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Firecreek
Firecreek
	VHS cover
Directed by	Vincent McEveety
Written by	Calvin Clements Sr.
Produced by	Philip Leacock; John Mantley
Starring	James Stewart; Henry Fonda
Cinematography	William H. Clothier
Edited by	William H. Ziegler
Music by	Alfred Newman
Distributed by	Warner Bros.-Seven Arts
Release date	January 24, 1968;
Running time	104 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1,100,000 (US/ Canada)

Firecreek is a 1968 American Western film^[2] directed by Vincent McEveety and starring James Stewart and Henry Fonda, the latter in his first of two roles that year as a villain (the second being Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West). The film is similar to High Noon in that it features an entire town that refuses to help a peace officer against outlaws. Stewart plays an unlikely hero, forced into action when his conscience will not permit evil to continue. The supporting cast features Inger Stevens, Dean Jagger, Ed Begley, Jay C. Flippen, Jack Elam and John Qualen.

Offscreen close friends Stewart and Fonda's first film together had been in a section of the episodic musical comedy On Our Merry Way two decades earlier, in which they played two musicians named "Slim" and "Lank", and they would make The Cheyenne Social Club two years after Firecreek. They had also both appeared in How the West Was Won but had no scenes together despite their characters in the film being depicted as best friends.

Firecreek was partially filmed at North Ranch in Oak Park, California, and Thousand Oaks, California.^[3]

Plot

After years of backing away from criminals and gunfights, one resident of the small western town of Firecreek decides to fight back. Part-time sheriff Johnny Cobb decides to avenge the death of a young man against gunmen led by Bob Larkin.

Cobb has a lot on his mind, particularly with his wife Henrietta about to give birth. He is a peace-loving farmer whose childishly made sheriff's badge is practically an honorary one.

Larkin's men ride into town and disrupt the peace. Earl, Norman and Drew run roughshod over the local citizens and Larkin has no inclination to stop it, despite Cobb's requests. Larkin is more interested in getting to know an attractive widow named Evelyn.

The only person in town willing to help Cobb is a slow-witted stable boy named Arthur. When one of Larkin's men attacks a woman, Arthur kills the man.

Cobb's wife goes into labor and he has to leave town. While he is gone, Larkin's men hang Arthur and no one in the town tries to stop them.

Cobb returns to town to discover that Arthur has been hanged in the stable. He lowers the body, then demands that the apathetic shopkeeper eyewitness, Whittier, hand over his own gun. Cobb then goes after Larkin and his men, one of whom gets caught in a rope tied to his horse, which bolts off, dragging him. Cobb manages to kill the last two men in individual struggles, and then faces off against Larkin in the middle of the main street; Larkin easily outshoots Cobb and gives him the option of living if he stops his vendetta, but Cobb refuses to quit, Larkin prepares to kill Cobb but is shot with a rifle by the widow Evelyn from a 2nd-story window, as he is about to shoot Cobb.

Cast

James Stewart as Johnny Cobb
Henry Fonda as Bob Larkin
Inger Stevens as Evelyn Pittman
Jacqueline Scott as Henrietta Cobb
Gary Lockwood as Earl
Dean Jagger as Whittier
Ed Begley as Preacher Broyles
Jay C. Flippen as Mr. Pittman
Jack Elam as Norman
James Best as Drew
BarBara Luna as Meli
Brooke Bundy as Leah
J. Robert Porter as Arthur
Morgan Woodward as Willard
John Qualen as Hall
Louise Latham as Dulcie
Athena Lorde as Mrs. Littlejohn

Critical reaction

Contemporary critical reaction to Firecreek was generally positive. Howard Thompson of The New York Times called it "a good, sturdy and occasionally powerful little Western", especially praising screenwriter Calvin Clements but claiming, "James Stewart is plain wonderful and Henry Fonda almost matches him."^[4] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave Firecreek three stars. However, despite the rating and praise for actors James Stewart, Jacqueline Scott, Henry Fonda and Inger Stevens, Ebert felt that "somehow the parts don't quite come together" and "things move at too leisurely a pace".^[5]

References

^ "Big Rental Films of 1968", Variety, 8 January 1969 p 15. Please note this figure is a rental accruing to distributors.
^ Variety film review; January 24, 1968, page 6.
^ Schneider, Jerry L. (2015). Western Filming Locations Book 1. CP Entertainment Books. Page 120. ISBN 9780692561348.
^ Thompson, Howard (February 22, 1968). "Firecreek' Has Stars". The New York Times.
^ "Firecreek movie review & film summary (1968) | Roger Ebert".