in on full display here. This might be one of his best films, come to think of it.

Too many times he was overshadowed by his female co-star, almost taking a supporting position in the film, "Female on the Beach," comes to mind as an example. Luckily, in this film, he's the star and the film is entirely a showcase for his talent.

Often mistaken as a Western, this little ranch-set, (then) modern-day murder tale has ambitious themes, but fails to resolve itself with much of an impact. Orson Welles was seen to possibly his best effect onscreen in 1958 with his masterpiece Touch of Evil and his great, scenery chewing Southern patriarch in The Long, Hot Summer. Here he's barely given anything to work with, and Jeff Chandler's solid work doesn't produce a memorable character. Good atmosphere, interesting potential, but a disappointment.

In a bit of a departure for its time, this movie begins with a brief pre-credits sequence, and it delays some of its credits till the very end. (During these closing credits, music is played which was also used in "It Came from Outer Space.")

Aside from these minor touches, however, "Man in the Shadow" is a traditional, straightforward effort which would have once fitted unobtrusively into the bottom half of a double-bill. By 1957, however, these "B" movies were rapidly being replaced by TV programming and "Man in the Shadow" could easily have been converted into a one-hour television drama. The script might have been edited down by eliminating the role of Orson Welles' teenage daughter who only figures tangentially into the plot and who does not provide any "romantic interest" for Jeff Chandler since his character is already happily married.

The plot is one of those "politically correct" affairs about the small-town lawman standing up against a powerful citizen in defense of a racial-minority member. The lawman's urged by his family and friends to leave well enough alone but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

You might expect here one of Orson Welles' flamboyant (a.k.a. "hammy") performances but he's surprisingly restrained due, one suspects, simply to lack of interest in such a minor project. Jeff Chandler, amazingly enough, seems more compelling, and in the movie's most memorable moment he's dragged by his wrists down Main Street, sometimes on his belly, behind a pick-up truck.

Jack Arnold directed this movie competently but without distinctive touches in a series of standard expository scenes. It pales in comparison to his other 1957 movie, "The Incredible Shrinking Man."

A real surprise, this is a fast and tight social drama made by the always reliable Jack Arnold, among the early American movies that dealt with the issue of the Latin American workers and peasants who illegally cross the Mexico-USA border, but encounter situations extreme as in this case, in which one of them meets death on one of the farms of a powerful and corrupt landowner (Orson Welles), who is practically the owner of the town and the lands of the region, and who faces a Just Sheriff (Jeff Chandler) when he tries to cover up the violence and mistreatment suffered by immigrants hired in the same illegal way as they entered the United States. If this was one of those B-films made to fill the double bills, it is surely superior than quite a few of the A-fluff produced by Universal at that time, such as "Tammy and the Bachelor" or "This Happy Feeling".

its basic virtue - honesty. it is a correct film, in moralistic skin, with western nuances but more than a story about fight between good and bad. its great chance - a smart script, almost courageous, an exceptional cast - the duel between Orson Welles , master of so many nuances of his role, and Jeff Chandler is realistic, the tension of scenes is real gem and the references to ordinary reality represents perfect catch for each viewer. its definition - measure. art to reflect a face of America with universal resonance. and this is cause , one of them, for who it is more than a nice old movie. far to be moralistic, it is a beautiful story about values and their soul - pure courage of a Medieval hero in the womb of a small town reality. and, for a viewer from East Europe, the year of film production is interesting remember about Cold War atmosphere. like a not great significant detail.

In this B&W modern western from Universal-International, Jeff Chandler and Orson Welles do give great performances and thus show great acting skills in this tense drama which, as has been noted, is an a la "High Noon" western: Chandler is very much the answer to the marshal Gary Cooper did portray in the latter-mentioned allusion. In the movie the marshal is forced to stand alone against the wealthy crazed-bigot ranch owner (whom only the sheriff is willing to defy), the role portrayed by Welles. You can't keep from hating the ranch owner and his cohorts as well. The beautiful Colleen Miller does performs well the role of Welles' daughter. Barbara Lawrence, the "nut" Gertie Cummings in "Oklahoma!", is here a totally different person in the role as the sheriff's wife; here, she is a very serious, scared, yet staunch-looking lady. The movie hits hard at the matter of bigotry which is, to state it extremely mildly, politically incorrect. A Chicano is murdered and the sheriff must go after the killer responsible for it taking place. The climax is totally surprising, I feel. I have watched it more than once and the acting and tension sell it more than anything else connected with it. It is worth the time, basically for those reasons.