POLITICS IN THE SADDLE, PART 2 - THE "HIGH NOON"/"RIO BRAVO" CONNECTION

"High Noon" and "Rio Bravo," one a dark, somber, black & white film from 1952, the other a 1959 action film in color with vivid, bigger than life, characters. On the surface they couldn't be different, but the reality is there might not have been a "Rio Bravo" if not for "High Noon."
The earlier film is a simple tight story that takes place, in real time, during the morning hours leading up to the gunfight at noon. The latter film unfolds at a leisurely pace with more characters at it's core to develop.
In "High Noon" the townspeople - including the marshal's mentor and his deputy - are for the most part cowards. Frank Miller, a crazed outlaw, has been pardoned and is coming to town to exact revenge on Kane for sending him to jail. Although Kane has retired, and is leaving town with his Quaker bride (Grace Kelly), he decides it's his responsibility to defend the town. The townspeople, however, want him to leave, believing that Miller and his gang - who are already waiting at the train station for their boss - might leave them alone if he does. The conclusion finds Will standing up to the Miller Gang on his own, until help comes at the last minute from a surprise supporter.
The final scene of the film shows Cooper taking his badge off, throwing it on the ground, and leaving Hadleyville with his bride. As a side note, to make sure the scene went right (watch it closely), Gary Cooper actually palms the badge he takes off and only acts like he throws it on the ground. The camera then quickly pans down to show a duplicate badge that had already been set in place at Will's feet. This particular scene angered John Wayne, which he incorrectly remembered in an interview as the scene where Gary Cooper stepped on the badge as he walks off.
"Rio Bravo" takes the same basic story and adds the Wayne/Hawks' touch. Instead of waiting for the outlaw to come to town to exact his revenge, Sheriff John T. Chance has jailed Joe Burdette for murder. His brother, powerful rancher Nathan Burdette, swears to get his brother out of jail one way or another; this is the villain coming to town. Unlike "High Noon," where the gang watches the town from the train station, waiting for their leader, Burdette's gang actively quarantine the town - no one in, no one out. Also, unlike Will Kane's quest for help, John T. Chance actually has help from a crew of misfits that bring the right 'color' and a touch of humor to the story. The old codger type "Stumpy" (Walter Brennan), the town drunk "Dude" (Dean Martin), and the young gunslinger "Colorado" (Ricky Nelson). Not only does this mix add some amusing moments, as well as some terrific character study, but it covers all the bases for the different age groups watching the film - it perfectly covered all the demographic areas. Brennan for the older crowd who had enjoyed him in film roles for years, and were then enjoying him in his TV series,"The Real McCoys." Singer Dean Martin, whom had recently broken up with his longtime showbiz partner Jerry Lewis, and recently enjoyed a terrific resurgence in "The Young Lions," with Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift, was there for the pop crowd. Ricky Nelson, who was enjoying a thriving career in rock and roll, as well as his family's long running television show, "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," was there for the teens. And then, of course, there was the Duke himself. Already a superstar, this film would help establish his film persona for the next decade. To be fair to "High Noon," from the standpoint of characterization, the real time storyline doesn't allow for anyone's character development but that of Will and possibly his bride.
John Wayne and director Howard Hawks hated "High Noon," feeling it showed the American West and it's settlers in a bad and cowardly light. Wayne went so far as to say it was the "most unAmerican thing I have ever seen." They also believed that the earlier film had Communist undertones. Wayne and Hawks vowed to one day set the record straight by making their own film version of such events, which they would do 7 years later with "Rio Bravo."
Was the charge of Communist leanings in one of the great Westerns of all time true? The story behind the story of "High Noon," next time.