The Tin Star

Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins star in this Western drama about Law & Order in the West.

Bounty hunter, Morg Hickman (Henry Fonda), has come into town with his catch.  The townspeople are cold towards him and demand that he wait to get his money until the identity of the crook can be verified.

While waiting for his money, Hickman finds out some interesting things about the small town.  First of all, they have trouble keeping their sheriffs alive.  Secondly, the current wearer of “The Tin Star” is a young and inexperienced man named Ben Owens (Anthony Perkins).  At the rate he is going, Sheriff Owens is probably going to be the next casualty of the badge.  Or is he?

When Sheriff Owens learns that Hickman used to wear “The Tin Star” himself, he approaches the older man for coaching.  What unfolds are a series of lessons about people, fighting and how to maintain law and order in the West.

Anthony Mann, the director of “Tin Star”, also directed these other top western movies::

• Cimarron
  
• The Man from Laramie
  
• Man of the West
  
• The Far Country
  
• The Naked Spur
  
• Bend of the River
  
• Winchester ‘73

• According to a 1956 Hollywood Reporter magazine article, “The Tin Star” was originally going to be filmed in color.  Also, Anthony Perkins almost lost his role as Sheriff Ben Owens to actor Jeffrey Hunter because he was ill when the movie was going to start.  The studio, however, decided to move the filming start date to a later time so that Anthony Perkins could stay in the role.

• "The Tin Star" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay (Barney Slater, Joel Kane, Dudley Nichols)