User reviews

In the last days of RKO and Republic Pictures with the B western having gone on to television, the westerns that those two small studios were putting out were not for the kiddie Saturday afternoon trade. Great Day In The Morning is a western with a few adult themes thrown in, Robert Stack is most definitely not bashful around the women, he won't be satisfied kissing his horse.

The plot Great Day In The Morning takes place at the beginning of the Civil War. The film has plot elements of three classic westerns, Hondo, Virginia City, and The Far Country. Robert Stack's character of Owen Pentecost is a whole lot like James Stewart in The Far Country. Stack is a southerner, but he's not doing anything for the newborn Confederacy without being well paid.

As for the women, Stack has two to choose from, pioneer lass Virginia Mayo and saloon girl Ruth Roman. In fact Ruth Roman is playing pretty much the same part she did in The Far Country. Like in Hondo, Stack is forced into a gunfight with a recalcitrant miner and later on winds up taking the miner's son David MacDonald under his wing.

And of course like Virginia City it's all about that Southern gold only here the southerners are the good guys. Not all the northerners are bad like regular army colonel Carleton Young and Captain Alex Nicol, but the two chief villains are Roman's partner Raymond Burr and hotheaded former army sergeant Leo Gordon.

Burr is an especially hateful character, he's got two things he hates Stack for, politics and the fact Stack's beating Burr's time with Roman. Burr was always a big heavy man, I met him during the early Eighties in New York, but in his early days he kept his weight down to some degree, if you've seen the original Perry Mason series you well remember that. But here to play the part of a character named Jumbo and he's as big here as I remember seeing him in person and in the later Perry Mason films. In fact Raymond Burr's performance is the most memorable one in Great Day In The Morning.

There's enough action for the traditional western fan, but there's a lot of sex in Great Day In The Morning as well. Jacques Tourneur keeps the film going at a good clip. Both traditional western fans and those who favored the adult western soon to be popping up on television will like Great Day In The Morning.

Great Day in the Morning was the last western directed by Jacques Tourneur. It's based on a novel by Robert Hardy Andrews and features Robert Stack and Virginia Mayo in key roles.

The action of the film takes place right before the beginning of the American Civil War. Directly from the start of the film we're introduced to the main character of Owen Pentecost (Robert Stack) who is trying to defend himself when attacked by the Indians. Things start to get pretty bad, but group of people appears headed by Sarg. Zeff Masterson (Leo Gordon) and saves his life. But when Masterson discovers that the man he's just saved is a Confederate, he resents himself for doing so and only is stopped from finishing Owen by his colleague Stephen Kirby (Alex Nicol). Soon they arrive to Denver, Colorado, where everything indicates that the war is ready to break out any moment. But Owen Pentecost more concerned about himself and about the real purpose of his coming to Denver, which is a load of gold that was dig by the confederate miners and is ready to be transported to the south to help the Confederate cause. The delay might ruin everything, and this is what Owen counts on, planning to take advantage of the situation for his own benefit. This is where Boston (Ruth Roman) enters the scene. She is beautiful woman who falls in love with him and having her own opinion about what Owen's future should be makes him a town's saloon owner and herself his associate. Meanwhile the time passes by and the Civil War breaks out with Confederates attacking Fort Sumter and urgent transportation of gold to the south becomes a matter of vital importance. That is where Stephen Kirby reveals his true identity as a Captain of a Union Army and gathers a group of volunteers intending to stop moving out the gold.

Great Day in the Morning can be hardly called a classic, but nonetheless is quite a good western worth to take a look at. 7/10

¨Great day in the morning¨ is well starred by Robert Stack dealing with facing off between Union and Confederation . This excellent , meaty Western contains interesting plot , thrills , brawls , shoot'em up and turns out to be quite entertaining . This outstanding Tourneur Western balances action , suspense and drama . Set in Colorado territory , during the early days of the American Civil war (1861-1865) . Circa 1861 , a stranger Southerner named Owen Pentecost (Robert Stack) arrives in a town , Denver , (Colorado) where he takes on a real villain and falls in love for two women . There the powerful owner (Raymond Burr) gives him an opportunity to a big card game and our Southern gunslinger finds himself equally interested in the two local ladies . The former gunfighter turned hotel manager meets a motley group of characters : Ann Merry Alaine (Virginia Mayo) , one newly arrived from the East to open a dress shop , ¨The wildcat¨ (Ruth Roman) , when she couldn't outshoot a man she used other weapons , a Northern spy (Alex Nicol) and the relentless killer (Leo Gordon) who liked to play with lives . And of course , ¨The land baron¨ (Raymond Burr) , the owned the town hotel , hardware , lock , livestock and gun barrel . And Pentecost , then , has to make even more essential choices when , with the start of the Civil War , seeks justice and at the same time attempts to transport some supplies to Confederation . As the rebel sympathizer and two Northern spies -Col. Gibson (Carleton Young) , Captain Stephen Kirby (Alex Nicol)- are both after Colorado gold to help finance the Civil War . At the end takes place the bugle blast that echoed thru history , including a pretty spectacular pursuit between Union cavalry and Confederated wagons .

Rip roarin' and moving Western set in Denver in which a Southern adventurer turned hotel manager and gets into many problems . This grand Western in the tradition of ¨Red River¨ and ¨High Noon¨ contains an intelligent writing , emotion , violence , go riding , double crosses , crossfire and results to be quite enjoyable . It's a classic recounting about an upright man seeking justice and attempting to execute the Confederate purports , as he becomes one of a small minority in a strongly Unionist town . The public likes big Westerns and here to satisfy them is a big adventure , starring big box office favorites of the 50s , Virginia Mayo , Robert Stack , Ruth Roman , with the kind of high pitched excitement that pay off . The traditional story and exciting screenplay by Lesser Samuels being based on the novel written by Robert Hardy Andrews . Here filmmaker Tourneur gets a good Western by showing a great command of mood and atmosphere . Top-notch Robert Stack as Pentecost who finds himself the owner of a Denver hotel and becomes involved with two women , as well as magnificent Raymond Burr as a proud baron land who seeks vengeance . Support cast is frankly excellent such as Alex Nicol , Leo Gordon , Donald MacDonald , Carleton Young and Regis Toomey . Thrilling and atmospheric musical score by Leith Stevens . Colorful cinematography in Technicolor -photographed in Ansco Color by Pathe- by director of photography William Snyder .

This is another superbly powerful triumph from RKO and producer Edmund Grainger who brought other Westerns as Cimarron , The Sheepman , The Treasure of Pancho Villa , The Fabulous Texan and Wild Bill Hickok Rides . It is probably one of the best Western in the fifties and sixties . The motion picture was decently directed by Jacques Tourneur . Born in Paris , Tourneur went to Hollywood with his father , director Maurice Tourneur around 1913 . Jacques directed all kinds of genres , he was an expert on Noir cinema , such as the classic ¨Out of the past¨ and ¨Nightfall¨(1956) ; Suspense : ¨Experiment perilous¨(1945) , ¨Berlin Express¨ (48) , ¨The Fearmakers¨ (1958) ; Peplum : ¨The giant of Marathon¨ (60) ; Wartime : ¨Days of glory¨ (1943) and adventures as ¨Flame and the arrow¨ , ¨Timbuktu¨ , ¨Appointment in Honduras¨,¨Way of a Gaucho¨ , ¨Anne of the Indies¨, ¨City under the sea¨ ; but he was best known for his terror cinema with producer Val Lewton such as ¨Cat people¨ , ¨Leopard man¨, ¨I walked with a Zombie¨, ¨Night of demon¨ and an amusing horror/comedy : ¨The Comedy of Terrors¨. He went on to direct masterpieces in many different genres and in Western he made various films : The masterpiece titled ¨Canyon passage¨(1946) , ¨Mission of Danger¨ , ¨Frontier Rangers¨ , ¨Strange on horseback¨ (1955) , ¨Star in my Crown¨ (1956) with Joel McCrea , ¨Wichita¨(1955) equally with Joel McCrea as Wyatt Earp formerly to OK Corral duel and this one . He finally directed episodes of ¨Norhwest passage¨ (1958) titled Frontier Rangers , Fury River and Mission of danger . ¨Great day in the morning¨ rating : Well worth watching and it will appeal to Virginia Mayo fans .

"Great Day in the Morning" is a western from RKO in 1956. It takes place just before the Civil War and deals with Union and Confederate factions both trying to get some gold in Colorado in order to finance the war. Based on the novel by Robert Hardy Andrews, the film is quite faithful to the book. Robert Stack plays a southern gunslinger with cynical overtones. Virginia Mayo, a Technicolor knock-out, meets Stack on her way west and has a love/hate relationship with him. Ruth Roman is a hostess with cleavage in Raymond Burr's saloon and she falls like a ton of bricks for Stack. Burr plays a heavy and gives Roman a bad time. A highpoint of the film is a critical card game between Stack and Burr with Roman dealing the cards. Of course Mayo and Roman are fighting like crazy over Stack.

As Westerns go this qualifies for entertainment. All Westerns teach us about history some do it better than others. Many Westerns entertain while teaching. Some do a better job than others. This one educates but falls a little short on quality film watching but is worthy for effort. After all, you have some name-brand players here and they carry the film nicely from scene to scene. We get some gold rush input, pre-civil war activity, and of course drinking, card-playing and shoot em ups with bad and good guys plus the Southerner versus the northerner dynamics. There is virtually no character development. You just have to accept what is going on in the screen and enjoy it. The ending leaves us with mixed feelings only because it is both good and bad. I like to snack while watching and this movie is good for sunflower seeds as you casually watch with a tasty drink to clear the palette. Mount-up and let's ride

Those in Denver, Colorado are conflicted as the United States Civil War brews, and erupts. The production values are above average for this kind of western, and it's strengthened by director Jacques Tourneur working with color choreography from William Snyder. Solemn performances from future television stars Robert Stack (as Owen Pentecost) and Raymond Burr (as Jumbo Means) give it an anachronistic air, somehow. There is an endearing kid performance, by Donald MacDonald (as Gary). But, the main attractions are two points of the "love triangle" Mr. Stack forms with pretty blonde Virginia Mayo (as Ann Merry Alaine) and attractive saloon owner Ruth Roman (as Boston Grant). Ms. Mayo certainly can fill a dress; she's both arousing and distracting.

****** Great Day in the Morning (5/16/56) Jacques Tourneur ~ Robert Stack, Virginia Mayo, Ruth Roman, Raymond Burr

It's 1861 in the Colorado Territory. The new whites face attacks from the Indians. There is tension between southerners and northerners as war approaches. Newcomer Owen Pentecost (Robert Stack), from North Carolina, encounters Ann Merry Alaine (Virginia Mayo). He wins at poker against Jumbo Means (Raymond Burr). Saloon madam Boston Grant (Ruth Roman) is also taken with Pentecost.

The movie is rooting for the south. That happens in many American movies during this time. The southerners are heroic. The northerners are either evil or drunk. The Union is slow moving. Most depressing is that Indians are nameless barbarians. The movie starts with that, kills off a few of them, and then promptly forgets all about them. If all that is fine, this is your movie. This is a perfectly good western although I don't like the general message.

This western starring the inimitable Robert Stack is quite good, overcoming a somewhat weak and syrupy script, which nonetheless contains some classic lines (my favorite is: When I first stepped out into the world, a drunkard took one look at me and shouted: 'the elephant is loose!' since then, an elephant has been my good luck charm. What's the secret to your remarkable charm? ANSWER: A complete indifference to Elephants.")

Not Jacques Tourneur's best film, but his direction is good and the technicolor outdoor fight sequences (especially the dramatic opening sequence, similar to that in Johnny Guitar) are beautiful.

"Great Day in the Morning" is a movie by RKO which is set just before the start of the US Civil War and is set in the Colorado Territory (it didn't becomes a state until 1876). Owen (Robert Stack) has arrived in town and soon ends up winning a saloon in a poker game with the local bossman (Raymond Burr). However, being a Southerner originally, Owen soon sees that folks thereabouts are divided--with Yankees and Rebs about to kill each other. Additionally, the Rebs own gold mines and are planning on shipping it to the South to help them in the war. What's next? Stuff.

This is an okay movie...not bad, not good. Much of it is because Robert Stack is a bit wooden in the lead and none of the Southerners sound very Southern, though the story itself is mildly interesting and filmed in color. The writing....it's decent though nothing amazing. Worth seeing...or skipping.

I regard Jacques Tourneur as true prolific director mainly in Western, a cinema's craftsman that just few had its abilities, sadly he wasn't a good dealmaker and didn't make enough money for raining days, retiring on France always hope for a phone call from Hollywood that never came, died poor, however left a legacy on their picture whose he directed.

Great Day in the Morning wasn't among his best moments, nonetheless is fair good if we take a look on the stars, a B-movie certainly, berthed by shadow of the states war about to come, the plot whatsoever is utterly contrived when a wandering southern Owen Pentecost (Robert Stack) reach at Denver and wins at poker game of the local boss Jumbo Means (Raymond Burr) with a slight help of the entertainment Saloon girl Boston Grant (Ruth Roman) a Saloon-Hotel, warehouse, wagons and many concessions of prospecting gold, in the city has an animosity atmosphere concerning the upcoming war between the Yankees and Southern that were there prospecting gold in order to afford the expensive war.

Meanwhile and naturally as they used to the immaculate pretty blonde woman Ann Marie Alaine (Rhonda Fleming) and the questionable woman Boston Grant contend for the greedy and egocentric Owen, Ann witnessed an awful scene when Jack Lawford (George Wallace) tries running away from Owen's claim without share the gold as they agreed upon a contract, the Yankee refuses and a duel takes place with an expected outcome, soon Jack's son Gary (Donald Macdonald) arrives on town asking for his father, Owen remorseful gets the boy for raise him, hidding the truth expecting pay somehow killed his father.

The war rages soon and the Southerners already contract Owen to transport the gold for south territory for sponsor the war effort, however the Yankees were already there before disguised, they have to block the wagons gold there, Owen pokes its nose on the conflict, chosen its side leaving behind what are unreachable for him Ann's love and Boy's forgiviness.

Colorful and average western that the master Jacques Tourneur made miracles to became tangible, now on restored version we can see fabulous landscape at Colorado, worthwhile a look and see how Robert Stack was before Eliot Ness on the Untouchables.

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 1998 / How many: 2 / Source: Cable TV-DVD / Rating: 7.5

The performances are uneven; Stack is putting on his A-level Stack imitation; Mayo looks drugged out on a sedative; Roman shows some energy, but no costume movie sensibility; Leo Gordon is Leo Gorden. Good! But there is far too little of him, and he is not part of the plot.

Anachronisms all over the place. Using dynamite in 1861? The pistols-except for Leo Gordon's-belong to the decade. which followed.

The plot is a combination of bits and pieces from other movies and impossibilities. The persons who wrote it probably consulted the "code" much too often. Every possible inanity is used to keep this movie eligible for awards.The action is lethargic. AND, for big screen western', there is an awful lot of the action taking place indoors.

Southerner Robert Stack wins a Denver saloon and bar girl (Ruth Roman) from crooked card dealer Raymond Burr on eve of Civil War. Trouble is that southerners are outnumbered in Union-leaning Colorado and need Stack's help to get big gold shipment to Dixie and the war effort. But Stack's only out for himself and is now in fat city with a saloon and a girl. So what's he going to do.

Good core plot, great Colorado scenery, ace director (Jacques Tourneur), and an A-picture budget, yet the results are mixed. For one thing, it looks like Stack's getting the big star build-up since he has to romance not only bar girl Roman but good girl Virginia Mayo too. That's about one girl too many for even the best Western. Here Mayo's part is really unnecessary and drags down the pacing. Besides, do we really care which movie star he ends up with. Still and all, it's fun to watch the girls' bra's duke it out in best 1950's uplift fashion. Also, subplot of orphaned boy (Donald McDonald) adds to what becomes a sprawling story that strays too far from the solid core.

Nonetheless, the cold-eyed Stack makes for a convincing gunman, while no movie with character great Leo Gordon could be a loss. Here he's in a typical role as a Union rowdy ready to fight at the proverbial drop of a hat. He's always reminded me of an early Lee Marvin, with the same virile presence and clarity of personality, but without Marvin's range. Also notable for fine support from the hulking Peter Whitney, a familiar Hollywood face for many years. His quiet scene with Stack remains the film's most intelligent and powerful.

The movie was made during that period when Hollywood had not yet learned to live with TV. Note that even budget-minded RKO comes up with a wide-screen process to show off the spectacular scenery that can't be done on TV. I expect the competition also accounts for the star-heavy treatment that ultimately crowds the plot and slows down events. But with a tighter script and leaner casting, this could have been a first-rate Western, especially considering the wonderfully done final scene.

When a stranger (robert stack) from the south moseys into the denver area just before civil war breaks out, he makes enemies of just about everyone. He admits that he's only out for himself, but who else will get hurt in his get rich quick schemes? And his last name is pentacoste... that name is no accident! Later on, even the guns are labeled bibles, things get stirred up in town. Ray burr (perry mason and ironsides) is jumbo, the antagonist. He even has elephant figurines in his room. Co-stars virginia mayo, ruth roman as anne and boston, who fight over the southern hero. Directed by jacques tourneur, who's claim to fame was out of the past, with mitchum. It's okay. Kind of an odd cross mix of stories.

Good Civil War western, a sub genre not noted for its quality, thanks to the dark, dystopian tone taken by director Jacques Tourneur and cinematographer William Snyder. Maybe because it is set at the start of the conflict rather than during its aftermath, as are most such films, it ends with things very much up in the air, its anti hero walking into a rainy night (ironic, considering the title) reluctantly helping the Confederacy while his true love, unbeknownst to him, lies dead. Don't know about you but I find such bleakness at a film's end somewhat bracing, pitched more toward Boetticherian ambiguity than "High Noon" civics lesson. I also like the attention paid in Lesser Samuels' screenplay to lesser (no pun intended) characters such as a cheerily drunken doctor and a none too bright saloon worker who, ironically, well expresses the sadness and menace of the War Between The States. Indeed, if Samuels hadn't fallen down on the job and made Virginia Mayo's character so dull and if the producers had cast a better actor than Bob Stack in the lead (say Scott or McRae) this might have been as good as Budd or Anthony Mann. As it is, let's give it a B minus.

PS...Guess Joe Breen was looking the other way when it came to Ruth Roman's cleavage, huh?

An above average western, in its direction and writing rising above a fairly typical situational action picture. Stack is great as the profiteering Southerner unwillingly caught up in the foment of the Civil War, while he attempts to raise the son of the man he killed. Mayo is unremarkable as the "good" woman, but Roman puts in a memorable and sincere performance as one of the town's many "bad" girls. Tourneur's direction is what really makes this one memorable, though, from the crisp grandeur of the opening shootout at high altitudes to the concluding race with wagons through the hills of Colorado.

For Western fans, a great treat roughly in the tradition of Budd Boetticher's "Ranown" films with Randolph Scott.

I think everyone else did a really good job of reviewing this here, so let me pick a couple of nits for fun and call it a (great) day (in the morning).

1) Why do the women in these films always appear as impossibly well-coiffed "gals" who just gotta get their men? (And they often end up fighting over the one dude who isn't really that much of a catch.) I swear, when Virginia Mayo hops down from her horse in perfect shape after a horribly long, dusty, dirty and physically-exhausting journey, I knew we were in trouble.

2) I know Robert Stack was considered to have been a decent actor, but I felt he was terribly miscast in this. He is supposed to be from North Carolina, but nothing about him says he's a Tar Heel, especially his deep Los Angeles baritone voice. He throws in one "Nawth Carolina" reference early on which ends up being the sum total of his accent for the entire film.

That having been said, I understand why fans of this genre would find this film appealing. It has an interesting premise, but it fell into cliché-land a few too many times for my taste.

Great Day in the Morning is directed by Jacques Tourneur and written by Lesser Samuels. It stars Robert Stack, Virginia Mayo, Raymond Burr, Ruth Roman, Alex Nicol, Leo Gordon and Regis Toomey. Music is by Leith Stevens and cinematography by William E. Snyder.

A Technicolor/Superscope production, story is set in Colorado Territory 1861, a mining town just as The Civil War is to break out. North and South divisions, lustful passions and the hunger for power and gold, all reside here...

This would turn out to be the great Jacques Tourneur's last Western offering, thankfully for his fans it turned out pretty great. This is no all action piece, the action here is mainly focused on the human condition and all the shaky traits that come with such. This town is a powder-keg waiting to ignite, with Stack's (excellent) fence sitter (he's from the South but his affiliations are money based) Owen Pentecost firmly in the middle of things. Moral compasses are set at faulty, whilst loyalties and fancies of the heart bring much conflict of interest.

Tourneur and his charges serve up fine production value, starting with the location filming out of Silverton. The landscape that surrounds the town is gorgeous, itself a beautiful observer of the ugliness (Roman and Mayo's sexiness exempt of course) that unfolds. Ugliness that rears its most potent head via bouts of shocking violence, the majority of which takes one by surprise (one of the film's many strengths). The clever screenplay throws in memorable sequences, such as a heated debate backed by Roman tinkling the piano with tunes befitting the discourse, while odd visuals - like the main saloon being based on a circus tent (its actual name and it ties in with Burr's character) - strike good notes.

With a grumpy Stack on fine form it's dandy to find the support brings weighty worth as well. Roman and Mayo are given good female roles to play (no tokens here thanks), raising the emotional stakes as much as the temperature. To good effect Burr stomps around like a sulky bully, Nicol has a good presence, and then there's Gordon. Gordon makes his mark straight away, first section of pic you know he's the sort who wants a war before the war has started, and he nails it as a gruff hot-headed bastardo - putting one in mind of Robert Shaw later down the line. Touneur's eye for detail is backed by that of Snyder to round it off as a picture well worth tracking down. 7.5/10

I wasn't impressed with Robert Stack's suave performance as Owen Pentecost, a tough talking fast shooting gunslinger, but the beautiful Virginia Mayo who plays Ann Merry Alaine who decides to open a dress shop in town is being chased by a few too many men including Stack. The other leading lady in the film Ruth Roman comes waltzing down the saloon stairs while Mayo is going up to her hotel room.

It is a critical scene as the woman pass glances while crossing paths on the saloon staircase with their love interest Robert Stack watching from the saloon floor.

It is a decent western film with the North versus the South mantra in full force. I give it a passable 5 out of 10 IMDb rating.

This is a Western with a difference. If the viewer is looking for John Wayne and Randolph Scott type Westerns forget it. Action when it comes is brutal and to the point and beyond the standard subject of North versus South it is quite simply an unusually beautiful love story. The three in this love story is a man, a woman and a boy. The film is full of ambiguities surrounding this trio but what comes over loud and clearly by the end of the film is that love is unconditional, and if it is not then it is not love. There are two main scenes on this subject of love: the first between Ruth Roman and Virginia Mayo, and the second between Robert Stack and Alex Nicoll. I also have to underline how superb the underrated Ruth Roman is in a career defining role, and also the quiet performance of Alex Nicoll, who should by the sheer virtue of his acting had lead and major roles. He took over from Ben Gazzara in ' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ' on Broadway, and that says it all for me. But the most praise is for the loner Robert Stark whose bleak and tender beauty has never been more outstanding than in this film. He is a lost lover in the hard world of the Western, and no other actor but him could have played Owen Pentecost, one of the most emotionally intriguing characters in what is usually considered a man's genre of film making. There is always something unspoken in his acting; a blending of both masculine and feminine in the highest sense of that way of being. My slight criticism is that the perfect Virginia Mayo is not given enough and that her too obvious sexuality is not relevant to this scenario. The coy nudity of her bathroom scene was strictly for the dumb male ( which applies to a lot of Westerns ) and she did not need to have that scene. Ruth Roman in contrast portrays both sexuality and love in a focused and perhaps her best role. There are quite a few masterpieces ( yes, an overused word ) in the world of cinema, but thanks to Tourneur's directing. an exceptional script and a handful of pitch perfect performances this is one of them.