High Noon

• Directed by: Fred Zinnemann
• Produced by: Stanley Kramer (uncredited) and Carl Foreman (uncredited)
• Written by: John W. Cunningham (story) and Carl Foreman (screenplay)
• Starring: Gary Cooper, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges, Katy Jurado, and Grace Kelly
• Editing by: Harry Gerstad
• Distributed by: United Artists
• Release date: July 24, 1952
• Running time: 85 min

High Noon is a 1952 western film which tells the story of a town marshal who is forced to face a gang of killers by himself.

The movie was written by John W. Cunningham (story) and Carl Foreman, based on a pulp short story, The Tin Star. It was directed by Fred Zinnemann. Zinnemann himself was highly influenced by the books of Karl May, which he had read as a child.

In 1989, High Noon was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant", entering the registry during the latter's first year of existence. The film is #27 on the American Film Institute's 2007 list.

Cast

• Gary Cooper as Marshal Will Kane
• Grace Kelly as Amy (Fowler) Kane
• Katy Jurado as Helen Ramirez
• Lloyd Bridges as Deputy Sheriff Harvey Pell
• Ian MacDonald as Frank Miller
• Thomas Mitchell as Mayor Jonas Henderson
• Otto Kruger as Judge Percy Mettrick
• Lon Chaney Jr. as Martin Howe (as Lon Chaney)
• Harry Morgan as Sam Fuller (as Henry Morgan)
• Eve McVeagh as Mildred Fuller
• Morgan Farley as Dr. Mahin, Minister
• Harry Shannon as Cooper
• Lee Van Cleef as Jack Colby
• Robert J. Wilke as Pierce (as Robert Wilke)
• Sheb Wooley as Ben Miller
• Jack Elam as Charlie the Drunkard (uncredited)

Plot

Will Kane (Gary Cooper), the longtime Marshal of Hadleyville, Kansas, has just married pacifist Quaker Amy (Grace Kelly), turned in his badge, and is preparing to move away to become a storekeeper. Soon after, the town learns that Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald), a criminal Kane brought to justice, is due to arrive on the noon train.

Miller had been sentenced to the gallows, but was pardoned due to a technicality. In court, he had vowed to get revenge on Kane and anyone who got in his way. His three gang members wait for him at the station. The worried townspeople encourage Kane to leave, hoping to defuse the situation.

Kane and his wife leave, but Kane has a crisis of conscience and turns back. He reclaims his badge and tries to swear in help, but it becomes clear that no one is willing to get involved. His deputy, Harvey Pell (Lloyd Bridges), resigns. Only his former lover, Helen Ramírez (Katy Jurado), supports him, but there is little she can do to help. Disgusted, she sells her business and prepares to leave town. His wife threatens to leave on the noon train with or without him, but he stubbornly refuses to give in.

In the end, Kane faces the four gunmen alone. He guns down two of Miller's men, though he himself is wounded. Helen Ramirez and Amy both board the train, but Amy gets off when she hears the sound of gunfire. Amy chooses her husband's life over her religious beliefs and kills the third gunman by shooting him in the back. Miller then takes her hostage and offers to trade her for Kane. Kane agrees, coming out into the open. 

Amy, however, claws Miller's face, causing him to release her. Kane then shoots and kills him. Then, as the cowardly townspeople emerge, Kane contemptuously throws his marshal's star in the dirt and leaves town with his wife.

Production

There was some controversy over the casting of Cooper in the lead role: at 50, nearly thirty years older than co-star Kelly, he was considered too old for the role.

Some scenes were filmed on various locations in California:

• the town scenes were filmed in present-day Columbia State Historic Park;
• the church is Saint Joseph's Catholic Church in Tuolumne City;
• the train station is in Jamestown.

Awards

The movie won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Gary Cooper), Best Film Editing, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (Dimitri Tiomkin), and Best Music, Song (Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington for "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin'", sung by Tex Ritter). It was nominated for Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Writing, Screenplay. 

It losses in the Best Picture category to The Greatest Show on Earth is usually seen as one of the biggest upsets (and one of the worst choices) in the history of the Academy Awards. This loss is often cited as due to bias against westerns on the part of the Academy. Ironically, despite severely disliking the film, it was John Wayne who picked up Gary Cooper's Academy Award.

Mexican actress Katy Jurado won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Helen Ramirez, becoming the first Mexican actress ever to receive the award.

High Noon is #27 on the American Film Institute's 2007 list, an improvement over its rank nine years earlier, where it was #33. Other AFI honors for the film include:

The Will Kane character was ranked fifth among the top 50 screen heroes in the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains list.