High Noon (1952) Movie REACTION! 

Gary Cooper had one of the most interesting backgrounds of any movie star. He was a real working cowboy who had been educated at a prestigious English Public School. He was equally at home playing cowboys and senators. May I suggest you watch "Sergeant York" (Coop's first Oscar) and "Ball of Fire" in that order? Be sure to watch "Sergeant York" first.

High Noon is the best western I have seen in all my years.

"High Noon" tells the tale of the Hollywood blacklist, and how "friends" abandoned totally anyone who was blacklisted. Carl Foreman, the writer, was blacklisted.

Thank you, Madison! You always seem to be reacting to classic movies that I've always enjoyed. What's interesting about this movie is it was filmed in real time (time passage of the movie is the same as the story's time passage). In the same era as this movie was made (1953 instead of 1952), another classic western hit the screens. It has the same mature characters and story as "High Noon". It's called "Shane", and I don't know which one I like more, but I might give the edge to "Shane". Two great westerns that stand the test of time.

This movie is known as a portrait of heroism, but it's just as much a portrait of collective cowardice.

Gary Cooper in 1940's "The Westerner" really is a great role that shows his talent as an actor and his ability to play a part with humor. Walter Brennan as Judge Roy Bean plays a great villain to Cooper's semi-hero. Cooper was an all-time great in many genres.

Once Cooper was informed of the situation the movie basically runs in real time.

This is one of my favorite Western movies! They even did a remake of the movie in 1981 as a Sci Fi space thriller called OUTLAND starring Sean Connery as a law enforcement officer on Jupiter's moon Io where he has a showdown with drug smugglers.

Thank you Madison for reacting this masterpiece High Noon starring by Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Katy Jurado and Lloyd Bridges. The song is just epic and beautiful 🎵 Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darlin 🎵

The final scene when he throws the badge on the ground says so much.

Another underrated western is The Gunfighter, starring Gregory Peck. 1950

Another outstanding film staring Cooper is Sergeant York. He also won an Oscar for that roll. In all it was nominated in 11 categories. Amazing supporting cast including the timeless Walter Brennan. Ward Bond, Noah Beery Jr , June Lockhart and my young crush Joan Leslie. It's really worth watching. Based on a true story. I enjoyed your analysis of High Noon I'd love to hear your reaction to the other.

Tex Ritter, who sang High Noon was the father of John Ritter, known for his character on TV's Three's Company. Many great character actors in this film, including Katy Jurado who always seems to be unmatched in her presence. Don't know if you have watched George Stevens' Shane starring Alan Ladd, it too has many themes including possibly one about a constitutional amendment. Always a Great Reaction! :)

John Wayne had a complex reaction to this film. Upon it's release, he called it Un-American because he viewed it, as many others did, as an allegory against blacklisting, which Wayne actually supported. He also didn't like that the protagonist basically begs for help, which I guess for Wayne was not "manly". Yet, when Cooper was unable to accept the Academy Award for best actor, it was John Wayne who accepted it on his behalf. He also later joked that he was going to fire his manager for not getting him the role

It's Lloyd Bridges! Looks like he picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.

Fred Zinnemanns masterpiece was "A Man For All Seasons" but it wasn't a western lol. But don't let "Shane" pass you by. It's iconic, it's brilliant, it's a western it has freaking Jack Palance in it lol.

Always a good day when our renaissance host (painter, artist and author) loads up a western, and puts on the hat.

One of my favorite things is that if you count up all the men who almost helped you get to about a dozen guys, there’s his deputy, the guy who volunteered, the three guys he sent the kid to find, 5 guys who immediately jumped up to help him at the church and then throw in couple from the bar and yeah he’d have like 11-12 guys backing him up.

Probably one of the best Westerns ever made and you being a Western author never seen this, oh my..like Christmas for you. Great reaction, glad you finally got to see it.

The song HIGH NOON was recorded in 1952 by Tex Ritter. A British singer called LITA ROZA also recorded this song. I'm not sure if it was before or after Tex Ritter's version, but I think it was the same year, 1952. I have Lita Roza's version on 78rpm shellac record.

I highly recommend "Sergeant York" too based on a WW1 American hero. The acting from all the characters is fantastic.

One of the finest westerns ever made. The 27th best American motion picture ever made, according to the American Film Institute (AFI). And a wonderful performance by Katy Jurado (my humble opinion) - " I don't like anybody to put his hands on me unless I want him to, and I don't like you to, anymore" uuuUO!!

The Peter Hyams film "Outland" (1981) is a loose remake of this film, set on a mining colony on Jupiter's moon Io. Hyams later went on to direct 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984), the pretty-good sequel to Stanley Kubrick's "2001: a Space Odyssey" (1968).

Other notable Westerns starring Gary Cooper "Friendly Persuasion " and "Vera Cruz".

Probably the best review of this movie i've heard.

Gary Cooper has also made comedies: "Good Sam," "The Cowboy and the Lady," "You're in the Navy Now." He also starred in the live action fantasy "Alice in Wonderland."

Excellent analysis, Madison. I agree with everything you say, and you remind me what a fantastic movie this is. You're right about that montage sequence, it's Gold. Shortly after that, there is a shot of Marshall Caine, alone on the street, and the camera backs away on a high crane. Epic. As heroic as Gary Cooper is in this movie, John Wayne thought he was a wimp for asking help from anyone. Rio Bravo is the response to that. Also, I'm quite sure that Clint Eastwood had watched High Noon before he made Unforgiven. Thanks for your output. I enjoyed that.

AT A PARTY JOHN WAYNE TOLD GARY COOPER, HE DIDNT LIKE THAT COOPER PLAYED SUCH A WEAK SPINLESS UNAMERICAN CHARACTER. GARY COOPER TOLD JOHN WAYNE, I AM NOT THAT CHARACTER AND YOU'RE NOT JOHN WAYNE.

You're right! It IS "Thou Shalt not Murder." All this time, we've been suffering with a mistranslation of this word. Just as in English, we have separate words for "kill" and "murder" so has Ancient Hebrew and the word used in the Torah in this instance is the word for murder. Good on you for intuiting this out. Very impressive.

It’s very effective the way director Fred Zinnemann displays a clock frequently throughout the movie to remind us that time is running out for Will Kane. You can see the desperation in Kane’s face as the situation becomes more dire.

Great review Madison. I've always loved this movie; the story, the cast, the score and above all Gary Cooper. He played this part with so much feeling and emotion. He is a hero, ofcourse, but he showed his insecurity, doubts and fear througout this movie. He is a tough guy, but at the same time is not afraid of looking very vulnerable. Gary Cooper is one of those actors who had so much charisma that your eyes are always automatically focussed on him. The story is great, the conversations are great and the whole movie functions as a kind of a mirror of our society, of us, people. So thanks again for this review.

The Clint Eastwood western, High Plains Drifter (1973), takes a similar scenario and gives it a misanthropic twist. It's not a thinker like High Noon, but it has an impact of it's own.

"By that time my lungs were aching for air." Good old Lloyd. Anyone else remember watching "Sea Hunt" in its first run?

High Noon is the right choice. Rio Bravo is merely a good Western; High Noon is ranked by the American Film Institute (AFI) as the 32d best movie of all time, in any genre, and one of the most imitated, parodied, and culturally significant movies ever made. Some of the cultural tropes that came from this movie include: the hero riding off into the sunset at the end with the girl; the phrase "a man's got to do what a man's got to do" (although Gary Cooper never actually said this, it was the advertising slogan); and the phrase "high noon" itself to refer to an appointment with destiny.

"The Westerner" is another interesting Gary Cooper movie from 1940 It was remade in the 70s(?) As "The Life And Times Of Judge Roy Bean"

Lloyd Bridges also stars in this film. You may have seen him in the satire "Airplane," "Tucker: A Man and his Dream," ( starred with his son Jeff Bridges). He had a TV series in the'60s, "Seahunt" . Bridges frequently acts alongside his sons Beau and Jeff Bridges.

I liked their attention to detail, especially with the clocks. So many westerns will show a clock, and it’s missing a pendulum. All of the clocks in this movie were working.

In the cast are Lee Van Cleef, Harry Morgan, and Sheb Wooley (who had a hit with The Purple People Eater).

I knew you were going to love this movie! Cooper is masterful. Not a western, but another great Cooper performance (along with the incomparable Ingrid Bergman) is For Whom the Bell Tolls. I think you'll love that one too!.

That's Tex Ritter singing. His son John was an actor. This is the first western shot in real time. I love it! Great reaction.

thanks Madison, you made my day. High Noon is such a must-watch on so many levels, what you said, comments below, its social critique, etc. one could go on quite a long while on all the details so i just leave it here... so true about having to re-watch it. goosebumps every time...

I really enjoyed how invested you was in this movie. You're going to love Rio Bravo. 🙂

Another excellent movie starring Gary Cooper is Sgt York. It’s an absolute classic set in WWI and, like Pvt Doss in Hacksaw Ridge, it’s based on the true story of a young man who has to confront his religious beliefs during war and becomes a hero. It’s a must-see and it isn’t as graphic as Hacksaw Ridge.

Thank you for these classics: they really are 'classic' for a reason. That you watch with an unbiased eye and allow for what was the norm at the time is amazing. I'm thrilled to be a humble subscriber!

Wonderful reaction and analysis, Madison!!! Fred Zinnemann's direction, Floyd Crosby's cinematography and Dimitri Tiomkin's score created so much tension that when you hear the train's whistle, you almost feel like you've just run a mile race, or that's the way it was for me anyway. Great film, great script and great performances from everyone!!!

The deputy was played by Lloyd Bridges, father to Jeff and Beau Bridges

I had a philosophy teacher in adult school who brought this up for discussion. For me this is one of the penultimo westerns to define the genre; good vs evil (outside the whole natives mess ofc) !!

He was also very good in the Western "The Hanging Tree" with Maria Schell and Karl Malden

Gary Cooper made many great movies. Hanging Tree is one of my favorites. Great reaction!

Hope you get to some James Cagney films if you stay in the classics. One of the all time greats and criminally underreacted to. "The roaring 20's" "white heat" would be 2 great recs to check out.

I’m so glad you chose High Noon! I knew you would really connect with this movie, more so than other reactor channels. It is truly an American epic.

Ms. Madison, thank you for continuing to bring us these Western classics. It really sets your channel apart. And girl, you can rock a cowboy hat like few others. 😉 High Noon was adapted into a science fiction film called Outland, starring Sean Connery. I think you’d like it. Excited for your merch!

You might want to have a look at Outland. Its a sort of sci fi retelling of High Noon in space, it has Sean Connery as the Gary Cooper character.

Floyd Crosby's cinematography was nominated for an academy award, an award he already won for another movie in 1931. There many super shots, angles, and tricks...but the one with the theme playing as the camera pans out and up showing Cooper alone on the vacant streets, abandoned by the town, is chilling. Floyd was the father of the recently late David Crosby of the 1960'/70's Crosby Stills Nash and Young singing group, and also the Byrds of the 1960's. Lloyd Bridges is the Deputy, father of actors Jeff and Beau Bridges. the husband who tells his wife to tell Kane he is not home is Harry Morgan [known as Henry Morgan back then], who latter became famous on TV shows, Pete and Gladys, Dragnet in the 1960's and Colonel Potter on MASH. who was in what seems hundreds of tv shows and movies, often cowboy movies. Katy Jurado is one of the finest actresses, and a beauty. I'd melt like butter on a skillet around her. She deserved a best supporting actress award for this, but no....Coopers acting was in EYES, showing desperation and abandonment. Frankly, that whole town could go to hell as far I would be concerned.

23:09 "You should be helping him Dude." Admirable foretelling!

Thanks for this great upload, Madison, I really love that you react to classic movies :-) Another great one with Gary Cooper (and my personal favorite) is The Westerner, 1940. The humor and story hold up so well, even today 83 years later!

Thank you again for another honest and heartfelt analysis. Quite frankly I would have enjoyed a much longer response. Your thoughts on this much forgotten and underappreciated film is greatly appreciated.

I love both High Noon and Rio Bravo, so I'm very happy to hear we're getting to see both reactions. I'd like to suggest Outland (1981) as a link to High Noon but in a completely different setting/genre.

This is one of the best westerns of all time. Gary Cooper was a true American legend and he kills it in this role. WDE

Lloyd Bridges (father to Jeff Bridges) played the unstable deputy.

The film is pretty much a parable about the 1950s Communist witch hunt in the US and how it affected the film industry as well as the country itself. Cooper standing up for himself as a man alone pitted against the odds not in his favor is strongly palpable for those who were persecuted for their beliefs/thoughts and wrongful accusations which ultimately led to blacklisting among other notorious acts of ostrachizations. The film itself is a true Western classic and Cooper justifably earned that Oscar - he was always a stoic, silent type but very much still waters run deep persona onscreen (and very private off). Great job Mads - knew you'd dig it.

A classic film. Brings to life the saying "The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that Good Men Do Nothing". Will is the only good man in town.

Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling was sung by Tex Ritter but was later a hit for Frankie Laine.

Thank you for reacting to this. Gary Cooper's best film. Please do more Westerns. You and Irish Guy Reacts are the only ones who react to Westerns regularly.

Another great review. Another great thought provoking western classic is The Oxbow Incident.

Yes, I agree, one always misses little things, nuances etc, the first time viewing. For example, you missed an important scene when Kane happens across a bunch of kids playing a gunfight. You were talking to us and you missed a line from one of the kids, who said (I paraphrase): "Gotcha, Kane, you're dead!". Kane's reaction was one of further despondency.

And I’m recommending two “alternative” westerns for you that would be real interesting to see your take on. “El Top” subtitled (1970) “Dead Man” (1995) So these films definitely both take place in that time period and are definitely of the genre of western. Not trying to bait and switch you or anything. It’s just that both these films take a very unorthodox approach to the genre. Both films, unlike any other western out there. “El Topo” was actually the first midnight movie and started the phenomenon. “Dead Man” stars Johnny Depp. These two films are not anything alike. The only reason I’m grouping these two westerns together now is because of their unorthodox, unusual, and totally unique approach to the genre.

One of the best westerns of all time.

An interesting bit of trivia: The cinematographer on this film was Floyd Crosby. Floyd's son was David Crosby who grew up to be a very successful musician in the bands The Byrds, and Crosby, Stills and Nash.

The name of the town, “Hadleyville” is a play on the name of the town in the Mark Twain short story “ The man who corrupted Hadleyburg”- it has a similar theme regarding human nature.

This is an excellent reaction Madison. You covered all the main situations in the movie very well and I really enjoyed your detailed comments at the end.

Great reaction and observations cowgirl ! And what I love was the build up to the showdown which was proceeding in near “real time” with all the clocks showing the count down to the climax. A great western !!!

Clint Eastwood did a alternative what if version of High Noon called High Plains Drifter I too recommend Gary Cooper in Friendly Persuasion and Sergeant York Also watch Westward the Women

This is a really good movie and the most shown at the White House. Tex Ritter sang the song. He’s the father of John Ritter from Three’s Company.

Complex characters. Just a point... You're right, Harvey (Deputy Marshall) was immature and insecure. In this way, though, he wanted Kane to leave town so he could take care of the Miller gang himself and so show his capability of being marshall.

See _High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic_ by Glenn Frankel. And the more expensive of the two "Olive Films" releases of the film has a supplement about the blacklist -- many of the extras were given parts as their last paycheck.

John Wayne's chief objection to High Noon was, whole town full of folk, which would include a percentage of civil war veterans, but nobody stands by the sheriff. He pointed out the large volume of shooting that broke out in Coffeville when the citizens discovered the Dalton's were robbing their bank. Of course there are three 'Hey you in the jail films' as, strangely, three fairly identical films were made. Rio Bravo, El Dorado and Rio Lobo. My favorite is El Dorado. Also BTW gosh Grace Kelly errrrrr 28 year age difference between the husband and the bride........ oh well.

Madison, I agree with you 100% on the need for Force on Force when dealing with those who take advantage of others. By the way, I am about 20-pages into your book 😊

I've read that President Bill Clinton screened "High Noon" more than 20 times at the White House.

"The worst Deputy ever" was played by the legendary Lloyd Bridges, father to Jeff and Beu.

It's interesting that John Wayne turned this film down because he considered it "un-American" and a whole town would not have turned their backs.

High Noon, the inspiration for many films that followed including Die Hard (the writers acknowledged it when Bruce Willis corrects the bad guy that it was Gary Cooper, not John Wayne, that rode off with Grace Kelly).

Cooper won two Academy Awards..1941’s Sgt.York..and this one High Noon..with the future Princess Grace of Monaco..Grace Kelly from Philadelphia..and she played opposite every top actor Hollywood had..til she married a prince..in 1954..?

Look up these two movies based on Donald Hamilton novels for different takes on the western hero: The Violent Men (1954) The Big Country (1958) In both movies, the protagonist is an easterner who doesn't carry a gun at the beginning of the movie.

The glamorous, graceful, stunning Princess Grace Kelly! also in Rear Window

It was said Gary Cooper had bad stomach ulcers while filming the movie. It was also said John Wayne didn't like the end throwing the badge in the dirt.✌️❤️

Thank you. Your video comments were very good, adding to the movie itself.

''Ben'' (Sheb Wooley) played ''Pete Nolan'' in Rawhide.

It was Howard Hawks that hated High Noon, not John Wayne. John just starred in Rio Bravo.

In my personal opinion the is the best western movie. Covers all the points. Politics, honour, strong female characters, friendships and morals.

One of my favorite westerns is One-Eyed Jacks, starring and directed by Marlon Brando.

Thank You Madison Thames!

You did another marvellous reaction, very thoughtful, very observant. It's probably been mentioned several times before, but it's enlightening to consider in what kind of times the movie was made, and what it was basically a comment on. I'm, of course, referring to the McCarthy era. As others have mentioned, it may be worthwhile to also take a look at the film "Outland" from 1981. It stars Sean Connery in a similar role as Cooper's (a marshal fed up with quitting), and it's one of Connery's strongest performances, to my mind. The themes are similar, but "Outland"'s setting in a future mining colony on the Jovian moon Io adds another layer of atmosphere to it. Cheers! P.S.: If you're going to take on "Rio Bravo", please, also consider giving "El Dorado" a go. It's a charming, melancholy, and funny riff on the theme.

Please consider what is essentially High Noon in a gritty Sci Fi setting … Sean Connery’s 1981 hidden gem … OUTLAND.

22:58 "Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit drinking."

One of the most underrated West movies is the Professionals starring Lee Marvin and Burt Lancaster.

Gary Cooper and "High Noon" are referenced in my book (and screenplay) "Fate's Intervention" as a cryptic message / clue that investigators stumble upon. Who'd a thunk it? 😉

I'm So Glad That You Like Westerners. The Outlaw Josey Wales Starring Clint Eastwood Is One Of My Favorite Movies. It Came Out In '76.

Hi Madison. This movie set off an interesting chain of events. Five other actors were offered the part before Gary Cooper. The first was John Wayne. He thought that the movie had too political a theme. Wayne was a staunch supporter of the blackisting at the time and he felt this was anti that view. As it turned out Cooper who was a close friend of Waynes, was in Europe at the time of the Oscars. He asked his friend Wayne to accept for him. Wayne put his personal feelings aside and made a thoughtful speech in which he spoke highly of Cooper. Ending his speech by joking that he was going to find his agent and find out why he didn't do the film himself lol. Oh and the song won an Oscar as well!

Great review, Madison!