Although far from his most well-known outing,The Naked Spuris rightfully considered one of James Stewart’s greatest contributions to the Western genre. Despite making a name for himself in romantic comedies and dramas in the 1940s, Stewart later developed a reputation as a great Western actor. In fact, some of themost memorable Westerns of the 1950sstarred James Stewart.
Interestingly, a substantial portion ofJames Stewart’s Westernswere made with just one director. James Stewart was obviously a favorite of Anthony Mann, a prominent Hollywood director at the time. During just a five-year period that began in 1950 and ended in 1955, Mann tapped Stewart to star in eight of his movies, five of which were Westerns. Their third pairing produced a true gem inThe Naked Spur,which hit theaters in 1953. It still holds up today, with its 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating being an accurate indication of its quality.
The Naked Spur Is A Psychological Western Where James Stewart Fights Robert Ryan
Robert Ryan Plays The Villain While Janet Leigh Plays The Love Interest
The Naked Spurpits James Stewart against Robert Ryan, another talented actor remembered at least partially for his Western roles. Stewart plays Howard Kemp, a soldier who fought in the Civil War, and someone clearly still suffering from the emotional trauma he went through during those years. Now acting as a bounty hunter, Kemp has taken it upon himself to hunt down Ben Vandergroat, an outlaw on the run with Janet Leigh’s Lina Patch. However,the film isn’t necessarily a cat-and-mouse story, as Kemp actually catches his target (and the movie’s main antagonist) early on.
The Naked Spur isn’t the first time James Stewart has gone against his “nice guy” type to play nuanced, morally gray characters, but with Howard Kemp, the actor crosses a surprising line.
Rather,The Naked Spuris more of an adventure story with strong psychological undertones. The movie follows Kemp, his two allies (played by Millard Mitchell and Ralph Meeker), the captive Vandergroat, and Lina as the five of them take a long journey through the countryside and back to civilization so that the outlaw can face justice for his alleged crime and Kemp can get his reward. Of course, Vandergroat isn’t exactly a cooperative prisoner. The movie sees Vandergroat play with the minds of the other four characters - specifically Kemp - all to create an opportunity to escape.
The Naked Spur’s Howard Kemp Is Arguably James Stewart’s Darkest Character
It’s One Of His Best Performances
The psychological warfare raging between Vandergroat and Kemp exposes a darker side to the star than what many may be accustomed to fromJames Stewart’s movies. Admittedly,The Naked Spur isn’t the first time James Stewart has gone against his “nice guy” type to play nuanced, morally gray characters, but with Howard Kemp, the actor crosses a surprising line. Moral conflicts, trauma, and even outright hysteria, which are all part ofThe Naked Spur, can be found in several other James Stewart performances, includingRear WindowandIt’s a Wonderful Life, but there’s a darkness in Kemp that makes him especially unique.
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Those James Stewart characters had their fair share of inner demons and personal problems, but brutality wasn’t among them.The Naked Spurpresents the actor with a rare opportunity to play a person consumed with hatred and struggling to contain his violent impulses. Robert Ryan’s character triggers those emotions in Kemp, allowing James Stewart to deliver one of the most thrilling performances of his entire acting career.
