The Range Feud (1931)

SYNOPSIS: Sheriff tries to keep peace between two warring cattlemen. COMMENT: We have John Wayne's popularity to thank for the video release of this unusual item. (A good print too). I have remarked before that all Buck Jones' films are worth seeing and that many of them are quite unusual. Range Feud bears out that statement. What other westerns can you cite that start right off in a church? What other early sound westerns are so gripping and make such astoundingly smooth use of sharp editing and cross-cutting and pacily employ such realistic sound effects that the complete absence of background music is undetectable? What other westerns have such a grittily realistic mood and atmosphere? And in what other westerns can you find John Wayne playing the romantic lead but not the hero?It's hard to believe that this often stylishly directed piece had any connection with the usually pedestrian D. Ross Lederman. Or that a movie of such expertise could lie forgotten for so long in Hollywood vaults. For instance, Don Miller mentions the movie only in passing (because of Wayne's subsidiary role) in his marvelous book Hollywood Corral.

. . . is titled THE RANGE FU3D, and is included on a Disc Plaza Entertainment "Made in Canada" product labeled "John Wayne Movie Collectibles, Volume One." Besides RANGE FU3D, Vol. 1 includes THE LAWLESS RANGE, TWO FISTED LAW, and THE LUCKY TEXAN (all crammed onto a single DVD with NO Special Feature Extra Bonuses--not so much as a theatrical trailer or still photo gallery). Since I'd already seen these latter three Wayne films on professionally produced American home entertainment offerings, I did NOT try to sit through an inferior Canadian version of them (which I assume sported title cards reading THE BRALESS RANGE, TWO FISTED AWL, and THE DUCKY EXMAN). When Disc Plaza's clowns at "Cascadia Labs" threw FU3D into their Volume One, they forgot to include the original music soundtrack (except for 16 seconds at the very beginning and 13 at the end). Also missing is Mr. Wayne's hanging, which seems to be the whole point of this story. Somehow, the picture goes out-of-frame at the key moment, after the Duck has been Noosed for his Final Dance. Disc Plaza omits a release year on its Volume One package, but I have a hunch that Vol. 2 is due out any day now. Then perhaps we'll see such Wayne titles as RIDERS OF TIFFANY, KING OF THE PECAN, THE LONELY TAIL, and WINDS OF THE WAISTBAND.

The open range, range war, rustling oppose two families, threats are uttered, one of the landowners is killed; the town's sheriff, played by Jones (already wearing a suit), should have to solve a murder case (but the only step he takes, as a lawman, is imprisoning Clint and waiting), and there is something to understand. As has been observed by others, Jones had, despite his proletarian look, a largely unmanly, affected acting style, he had the looks of a Gabin or a Cagney, but a strong bad taste in acting. Wayne plays one of his '30s naives. A nicer script would of required from the sheriff to compensate Clint's defenselessness by his own knowledge and wit; but this sheriff is just angry and prostrate by turns. But it might be subtler than that: beyond the sermonize-rs' ineffectiveness, with the mob who cheers the sheriff's burst of anger, there is another, quiet world, such as that of Clint's dad and of the oldster who finds a clue after the rustled cattle has been set free.The sheriff beats someone who dared to doubt his integrity. This is meant to express his inner turmoil and unbalance, but comes across as silly. (On the other hand, the sheriff was right in his choice of a victim.) The world of the sermonize-rs and the cheering mob, eager for a fight, and the quiet world, of the people who actually think; this pair is in the movie. There is a fine take with Clint's dad, after both Clint and the sheriff have left, the 1st running away, and the 2nd chasing him. The dad, standing near the door, tired of his own grit and anger, throws his weapon.As a footnote only, 'The Feud' is cathartic, it has been so for me, not uplifting, but cleansing, so it did me good.In his early talkies, Jones was knocked down, it happens in an earlier vehicle, where his white horse brings the girl (after they have found the missing cattle, and Jones chased the outlaws), it happens here. His character (a drifter there, a sheriff and a man of the place, here) is shown as brave and impulsive, but not quiet and shrewd, nor resourceful or witty; instead, more of an everyman, a proletarian, streetwise in an earlier vehicle, sententious in this one, plus the affected and overacted, over-expressed side. But Jones did have something striking, as opposed to the supposed blandness of other western actors. He didn't always use that strength. He indulged in impersonating silent movie stars, or his own idea of them. The scripts of his westerns have some dramatic interest.A common trait of 'Range Feud' and 'Shadow Ranch' are, beside the social fights of the deep, grassroots pastoral world, the likable bit players, such as both ranchers in this one (but especially Clint's dad), or, here, the cattle seller, who has been called to establish the provenience of the disputed cattle. They root the storyline.Wayne had a loose, playful, somewhat boyish style.As another footnote, this time to the genre: Jones was overacting (yet much of what he was doing was intriguing, despite his very wrong idea of what a cowman should be like), Wayne had a generic playfulness (as a serene country lad, sure of his good looks, and there is a large stream of underplayed irony in his early roles, perhaps a kind of a superiority complex, as he felt superior to what he was doing, or to what he has been given to act), Steele was self-conscientious sometimes, but efficiently humorous when needed, Ritter played his own quiet charm, even unto that undertone of eeriness and honest self-confidence of a fairy tale character (hence, the most intriguingly folkloric of them all), a singer who seems mundane and earthly yet comes across as wholly folkloric.

This film is worth seeing, first because of Buck Jones, who is quite good, in my opinion he is the best of the cowboys of the 30's. Also because of John Wayne, for a change playing the young guy, eventually in most of Wayne's film his character would be more like Buck's, but it is fun seeing him in the part that would be equivalent to James Caan in Eldorado or Ricky Nelson in Rio Bravo. The sizes of the hats worn in the film are quite larger than what we are used to see. Also the dresses worn by Susan Fleming look more like dresses worn in the thirties than at the time the story of the film takes place. The fistfight scenes also look speed up and without noise. But one thing you can say about the film: you don't get bored seeing it. But the title of the film you see at the beginning: "Range Feud" ???? Where did they get this name???