Winchester '73

Several Hollywood insiders felt that Jimmy Stewart had overestimated his box office appeal when he agreed to appear in Winchester '73 not for his usual salary, but for a percentage of the film's gross profits. No one was doubting Stewart's sagacity when Winchester '73 proved to be one of the most successful westerns in years, and soon every major star was jumping on the profits-percentage bandwagon. The film itself is the story of a longstanding blood feud; the film's centerpiece is a prized Winchester rifle. Hardbitten loner Stewart rides into Dodge City, where he participates in a Fourth of July shooting contest to win the coveted rifle. Stewart's principal opponent is surly Stephen McNally, for whom Stewart holds an unexplained hatred. McNally wins, but Cochran steals the rifle and heads for the hills. As Stewart conducts a long, grim search for the stolen weapon, it passes through several hands, notably the grimy ones of outlaw Dan Duryea. After the gun has come full circle, we learn that Stewart is McNally's brother, and that McNally had killed their father. The errant brother is himself killed in the final shootout while using the selfsame Winchester. Winchester '73 was not only a goldmine at the box office, but it also established a harmonious relationship between James Stewart and director Anthony Mann, who would guide Stewart through two subsequent no-nonsense adventure films, Bend of the River (1952) and The Far Country (1955). Based on a story by Stuart N. Lake, Winchester '73 would be indifferently remade for TV in 1967.