The Naked Spur was a low-budget Western that became a top-grossing film. It follows a bounty hunter named Howard Kemp who is tracking the escaped convict Ben Vandergroat, who has a $5,000 bounty on his head. Along the way, Kemp is coerced into teaming up with two other men and they capture Vandergroat and his accomplice. Vandergroat attempts to turn the group against each other. The film was directed by Anthony Mann and features psychological elements as it blurs the line between hero and villain and leaves the audience unsure of who to root for.

1. THE NAKED SPUR (1953) – INTRO
ESSENTIALS 2016
LANSKY
HI EVERYBODY, AND WELCOME TO TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES. I’M BEN MANKIEWICZ.
OUR NEXT FILM FROM THE MANN-STUART DUO WAS A LOW BUDGET WESTERN THAT
WENT ONTO BECOME A TOP-GROSSING FILM AS THE FATHER OF PSYCHOLOGICAL
WESTERNS STRIKES AGAIN. FROM 1953, IT’S THE NAKED SPUR. THE NAKED SPUR IS
THE FIFTH OF TEN WESTERNS MADE BY MANN DURING THE 1950S AND THE THIRD
WITH STEWART. THE FILM HAD TREMENDOUS SUCCESS AND IN 1954 WAS
NOMINATED FOR AN ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST WRITING, STORY, AND
SCREENPLAY, AN INCREDIBLE ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR A GENRE NORMALLY
DEPRIVED OF SUCH RECOGNITION. WITH THOUGHT PROVOKING LINES LIKE: “NOW
AIN’T THAT THE WAY? A MAN GETS SET FOR TROUBLE HEAD-ON AND IT SNEAKS UP
BEHIND HIM” AND THE RESPONSE: ”THAT’S LIFE” IT’S NO WONDER THE SCREENPLAY
RECEIVED THE NOMINATION AND THE NOD OF RECOGNITION. THE FILM FOLLOWS
THE STORY OF CIVIL WAR VETERAN TURNED BOUNTY HUNTER HOWARD KEMP
(PLAYED BY JAMES STEWART) WHO ENTERS THE COLORADO TERRITORY IN SEARCH
OF ESCAPED CONVICT BEN VANDERGROAT (PLAYED BY ROBERT RYAN) WHO HAS A
$5,000 BOUNTY ON HIS HEAD. ALONG THE WAY STEWART IS COERCED TO TEAM UP
WITH EX-UNION SOLDIER, ROY ANDERSON (PLAYED BY RALPH MEEKER), AND BURNT-
OUT GOLD PANNER, JESSE TATE (PLAYED BY MILLARD MITCHELL, WHO ALSO
APPEARS IN WINCHESTER ‘73). THE TRIO TRAPS VANDERGROAT AND HIS
ACCOMPLICE, LINA PATCH (PLAYED BY JANET LEIGH AND MOTHER OF JAMIE LEE
CURTIS), ON A HILLSIDE AND EVENTUALLY TAKE THE TWO AS PRISONERS. WITH
ASSISTANCE FROM LINA PATCH AND WITH NO BETTER OPTIONS, VANDERGROAT AND
PATCH ATTEMPT TO SYSTEMATICALLY DIVIDE THE GROUP, TURNING THEM AGAINST
ONE ANOTHER. THE GROUP EMBARKS ON THEIR LONG JOURNEY AND ALONG THE
WAY DEAL WITH THE HARSH WILDERNESS AND RUGGED LANDSCAPE. DIRECTOR
ANTHONY MANN USES THIS LANDSCAPE TO ADD TO THE DRAMA. WHETHER IT’S
CLIMBING RIDGID CLIFFS OR WADING THROUGH VIOLENT RIVER RAPIDS THE NATURE
IS AS MUCH A VILLAIN AS VANDERROAT HIMSELF, A COMMON THEME IN MANN FILMS.
THIS INCREDIBLY POWERFUL FILM TOYS WITH THE RELAITONSHIP BETWEEN HERO
AND VILLAIN AND MAKES BLURS THE LINE OF GOOD. WITH HIDDEN MOTIVES IN PLAY
AND GOOD AND BAD BECOMING SOMEWHAT ARBITRARY WE ARE LEFT UNSURE
WHOM TO ROOT FOR, WHEN OUR HERO IS DOING THE RIGHT THINGS FOR THE WRONG
REASONS, ARE THEY STILL A HERO? FROM DIRECTOR ANTHONY MANN FEATURING
JAMES STEWART, JANET LEIGH, RALPH MEEKER, ROBERT RYAN, AND MILLARD

2. MITCHELL, HERE’S “THE NAKED SPUR.” ******
THE NAKED SPUR (1953) – OUTRO