Angel and the Badman

A man on horseback races across the arid landscape. His horse faulters and throws the man. This is how The Angel and The Badman begins.

Wayne is Quirt Evans, a man with a past. He is rescued by beautiful Gail Russell, a Quaker girl with a strong, silent father and a marvelous, generous mother who makes donuts and cakes that melt in your mouth, but according to her are, "not very good, the flour you know...".

Poor Quirt never has a chance. He is healed body and soul by this devoted family. But not before he must taste his old way of life one more time, which leads to a dramatic conclusion.

John Wayne never looked better on film then in The Angel and The Badman. In one scene, he wakes from a coma, hears a noise, gropes for his gun, which is under the pillow and rises, gun in hand to face a startled and stunning Russell. The sight of John Wayne, shirtless, his hair un-combed and his gorgeous, almost purple eyes taking in the lovely lady in front of him, is something no woman from 6 to 106 should miss. If you are a fan already and have seen this delightful film, you know what I mean. If you are new to John Wayne, check to one out and fall in love.

Harry Carey plays the Marshal of the territory who keeps track of Quirt, not completely convinced of his conversion, until the surprising climax. Carey's quiet authority is wonderful to watch, and his sly humor a tonic.

The Dr. here over-plays his role, but he can be forgiven. The neighbor who has denied water to the Quaker settlement but is convinced by Quirt(without the force of his famous gun), to "be a good neighbor" and remove the top two boards holding back the water that used to flow into flums and irrigation ditches, is a real old west character. Films today just don't use actors with faces like his any longer. Too bad.

Yes indeed, The Angel and The Badman is a wonderful, old fashioned film. The kind they don't make any longer, but should.

Angel and the Badman is written and directed by James Edward Grant. It stars John Wayne, Gail Russell, Harry Carey, Bruce Cabot, Irene Rich, Lee Dixon and Stephen Grant. Music is by Richard Hageman and cinematography by Archie J. Stout.

Quirt Evans (Wayne), a notorious gunman is hurt and on the run. Taken in by The Worth's, a Quaker family, Quirt forms a "special" bond with daughter Penelope (Russell). With the law and other badmen on his tail, will Quirt change his ways before it's too late?

John Wayne's first film as a producer and star is also his most romantic. That's not to say it lacks action or Wayne's fine tuning of his macho image is halted, because that's not the case, but this carries a dreamy like old fashioned value that has helped the film endear over the years. It's a touch too slow at times for its own good and runs for ten minutes longer than was needed, things that no doubt stunted its financial growth at the 1947 box office, but there is much to enjoy here.

Technical values are high, from Stout's photography that beautifully realises locations in Sedona, Arizona (Monument Valley standing out, naturally!), to cast performances from Carey, Wayne and the gorgeous Miss Russell (chemistry unbound between the three actors), film never lacks for quality. Memorable scenes are plenty, such as The Duke sitting in a chair facing down three henchmen led by Cabot's Laredo Stevens; his gun empty, a free-for-all punch up in a saloon, and some very tender moments between Wayne and Russell. While narratively there's the deft pitching of Quaker values into a wild west setting.

A lovely film which also manages to pump the adrenaline as well. 7.5/10

DVD version viewed was Region 2 taken out of the John Wayne Out West 6 film Box Set. A good quality black and white print.

Very different John Wayne film. A romantic western, if you will. Wayne plays notorious gunslinger Quirt Evans, who is wounded and nursed back to health by a Quaker family. The sweet and innocent daughter, Penelope (Gail Russell), falls in love with Quirt. But the gunfighter's got some bad guys to deal with, chiefly an hombre named Laredo (Bruce Cabot). Quirt will have to choose between his way and the Quaker way, which means choosing Penelope or the gun.

John Wayne is really good in this one. He's a very underrated actor that is often slighted by people that don't like the man, usually because they don't like his politics or something along those lines. But he was actually a very good actor who brought depth to most of the characters he played. Here he gets to show his softer side and it's one of his best performances from the '40s. Gail Russell is young and very pretty here. She does a great job in one of her two best-known films (the other being The Uninvited). Russell and Wayne have terrific chemistry. It's sad how her life turned out as she had the potential to be one of the greats. Harry Carey, Sr. plays a grizzled old marshal dubious of whether Quirt can change. As was often the case, he stands out above the pack. An excellent actor who could say more with a smile or a look than most could with a page of dialogue.

Amusingly there are characters in this movie named Hondo and McClintock, both names for future Wayne characters. It's a charming and enjoyable western that fans of the Duke will love but also I think people who don't normally like westerns can enjoy.

The Angel and the Badman is a milestone film in the career of John Wayne. It was the first film in which he had a substantial role behind the camera. My guess is that he must have lobbied Herbert J. Yates at Republic films for some creative control and Yates gave in to his studio's biggest moneymaker.

Though Wayne at times didn't have the best judgment in regard to his own personal projects, The Angel and the Badman is a winner in every way and doesn't get near enough credit for the work it is except from Wayne partisans.

Wayne plays young gun hand Quirt Evans, a most feared man in the territory, who wounded falls in the hands of a Quaker family who nurses him back to health. Wayne starts eying pretty daughter Gail Russell.

Pretty soon under her influence Wayne starts questioning the direction his life's been going in. Of course the Quakers do cheat a little on this question themselves. Though they don't believe in violence, the Duke's reputation as a gun hand comes in mighty handy in settling at least one neighborly dispute with Paul Hurst.

My favorite scene in the film and one of Wayne's best in all his films also involves his reputation. When Bruce Cabot and two henchmen find him at the Quaker home, Wayne runs one terrific bluff holding them off with an empty gun. This was the first time Wayne and Cabot worked together. In the sixties Cabot became a regular in Wayne films.

Angel and the Badman also has two other Wayne attempted reclamation projects. Gail Russell was one of the most beautiful women ever on the silver screen. She had a lot of tragedy in her life and died young. Wayne at one point gave her the lead in a film Seven Men from Now that he was producing, but not starring in, with Randolph Scott. She gave a good performance, but a lot of substance abuse had taken its toll.

Paul Hurst later on got a pay day from Wayne in Big Jim McLain in a scene he portrayed from a wheelchair. He was terminally ill with cancer and in fact took his own life shortly afterwards. The money was no doubt needed for Hurst's medical expenses.

Later on in McLintock Wayne said in one scene he doesn't give jobs, he hires men (and women). This was his idea of charity and something that never gets talked about enough by people, even some of Wayne's most devoted fans.

As this was his first film as producer, I have no doubt that the Duke wanted Harry Carey, the man he patterned his cowboy image after in this film. One of Carey's best screen performances as the "patient" federal marshal who's waiting for Cabot and Wayne to shoot it out so he can hang the winner.

Wayne's good friend James Edward Grant wrote and directed the film. Later on Frank Capra disparaged Grant as a bad influence on Wayne when they quarreled during the filming of Circus World. Grant did write some of the more conservative on Wayne's films. But I certainly can't fault anything he did in The Angel and the Badman.

In fact it's a winner in just about every respect. Even some Wayne haters might like this one.

John Wayne got to kiss a score of pretty ladies on screen, but his romance with Gail Russell as Penelope, the "Angel" in this story, shows the best screen chemistry I can recall. Wayne is the "Badman" Quirt Evans meaning that he settles a lot of arguments with guns a'blazin'.

He's used to fast draws, fast women, booze, bar fights, and so on. Penelope is a gentle Quaker woman living in the wilderness of the Old West. She and her parents model their lives on the teachings of scripture, especially the "Love your neighbor" ideal. Quirt gets shot in one of his many battles with gun wielding black hat bad guys; Penelope's family takes him in and nurses him back to health; during which time Quirt and Penelope get a look at each other with the obvious chemical reaction. Her sweet and vulnerable demeanor mixes splendidly with his gruff but awkwardly gentle persona.

When Wayne's nemesis Laredo (Bruce Cabot) shows up, Wayne is faced with the conflict of adapting the peaceful ways of Penelope, or reverting to his violent shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later lifestyle. Wayne's inner conflict to change his outlook on life is illustrated well, a great performance for the Duke. This all goes on under the watchful eye of the Marshall (Harry Carey), who serves as not only a foil for Wayne constantly threatening him, but almost like a self-appointed guardian who sees Quirt's potential for good, trying to steer him toward the light. Carey's humor, and good spirit plays off Wayne perfectly.

The film builds to a brilliant finish, with Quirt forced to choose between peace or violence once and for all. One of my favorite westerns. Great cast, great story.