Johnny Guitar(1954)
Republic Pictures Aug 23, 1954
After helping a wounded gang member, a strong-willed female saloon owner is wrongly suspected of murder and bank robbery by a lynch mob.
Release Details
Original Release | Aug 23, 1954
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Other Details
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English
Summaries
Plot Summary
- Ex-gunslinger Johnny Logan, now calling himself Johnny Guitar (Sterling Hayden) rides into a small town in post-Civil War Alabama. He has been hired to work as a guitarist by Vienna (Joan Crawford), a beautiful, strong-willed saloon/casino owner. Five years earlier, Johnny and Vienna were lovers, but he apparently walked out on her, too restless to settle down and marry. Now Vienna insists that she has gotten over Johnny... just as he insists that he no longer has any romantic designs on her... and is more interested in her business than in men. Vienna has learned that the local railroad will be passing through the area, and she stands to become rich once she sells it some of her land.There is a stage robbery, and a banker is killed. Emma Small (Mercedes McCambridge), the dead man's sister, comes to Vienna's accompanies by the town marshal (Frank Ferguson), wealthy rancher John McIvers (Ward Bond), and about a dozen other townspeople. Emma and McIvers oppose the railroad because it will eliminate their control of the territory. Emma also despises Vienna because the man that she loves, the Dancin' Kid (Scott Brady) is attracted to her. Emma would rather see the Dancin' Kid dead than with Vienna, and tries to convince her companions that Vienna, the Kid and the Kid's partners, mean Bart Lonergan (Ernest Borgnine), sickly Corey (Royal Dano), and young Turkey Ralston (Ben Cooper), are responsible for her brother's death and should be hanged. Neither the marshal nor McIvers will go along with Emma or arrest the men without any real evidence that they were involved in the robbery. However McIvers orders Vienna and the Kid's gang to clear out of town. Vienna says that she is not leaving. Emma tells Vienna that she will kill her someday. Vienna coldly replies, "I know... unless I kill you first."That night, Vienna and Johnny admit they still love each other. They agree to start anew, but neither is sure the other can be depended upon. Vienna doesn't like Johnny's violence nature and Johnny is jealous that Vienna has had many lovers.The Kid and his three companions decides to rob Emma's bank... figuring that as long as they are being forced to flee the area it might as well be for a genuine crime and not a stage robbery which they had no part in. The bank robbery takes place just as Vienna is withdrawing her money.Later, Emma makes her bank teller swear the Vienna took part in the robbery. She, McIvers and the marshal form a posse and ride hard to Vienna's. There they discover Vienna hiding Turkey, who had been injured while riding away from the bank. They scare him into searing the Vienna helped with the robbery. Old Tom (John Carradine), the only employee whom Vienna was unable to send away in the face of impending danger (even Johnny had left), pulls a gun to help the marshal protect Vienna from the vigilantes who want to hang her. Emma shoots Tom, who accidentally shoots and kills the marshal with a stray bullet.After the vigilante mob attacks and burns down Vienna's saloon, the mob kills Turkey by hanging him, but when Emma personally attempts to hang Vienna, Johnny, who has returned after seeing the fire, cuts the rope and helps Vienna escape. They go to the Kid's secret hideout with the mob close on their trail.At the hideout, neither the Kid or Bart is happy to see Johnny, but Vienna keeps the men from fighting each other. Emma secretly meets with Bart and tells him that he and Corey can go free if he helps arrange for the others to get caught. When Corey attempts to tell the Kid what Bart has planned with Emma, Bart kills him. Bart tries to kill the Kid, but Johnny shoots Bart first. The vigilantes decide that enough blood as been spilled, and stand back while Emma carries on her personal vendetta against Vienna. Both women wear guns with holsters, as Emma walks to the shack where Vienna awaits her. They fire on each other and Emma kills the Kid. Although she is shot in her arm, Vienna kills Emma. Vienna and Johnny go off together.
Storyline
- Vienna has built a saloon outside of town, and she hopes to build her own town once the railroad is put through, but the townsfolk want her gone. When four men hold up a stagecoach and kill a man the town officials, led by Emma Small, come to the saloon to grab four of Vienna's friends, the Dancin' Kid and his men. Vienna stands strong against them, and is aided by the presence of an old acquaintance of hers, Johnny Guitar, who is not what he seems. — Ed Sutton
