DUEL IN THE SUN
DIRECTED BY KING VIDOR
PRODUCED AND WRITTEN BY DAVID O. SELZNICK
ORIGINAL MUSIC BY DIMITRI TIOMKIN
SELZNICK STUDIO/ VANGUARD FILMS
Photo with the courtesy of lasbugas
Information From IMDb
Plot Summary
When her father is hanged for shooting his wife and her lover, half-breed Pearl Chavez
goes to live with distant relatives in Texas. Welcomed by Laura Belle
and her elder lawyer son Jesse, she meets with hostility from the ranch-owner himself,
wheelchair-bound Senator Jackson McCanles, and with lustful interest
from womanising, unruly younger son Lewt. Almost at once, already existing
family tensions are exacerbated by her presence and the way
she is physically drawn to Lewt.
Written by Jeremy Perkins
Full Cast
Jennifer Jones ... Pearl Chavez
Joseph Cotten ... Jesse McCanles
Gregory Peck ... Lewton 'Lewt' McCanles
Lionel Barrymore ... Sen. Jackson McCanles
Herbert Marshall ... Scott Chavez
Lillian Gish ... Laura Belle McCanles
Walter Huston ... The Sinkiller
Charles Bickford ... Sam Pierce
Harry Carey ... Lem Smoot
Joan Tetzel ... Helen Langford
Tilly Losch ... Mrs. Chavez
Butterfly McQueen ... Vashti
Scott McKay ... Sid
Otto Kruger ... Mr. Langford
Sidney Blackmer ... The Lover
Charles Dingle ... Sheriff Hardy
Griff Barnett ... The Bordertown Jailer (uncredited)
Hank Bell ... McCanles Ranch Hand (uncredited)
Johnny Bond ... Cowhand at Barbecue (uncredited)
Lane Chandler ... Fence-Line Cavalry Captain (uncredited)
Tex Cooper ... Square Dancer (uncredited)
Frank Cordell ... Sid (uncredited)
Tom Dillon ... Train Engineer (uncredited)
Steve Dunhill ... Jake (uncredited)
Si Jenks ... Dance-Floor Cowboy (uncredited)
Victor Kilian ... Gambler (uncredited)
Kermit Maynard ... Barfly (uncredited)
Francis McDonald ... Gambler (uncredited)
Robert McKenzie ... Bartender Zeke (uncredited)
Lee Phelps ... Train Fireman (uncredited)
Rose Plumer ... Dancer (uncredited)
Bert Roach ... Barbecue Guest (uncredited)
Lloyd Shaw ... Barbecue Dance Caller (uncredited)
Al Taylor ... Cowboy at Barbecue (uncredited)
Orson Welles ... Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Dan White ... Ed, the Wrangler (uncredited)
Guy Wilkerson ... Dance-Floor Cowboy (uncredited)
Hank Worden ... Dance- Floor Cowboy (uncredited)
Directed
King Vidor
Otto Brower (uncredited)
William Dieterle (uncredited)
Sidney Franklin (uncredited)
William Cameron Menzies (uncredited)
David O. Selznick (uncredited)
Josef von Sternberg (uncredited)
Writing Credits
David O. Selznick (screenplay by the producer)
Niven Busch (suggested by a novel by)
Oliver H.P. Garrett (adaptation)
Ben Hecht uncredited
Cinematography
Lee Garmes (director of photography)
Ray Rennahan (director of photography)
Harold Rosson (director of photography) (as Hal Rosson)
Trivia
Jennifer Jones scraped and cut herself quite badly during the scene where she crawls over the rocks and dirt.
The film was nicknamed "Lust in the Dust", which would later serve as the inspiration for the film Lust in the Dust (1985).
The role of Pearl was originally written for Teresa Wright, as a departure from her girl-next-door image. However, pregnancy forced her to drop out.
David O. Selznick reportedly spent $2,000,000.00, an unheard of sum in 1946, on the promotion of this film.
David O. Selznick had originally intended this property as his artistic follow-up to Gone with the Wind (1939). He envisioned a lavish production with no expense spared, and ultimately he got his wish. Constant production delays, many caused by Selznick's meddling and the hiring and firing of as many as seven directors (including Selznick himself), as well as an extended editing period to cut the film from its original 26-hour running time, caused the budget to balloon to a then-horrifying sum of $6 million, plus an additional $2 million in marketing costs. Though the film eventually did turn a profit, it effectively marked the end of Sleznick's career. However, he went on to produce prestige films such as The Paradine Case (1947), Portrait of Jennie (1948), The Third Man (1949) and A Farewell to Arms (1957).
This film's musical score was the subject of a famous soundstage exchange between producer David O. Selznick and composer Dimitri Tiomkin. When Selznick first heard Tiomkin's "love theme", he was visibly disappointed and admonished the composer, "You don't understand. I want real f**king music!" To which Tiomkin angrily replied, "You f**k your way, I f**k my way. F**k you - I quit!" Their differences were eventually patched up, and Tiomkin's music was used in the final film.
This film is listed among The 100 Most Amusingly Bad Movies Ever Made in Golden Raspberry Award founder John Wilson's book THE OFFICIAL RAZZIE® MOVIE GUIDE.
Film debut of Joan Tetzel.
The British writing-directing team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were shown a pre-release screening of the film by producer David O. Selznick. Both were thoroughly unimpressed with the mo0vie, but didn't want to offend Selznick by saying so. At the end of the film, when Gregory Peck and Jennifer Jones are crawling towards each other on a mountain and when they get near each other they both open fire, Pressburger turned to Powell and whispered, "What a pity they didn't shoot the screenwriter".
Goof
Factual errors: When the Cavalry rides off after intimidating McCanles from attacking the railroad because as the Senator says "I fought to defend that flag (the Stars and Stripes)", the music played is "Bonnie Blue Flag", which was an anthem of the Confederacy.
Filming Locations
Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA
Cochise County, Arizona, USA
Corriganville, Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA
Dragoon Mountains, Arizona, USA
Dragoon, Arizona, USA (near)
Lasky Mesa, West Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA
Route 99 of the Fresno-Bakersfield Highway, California, USA
Selznick International Studios - 9336 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
Sierra Railroad, Jamestown, California, USA
Simi Valley, California, USA
Texas Canyon, Arizona, USA
Triangle T Guest Ranch - 4190 Dragoon Road, Dragoon, Arizona, USA
Tucson, Arizona, USA
Tumacácori National Historical Park, Tumacacori, Arizona, USA
West Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA
Yuma, Arizona, USA