AFI|Catalog - American Film Institute

AFI CATALOG OF FEATURE FILMS THE FIRST 100 YEARS 1893–1993 Movie Title Movie Title Search for People Search for Feature Films Search for Short Films Movies by Director Movies by Producer Movies by Cast Movies by Release Year Movies by Production Company Movies by Genre Movies by Subject All Hang 'Em High (1968)

114 mins | Western | August 1968

Cast:

Clint Eastwood, Inger Stevens, Ed Begley [ More ]

Director:

Ted Post

Writers:

Leonard Freeman, Mel Goldberg

Producer:

Leonard Freeman

Cinematographer:

Leonard South

Editor:

Gene Fowler Jr.

Production Designer:

John B. Goodman

Production Companies:

Leonard Freeman Productions, The Malpaso Company

• HISTORY
• DETAILS
• CREDITS
• SYNOPSIS
• GENRE
• Print Details

Full page view HISTORY

The 10 Feb 1966 DV announced that Mel Goldberg had been hired to write the script for Hang ‘Em High, based on an original story idea from producer Leonard Freeman. Ted Post was hired to direct, and Clint Eastwood was cast in the role of “Jed Cooper,” as announced in the 3 May 1967 DV, which also stated that United Artists would release the picture. Principal photography began 19 Jun 1967 in New Mexico, according to a 23 Jun 1967 DV production chart. Following location shooting in and around Las Cruces, NM, interiors were set to be filmed in rented space at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studios in Century City, CA. On 8 Aug 1967, DV reported that the shoot would wrap that day. An announcement in the 28 Jul 1967 DV stated that Doris Tsoong-Ying Nieh had been cast. Clint Eastwood reportedly received a salary of $400,000, in addition to twenty-five percent of the film’s net profits, according to a 12 Jun 1968 Var brief. A 23 Apr 1969 DV item stated that the film cost $1.68 million, and went on to become a box-office success, grossing $15 million to that time. Although the 17 Jul 1968 Var review deemed the picture “morbidly violent” and described hanging scenes as “shown in meticulous, morbid detail,” reviews in the 8 Aug 1968 NYT and 15 Aug 1968 LAT cited the final mass hanging sequence as the film’s dramatic and artistic high point. According to a 21 Jul 1967 DV article, the staged hangings represented a first “in ...

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The 10 Feb 1966 DV announced that Mel Goldberg had been hired to write the script for Hang ‘Em High, based on an original story idea from producer Leonard Freeman. Ted Post was hired to direct, and Clint Eastwood was cast in the role of “Jed Cooper,” as announced in the 3 May 1967 DV, which also stated that United Artists would release the picture. Principal photography began 19 Jun 1967 in New Mexico, according to a 23 Jun 1967 DV production chart. Following location shooting in and around Las Cruces, NM, interiors were set to be filmed in rented space at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studios in Century City, CA. On 8 Aug 1967, DV reported that the shoot would wrap that day. An announcement in the 28 Jul 1967 DV stated that Doris Tsoong-Ying Nieh had been cast. Clint Eastwood reportedly received a salary of $400,000, in addition to twenty-five percent of the film’s net profits, according to a 12 Jun 1968 Var brief. A 23 Apr 1969 DV item stated that the film cost $1.68 million, and went on to become a box-office success, grossing $15 million to that time. Although the 17 Jul 1968 Var review deemed the picture “morbidly violent” and described hanging scenes as “shown in meticulous, morbid detail,” reviews in the 8 Aug 1968 NYT and 15 Aug 1968 LAT cited the final mass hanging sequence as the film’s dramatic and artistic high point. According to a 21 Jul 1967 DV article, the staged hangings represented a first “in that actual noose and gibbet were used, utilizing a tied-off section of the knot that prevented stuntmen’s neck[s] from breaking.” Stuntman coordinator Harvey Parry worked with special effects man George Swartz to design a special platform, which took four weeks to build. Parry “pre-tested the device” several times himself and admitted being anxious that something might go wrong. The gallows was fashioned after “authentic western and English types,” but the ten-foot “drop” was considerably higher than the standard 3½-to-4½-feet employed in real-life gallows, and 2½ feet in prop versions. Stuntmen who performed in the scene wore leg irons and hoods, with padding around their necks to prevent rope burns, and fell through a trap door onto padded boxes. The picture was released on 7 Aug 1968 in New York City, and one week later in Los Angeles, CA, prior to the unveiling of the Motion Picture Association of America’s (MPAA) new rating system. However, when a reissue of Hang ‘Em High was released on a double bill with The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1967, see entry) in Jul 1969, the picture was given an “M” rating, or “suggested for mature audiences (parental discretion advised),” as noted in the 23 Jul 1969 Var. The 3 Jul 1968 Var stated that a paperback novelization was due to be published by Popular Library. Musician Dominic Frontiere won a Broacast Music, Inc. (BMI) award for the title song he composed for the picture. Less

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS LOCATION Las Cruces New Mexico United States Los Angeles California United States Century City California United States SOURCE CITATIONS SOURCE DATE PAGE Daily Variety 10 Feb 1966 p. 4 Daily Variety 3 May 1967 p. 4 Daily Variety 5 Jun 1967 p. 3 Daily Variety 23 Jun 1967 p. 8 Daily Variety 21 Jul 1967 p. 3 Daily Variety 28 Jul 1967 p. 4 Daily Variety 8 Aug 1967 p. 4 Daily Variety 21 Aug 1968 p. 3 Daily Variety 23 Apr 1969 p. 2 Daily Variety 3 Jul 1969 p. 17 Los Angeles Times 1 May 1967 Section C, p. 29 Los Angeles Times 26 Jul 1968 Section F, p. 12 Los Angeles Times 15 Aug 1968 Section E, p. 25 New York Times 8 Aug 1968 p. 27 Variety 26 Jul 1967 p. 4 Variety 12 Jun 1968 p. 4 Variety 3 Jul 1968 p. 20 Variety 17 Jul 1968 p. 6 Variety 28 Aug 1968 p. 5 Variety 23 Jul 1969 --- CAST NAME CREDITED AS CREDIT Clint Eastwood Jed Cooper Inger Stevens Rachel Ed Begley Captain Wilson Pat Hingle Judge Adam Fenton Charles McGraw Sheriff Ray Calhoun Ruth White Madame Sophie Arlene Golonka Jennifer James MacArthur Preacher Bruce Dern Miller Alan Hale Jr. Stone + − NAME CREDITED AS CREDIT Clint Eastwood Jed Cooper Inger Stevens Rachel Ed Begley Captain Wilson Pat Hingle Judge Adam Fenton Charles McGraw Sheriff Ray Calhoun Ruth White Madame Sophie Arlene Golonka Jennifer James MacArthur Preacher Bruce Dern Miller Alan Hale Jr. Stone James Westerfield Prisoner Dennis Hopper Prophet L. Q. Jones Loomis Bert Freed Hangman Michael O'Sullivan Francis Duffy Tod Andrews Attorney Rick Gates Ben Bruce Scott Billy Joe Roy Glenn Sr. Roy Glenn Guard Ben Johnson Jack Ging Joseph Sirola Bob Steele Russell Thorson Ned Romero Jonathan Lippe Richard Guizon Mark Lenard Paul Sorensen Richard Angarola Larry Blake Ted Thorpe Robert Jones Barry Cahill John Wesley Dennis Dengate William Zuckert Hal England Robert B. Williams Tony Di Milo + − PRODUCTION CREDITS NAME PARENT COMPANY PRODUCTION COMPANIES Leonard Freeman Productions The Malpaso Company DISTRIBUTION COMPANY United Artists NAME CREDITED AS CREDIT DIRECTORS Ted Post Dir Richard C. Bennett Asst dir Donald C. Klune Asst dir PRODUCERS Leonard Freeman Prod Robert Stambler Supervisor prod Irving Leonard Assoc prod WRITERS Leonard Freeman Scr Mel Goldberg Scr PHOTOGRAPHY Leonard South Dir of photog Richard Kline Cine ART DIRECTOR John Goodman John B. Goodman Art dir FILM EDITOR Gene Fowler Jr. Film ed SET DECORATOR Arthur Krams Set dec COSTUMES Gene Murray Ward Glenn Wright Glen Wright Ward Elva Martien Ward MUSIC Dominic Frontiere Mus Edward Powell Edward B. Powell Orch John Caper, Jr. Mus supv SOUND Franklin Milton Sd Al Strasser Jr. Sd VISUAL EFFECTS George Swartz Spec eff Pacific Title Main titles MAKEUP Keester Sweeney Makeup Irving Pringle Makeup PRODUCTION MISC Frank Mayer Prod mgr DETAILS Release Date: August 1968 Premiere Information: Chicago premiere: 31 Jul 1968; New York opening: 7 Aug 1968; Los Angeles opening: 14 Aug 1968 Production Date: 19 Jun--8 Aug 1967 Copyright Info Claimant Date Copyright Number Leonard Freeman Productions 12 April 1968 LP35839 Physical Properties: Sound Color De Luxe Duration(in mins): 114 Country: United States Language: English SYNOPSIS

In 1889 Oklahoma, rancher Jed Cooper is hanged and left for dead by a nine-man lynch mob who believe him guilty of murder and cattle-rustling. After being saved by a passerby, Jed is exonerated and then appointed deputy marshal by Judge Adam Fenton. Jed rounds up many of the territory's toughest outlaws, but he refrains from tracking down his nine hangmen because of the judge's admonitions about taking the law into his own hands. Eventually, however, Captain Wilson, leader of the lynch mob, shoots Jed to protect his own life. Only wounded, however, Jed is nursed back to health by Rachel, a young widow who is seeking revenge against the same men, who raped her after shooting down her husband. Once Jed has recovered, he pursues and kills part of Wilson's gang; the others desert Wilson, who hangs himself rather than face Jed's wrath. Aware that his vengeance has offered him no solace, Jed attempts to turn in his badge. Judge Fenton salves his conscience by releasing a prisoner who gave himself up, and Jed consents to stay on as ... More Less

In 1889 Oklahoma, rancher Jed Cooper is hanged and left for dead by a nine-man lynch mob who believe him guilty of murder and cattle-rustling. After being saved by a passerby, Jed is exonerated and then appointed deputy marshal by Judge Adam Fenton. Jed rounds up many of the territory's toughest outlaws, but he refrains from tracking down his nine hangmen because of the judge's admonitions about taking the law into his own hands. Eventually, however, Captain Wilson, leader of the lynch mob, shoots Jed to protect his own life. Only wounded, however, Jed is nursed back to health by Rachel, a young widow who is seeking revenge against the same men, who raped her after shooting down her husband. Once Jed has recovered, he pursues and kills part of Wilson's gang; the others desert Wilson, who hangs himself rather than face Jed's wrath. Aware that his vengeance has offered him no solace, Jed attempts to turn in his badge. Judge Fenton salves his conscience by releasing a prisoner who gave himself up, and Jed consents to stay on as marshal.

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GENRE Genre: Western Subject Subject (Major): Judges Lynching Murder Oklahoma Outlaws Ranchers Rape Revenge Rustlers Suicide United States. Marshals Widows From AFI's 100 Years Lists...

• SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS (1961)
• GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
• EASY RIDER (1969)
• THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
• IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD (1963)
• TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
• COOL HAND LUKE (1967)
• BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ (1962)
• THE BIRDS (1963)
• WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962)

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Widows, Murder, Rustlers, Oklahoma, Judges, Ranchers, Suicide, Lynching, Revenge, Rape The American Film Institute is grateful to Sir Paul Getty KBE and the Sir Paul Getty KBE Estate for their dedication to the art of the moving image and their support for the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and without whose support AFI would not have been able to achieve this historical landmark in this epic scholarly endeavor.