Year of Eastwood #11

Hang ‘em High (1968)

Starring: Eastwood
Directed by Ted Post

Clint is at the other end of the noose at the beginning of Hang ‘em High. Clint is just minding his own business, helping out some calf stuck in the mud - when a posse jumps him and strings him up for cattle thieving. Clint tries to explain that he bought the cows fair and square with the money his gammy sent him for Christmas. But the posse came all this way and they want to do some hanging, so they put the noose around his neck and mosey on down the dusty trail. Not sure why they didn’t stick around to make sure Clint was dead ... maybe they had a tight schedule to keep and they were already late for a good tar and feathering.

Of course, Clint isn’t going to die in the first scene in any movie (it‘s in his contract). Luckily, a deputy just happens to be traveling by and he cuts Clint down from the hanging tree. But Clint can’t seem to catch a break and the deputy puts him in a paddy wagon and hauls him off to jail. He ends up in a small town in the Oklahoma Territory that enjoys a good public hanging like it’s the annual Tulip Festival. Judge Wapner checks out Clint’s story and offers him a job as a deputy. The pay is pretty good and offers some good benefits, mainly that Clint can chase down the guys in the posse and show them his shiny new badge.

Hang ‘em High was the first Western that Clint starred in following his success with the Spaghetti Westerns. It’s clear to see why American Westerns had become somewhat stale and the welcome edginess that the European film-makers brought to the genre. This effort is a by-the-numbers Western, the action lacks in suspense, and the music is plain lousy - although few soundtracks can compare with Morricone’s work in the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. The film was directed by a director that had worked with Clint during his Rawhide days and the movie actually feels more like a TV production. There’s even a scene where Clint is riding across the open plains and the shadow of film crew can be seen riding alongside.

Whenever you go back and watch some older films it’s always interesting to see who might show up in some bit parts that went on to greater fame. Hang ‘em High has a few. First off, there’s the Skipper from Gilligan’s Island as a member of the posse. Bruce Dern is a cattle rustler who comes up on the short end of the stick when he messes with Deputy Clint. But the real find is a young Dennis Hopper chewing up just a few seconds of screen time as the Charlie Manson of the Old West. He gets shot. The film also features a couple of scenes of Ben Johnson as another deputy. Johnson is a staple of classic Westerns and went on to win an Oscar for his portrayal of Sam the Lion in one of my favorite films, Last Picture Show.

Hang ‘em High is pretty standard stuff and has not gone on to become one of Clint’s better known films. The film begins to touch on an interesting topic of revenge and justice. Clint questions the logic of bringing men to justice only to hang ‘em the same way of the posse mentality. Judge Wapner responds that if you think someone has done you wrong don't take the law into your own hands: you take 'em to court.